Slaviansky Russian Opera: Ascold’s tomb

Calls the opera Harold’s Tomb.

Upcoming is a “novel attraction in the shape of Russian opera, led by the popular tenor D’Agreneff Slaviansky, from the Imperial Opera House, St. Petersburg, assisted by an entire opera troupe of Russian singers who have recently arrived in this city direct from the domains of the Czar. They come highly accredited as artists of ability, and will appear in one of the gems of Muscovite opera.”

“The troupe of Russian singers who gave two concerts recently at Steinway Hall, will begin next Wednesday night at the French theatre [sic] a short season of Russian opera, opening with ‘Harold’s Tomb,’ a work by a national composer named Verstowskajo [sic]. A Russian ballet will be introduced in the course of this unique entertainment.”

“On Wednesday of next week the Russian company of singers under the direction of Mr. Agrenoff Slaviansky, whose performances at Steinway Hall we have already noticed, are to begin a season of opera at the French Theatre. We have had almost everything else—English, French, German, Italian, Ethiopian—and now our cup of happiness ought to be full. The compositions are to be national—that is, so far as Russia can be said to have any national music, for art of all kinds in that country is only a naturalized German culture—and the first opera to be produced is ‘Harold’s Tomb,’ by Verstowsky, from which the troupe gave a scene on occasion of their first concert. There are some excellent voices among the company, and we shall await the issue of their curious experiment with considerable interest. The theater will be closed on Monday and Tuesday.”

“The cosmopolitan character of the New York world of amusement will receive curious illustration on Wednesday evening next, when a brief season of Russian opera will be inaugurated at the French Theatre, by a newly arrived troupe of Russian artists, under the direction of Dmitri D’Agreneff-Slaviansky, himself a tenor of distinguished repute, and of conceded excellence. The company is said to be well organized and equipped, bringing with them their own costumes, chorus, and orchestral director. The operas in which during their brief engagement of six nights they are to appear are entirely Russian in character and construction, and will be interpreted in a strictly national spirit. The novelty of hearing Muscovite music rendered by a company which has travelled so vast a distance in order to claim American attention, is sufficiently striking to pique popular curiosity and to command a rich popular success. The sale of reserved seats opens on Tuesday morning next. ‘Harold’s Tomb’ is the title of the initial opera.”

“At the French Theatre the scenic play of ‘London’ is withdrawn after a prosperous run, and the house will be closed on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday a decided novelty is promised in the appearance ofa [sic] full Russian opera company, headed by the tenor, M. Agreneff-Slaviansky, and including many artists of reputed ability. There will be a full chorus and orchestra and a Russian ballet. We have had previous occasion to refer to the merits of some of the artists of this company, and, in anticipation of their appearance in opera, think it due to them to say that several of them are performers of talent and likely in whatever they undertake to give a good account of themselves.”

"The musical sensation of the week will be the reopening of the Théâtre Français on next Wednesday evening for a short season of Russian Opera, led by the popular tenor Dmitri D’Agreneff, of the Imperial Opera House, St. Petersburg, assisted by the entire troupe of Russian vocalists, who have recently been treating our citizens to a series of Muscovite concerts. Under ordinary circumstances Russian Opera would be a decided novelty in this city, but when, as in the present instance, we are to be favored with genuine Russian Opera by artistes who come to us highly accredited from the domains of the Czar, it is more than probable that the novelty will prove attractive enough to crowd the house for at least a week or two and perhaps longer. The opening sensation will be an opera entitled ‘Ascold’s Tomb,’ which will include a Russian ballet danced in Russian costumes.”

“One of the great novelties of the season is Manager Tayleure’s engagement of a Russian opera troupe for the French Theatre. ‘Askaoldova Moglia’ (the Tomb of Askold) is announced for the opening night, and in all the list of Russian opera there is none more thoroughly national than this. The author, Verstovski, has given a Muscovite coloring to the whole work, and introduced several of the national airs. There is a tune in polacca measure for the hero, which is quite in the style of those sung by the boatmen on the Volga, and the prima donna has a song with chorus which is strikingly Russian. The opera also abounds in airs with choral refrains and responses, which is a strong characteristic of the Russian popular music in all parts of the empire.

