Articles on the 1869 fall opera season

“Mr. De Vivo has returned from California, where he has concluded an arrangement for the Brignoli opera troupe to appear at the new California theatre, San Francisco, November 29; and, with his usual indefatigable industry, has taken charge of the business matters pertaining to the Parepa-Rosa English opera company. This company will begin a brief season at the French Theatre on Saturday evening, September 11. The opera which will be presented on the opening night is Balfe’s ‘Puritan’s Daughter,’ which has never been sung in America, and with the music of which few of us are familiar. Among the singers whose services Mr. De Vivo has secured are Madame Parepa-Rosa and Miss Rose Hersee, a young lady who has just been singing with much success in London; Madame E. Seguin and Miss Fannie Stockton, two contraltos who have already achieved a reputation here; Mr. Albert Lawrence, the most celebrated baritone on the English stage; Messrs. Castle and Campbell, of the Richings opera troupe of last season, and others. The cast of ‘Puritan’s Daughter’ will include Madame Parepa-Rosa, Miss Stockton, and Messrs. Castle, Nordblom and Laurence [sic]. The orchestra, which will be led either by Mr. Carl Rosa or by Mr. Anthony Reiff, will be large and carefully selected, and we are promised a competent chorus. There is every reason to suppose that the English opera will meet with the success which it deserves. Very seldom have we had so strong a company, and the fact will probably be recognised [sic], especially as there will be no rival company, English, French or Italian, to dispute the palm of superiority.”

“If no unforeseen accident occurs to mar the plan of our operatic managers New York city [sic] will not be entirely in want of music during the fall and winter. We are to be favored with a double-breasted splurge of English opera by the Richings and Rosa troupes, a series of grand concerts, French grand opera at the Catacombs and German classical opera at the Théâtre Français. The German opera will be given during the month of November, and Mr. Wertheimber, who, by the by, is the head and front of this offending, sailed for Europe on Thursday for the purpose of organizing a first class opera company. Negotiations have been going on for several months with many leading artists both here and in Europe, and we are assured that only talent of the highest order will be imported. All the available artists of ability in this vicinity—the débris of defunct German opera troupes—have already been secured; but the company will be composed principally of such new faces as have achieved successes at the leading theatres in Europe. Upon the whole New York is promised music enough to put it safely over the holidays without the aid of opéra bouffe or even Italian opera.”

“English Opera.—The Parepa-Rosa Opera Troupe has just presented the Elenco (Anglice, index or catalogue) of the company. It shows strength and no danger of disappointment, as there are doubles for all the parts to provide against cases of artistic indisposition. Besdies the tragic prima donna, Madame Parepa-Rosa, there is added Miss Hersee, a young English artiste, of whom report speaks very favorably. [Lists the rest of the company.] Mr. Carl Rosa and Antony [sic] Reiff will lead the orchestra, which is promised to be ‘grand,’ and the chorus full. With forty instruments and as many voices, the opera will doubtless meet with adequate support. The opening opera is ‘The Puritan’s Daughter,’ by Balfe, a composer whose merits are only at this late day receiving the recognition they deserve from the Paris public, notably the most fastidious in the world. With such a long list of good artists there is little doubt that the English opera will meet with pecuniary and artistic success, and this result we certainly hope may be realized for the cause of art. “The sale of tickets begins on Monday morning.”

“The French company announced some time ago to appear at the Academy of Music in Grand Opera is now said to be the company engaged for the New Orleans opera. In musical circles the identity of either the singers or the management is quite unknown, and the whole troupe seems misty and phantom-like. Scarcely more defined is our embryotic plan for a forthcoming season of German opera. We have also reason to believe that Max Maretzek will ere long desert the fields and bricks of Staten Island, and come to the relief of that languishing but always welcome institution, the Italian opera.”

“It seems probable that this winter will be marked by a wide operatic revival in this city. Even Italian opera will be heard again, if the rumor be credited that Max Maretzek will enter the field in November with a newly-imported company from Europe. The French troupe of M. Dryane is now actively engaged in rehearsing at the Academy of Music, and the photographs of leading members in the windows of the music stores show that the new comers are fine, intelligent looking people. The first night of the French opera will be next Wednesday, when the new tenor Tabardi and the new prima donna Faye-Fauschetti will appear in ‘La Juive.’ The lady, we believe, is the wife of M. Faye, who was an admired actor in M. Juignet’s company some years ago…

“The Richings opera troupe early in November will begin an engagement at the Grand Opera House, will Henry Haigh as the tenor. Itw ill be seen from these various announcements that New York will this winter have a plentiful supply of opera in four languages.”

Brief. “The Wertheimber-Grau troupe of German singers now forming in Europe will begin a month’s season at the French Theatre on the first of November. Their repertoire includes works of Spontini, Wagner and Lortzing, besides the better known grand operas of Meyerbeer and Rossini. The latter composer is represented by ‘Tell’ and the ‘Siege of Corinth.’”