“The piece is finely mounted, and a national dance will be introduced, so that a visitor to the theatre will have an excellent opportunity for studying the costumes, music, and other peculiarities of our Slavonic friends. Jim za Tearya [sic] (A Life for the Czar), by the Russian composer Glinka, will probably be produced after the other opera has run its course. The piece illustrates the devotion of a peasant who sacrificed his life to save that of the Czar during one of the Polish invasions, and the music is no less national than the story.”

Notes there will be a matinee on Saturday.

“The Russian Opera begins a short season to-night at the French Theater[.] Curiosity we supposed will insure one good house, and we hope the merit of the performance will prove sufficient to [illeg.] the rest. Characteristic dresses, a Russian ballet, and various other [illeg.] curiosities are promised in the program.”

Brief.

Brief. “Russian Opera.—The performance of ‘Askold’s Tomb,’ at the French Theatre, was one of the most novel entertainments known to New York for many years. The music, costumes, dances, and language are different from anything ever seen here, and secured the attention of the audience from commencement to close.”

“French Theatre.—Our mercurial population, whose diverse tastes and inveterate love of anything novel and curious, and particularly in the way of amusements, are as strongly marked as they are indissoluble characteristics of our American people, turned out in large numbers last evening to witness the opening performance of the Imperial Russian Opera Company on their first appearance in this country. It was certainly a novelty, and proved to everybody a most pleasing one, though not quite up to the expectations of a good many, who, from the transatlantic reputation of the renowned tenor, D’Agreneff Slaviansky, looked for singing from him of more artistic, bolder and impassioned execution, and also anticipated something of more marvellous [sic] character from the Prima donna, Mlle. Levitskaja. But it being a first night and in a strange city and before strange faces may have had something to do with this. As it was, as the opera advanced they certainly grew more at ease, and warming up with the passionate glow of the developing plot, sang with more charming vivacity, touching tenderness and force. The opera was ‘Ascold’s Tomb,’ in three acts and four tableaux. It is a simple love story, with scarcely any justifiable reason for giving it such a gloomy name. Piquant love songs, sparkling gems of music and interchanges of lovers’ sentiments, with the usual touches of sweet melancholy about them, made up its burden, with a happy wedding at the close. It is certainly a strong company, and the appointments and costumes all being Russian, as well as the music, give it a unique character. When the company begins to feel itself more at home it will, doubtless, do better and prove a great success. The reception given the performance last evening was certainly most cordial. Slaviansky was several times encored. Mlle. Levitskaja has a fine voice, but lacks animation. The opera will be repeated every evening this week.”

“The company of Russian singers who lately gave a concert or two at Steinway Hall appeared at the French Theatre last night, before a large audience, in a national opera, called ‘Askold’s Tomb;’ a work which, despite its sepulchral title, is of a comic character, as far as the libretto is concerned. The music is not remarkably attractive, but contains several pleasing melodies, and some characteristic passages peculiar, we suppose, to Russian composers. The tenor of the troupe has the most prominent part in the opera, and does his best. A fairer opportunity of judging the opera will be afforded at its repetition this evening.”

Difficult to read, especially toward the end.

“Mr. Dmitri Agreneff Slaviansky introduced his Russian opera troupe last night at the French Theater, in the comic opera of ‘Ascold’s Tomb,’ by Verstowskago [sic]. Of the composition we may say in brief that it offers little which can please the American ear, ready as Americans are to welcome anything from Muscovy. In its structure it resembles German music more than anything else, and wherever scientific culture appears, that culture is evidently of German origin. The national character which modifies it is of an uncouth and barbarous kind, noble chiefly for monotonous inflection and ungraceful intervals. Nothing in the whole opera produced so pleasant an impression as an interlude by Glinka played between the first and second scenes of the first act; and Glinka, though a Russian by birth and a member of family distinguished in Russian literature is German in the style and spirit of his music. The plot of the opera, if the libretto fairly represents it, has but little interest and is certainly not distinguished for [illeg.]. The principal performers call for very little [illeg.]. Mr. Agreneff Slaviansky, the tenor, has a good voice, of rather light quality, and is the only member of the company who manifests much artistic culture. In his case, however, culture has been carried beyond its legitimate bounds, and his style is unpleasant because it is unnatural. He has moreover a bad habit of taking a note about a quarter of a tone below the proper pitch, and then executing with it a crescendo, which would be very fine, only it is unfortunately not in tune. The prima donna, Mlle. Levizkaja [sic], has a strong mezzo-soprano—perhaps one might say a high contralto—voice, almost entirely without training. There are four other Ladies [sic], who sing in the minor parts, and also in the chorus, and several permanent attachées of the theater, who wear Russian dresses and do not sing at all. The male characters are sufficiently numerous, sufficiently picturesque, and sufficiently insufficient [? difficult to read] in a musical sense to deserve [illeg.] particular mention, except that they look very much like Russian peasants, and sing very much as we should expect Russian peasants to sing. It may seem that we are not hospitable to our strange visitors, but truth has [illeg…], and the public has a right to plain speaking, and what we can say is the music which M. Agraneff [sic] Slaviansky brings us is poor music [? difficult to read], and [illeg…] the people don’t know how to sing it. They did much better [illeg…] concerts, wherein they gave us sonic excellence and [illeg…] by the male voices. There is very little of [illeg…] performance in the opera, and some of the [illeg…] the company have no chance to be heard. [Illeg…] upon the whole was dull and decorous.”

Brief. “Russian Opera.—We have had Italian opera, English opera, Irish opera, French opera, German opera and the Chinese opera to a surfeit, from time to time, and the African opera all the time, and so the introduction of the Russian opera is a sort of novelty, if nothing more. To those who understand the Russian language, however, the Russian opera is said to be delightful, while to those who don’t they say it is very amusing.”

“The Russian Opera Company now performing at the French Theatre is worthy of more than a passing notice. It is presenting to the public a performance entirely different from any that has ever been given here—an exceptional performance—one that we hear as it were by accident, and which is not likely to be repeated soon. Judged by the standards that we apply to French and Italian operas, the representation falls curiously short of artistic perfection, and those who care only to have their ears gratified by melodious strains will not attain that result by going to the Russian Opera. And for this very reason the performance seems to us to be the more interesting, and the more absolutely it differs in every particular from the Italian models, the more deeply interesting it becomes. And certainly from this point of view it is everything that could be wished. It is the reverse of all one’s preconceived notions of opera.

“In the first place, it is most curious to hear language spoken, not one word of which from beginning to end carries the slightest idea to the mind of the hearer. This is not possible either with the French, the German, or the Italian, all of which are cognate to our tongue, and have many words of a familiar sound even to those who have never studied the language; but the Russian fails to give the hearer a single clue. The work performed is called a ‘comic opera.’ It is as comic as its title, ‘Askold’s Tomb.’ An important scene is in a graveyard, and a heavy pall of solemnity covers the entire play. In fact, the predominant feature both of the music and the words is melancholy. If, then, this is a specimen of Russian comedy, we shudder to think what Russian tragedy must be. We believe this work to be a direct reflection of the character of the people. Lightheartedness is the last result of civilization. Neither the Irish, nor the Hungarians, nor the Poles, nor the Russians have any of it in their national music. The opera besides being heavy and somber, is not treated at all after the manner of operatic composers in general. There is not a trio, or a quartet, or a concerted piece of any kind, except one duet, from the beginning to the end. The performers sing each by himself, assisted sometimes by a chorus. No action is attempted. The prima donna folds her arms and moves quietly and sadly up and down the stage as she sings. It is not that she does not know how to act, but that she has no intention whatever of trying to. A perfect repose [? this may be a different word] and self control and quiet is manifest in every motion.

“The dresses are quaint and singular, and some of them are very rich and beautiful.

“In the course of the opera two national dances occur. The first of these is danced by four of the ladies of the company in long dresses, with the stately movements of a minuet, and accompanied with graceful slow wavings [sic] of the arms—altogether a strange and unaccustomed dance, as different as possible form the indecent caperings [sic] of the French stage.

“Finally, the whole performance seemed to us not only novel and interesting, but wonderfully instructive. In two hours at this representation one can get a clearer insight into the manners, and costumes, and customs, and national traits of this far-off and great Slavic race, than in weeks of delving among books. The stage is the epitome of a nation’s life, and here is an opportunity such as seldom occurs to study that of our Russian friends.” [Reprinted DJM 02/12/70, p. 192]

“Manager Tayleure, having terminated the performance of ‘London’ at the French Theatre on the 11th inst., has entered into arrangements with the Russian Comic Opera Troupe for a limited number of performances, and in order to give the initial opera in good style has conclude to close the house on the 13th and 14th inst., for proper rehearsals, reopening on the 15th, with the opera of ‘Ascold’s Tomb,’ introducing to the American public the tenor Dmitri D’Argenoff, as well as the entire troupe.”