Venue(s):
Academy of Music
Manager / Director:
Carl Rosa
Clarence D. Hess
Conductor(s):
Carl Rosa
Price: $1; $.50 reserved
Event Type:
Opera
Status:
Published
Last Updated:
28 November 2021
“The company comprises the best ensemble for English opera that probably ever appeared in this city, and we hope that they will appear before the conclusion of their engagement in some real English operas, instead of translations from the German and Italian, which cannot be expected to match the originals.”
“In its Anglicized garb, ‘Der Freischütz was last night presented at the Academy of Music by the Parepa troupe, aided in the choruses by a portion of the Arion Society. The house was crowded to excess, and the audience was often warmly enthusiastic. Madame Parepa-Rosa sang superbly, creating the usual effect in the prayer and subsequent aria. Mr. Castle did better with the tenor music than his friends expected; while Campbell, in his supernatural part, was lugubrious and tragic to a degree. The choruses were well given, and the orchestra, under the lead of Carl Rosa, was entirely satisfactory.”
“’Der Freyschuetz’ was sung in presence of a numerous audience at the Academy last evening. It cannot be denied that a thoroughly German setting is almost indispensable to Weber’s most characteristic work, and that the village pictures lose much of their naïve truthfulness, while the goblin scene is shorn of half of its terrors when done in plain English. The melodic wealth of the opera, however, remains unimpaired; and so great is the treasure, and so bright as well as real, as to supply consolation for the unattainable elements of fidelity and picturesqueness. Ample justice was done to the music yesterday, by its principal interpreters, and the satisfaction expressed was general. Mme. Parepa-Rosa’s voice seems to augment constantly in volume, while it loses no particle of its certainty and sweetness. Mme. Rosa rendered superbly the grand air of Agnes in the second act, and in the cantabile and prayerful passage preceding the joyous outburst with which her discovery of Max is signaled, displayed a breadth of style and a strength of voice, which, for lack of oratorio performances, she has recently given us no reminder that she possessed. Annie was acted and sung with vivacity by Miss Rose Hersee, whose slender voice, though used with experience and industry throughout, and with especial effect in the song in the second act, has slight chance of detection in so large a house. Mr. William Castle personated Max, and Caspar was embodied by Mr. S. C. Campbell. The orchestra was strong and well disciplined, and the chorus, embracing the regular force of the company and the members of the Arion Society, so conspicuous for fullness of tone, variety of shading and strictness of tempo as to make the prospect of future entertainments without their combined aid a matter of sincere regret. The hunters’ ensemble in the fourth act was of course admirably executed.”
“’Der Freischütz’ is perhaps not exactly the opera to turn into English, for the solemn trifling of its principal scenes needs as much as can be got of the misty atmosphere of Germany to attain a full effect. Weber’s music, however, is welcome, to whatever tongue it may be wedded. The cast with which it was presented last night was a good one, and as the Arion Society was also advertised to sing in the choruses, the audience was naturally a very large one. Three, at least, of the principal artists were excellent, namely, Madame Rosa as Agatha, Rose Hersee as Anna, and Mr. Castle as Max. Mr. Campbell is generally a capital Caspar, but he has used his voice too much during the last week, and on this occasion he was evidently fatigued. His action, however, was always good, and his singing was defective only once in a while. The minor parts were effectively given by Mr. Seguin and Mr. Hall.
“The Arion Society fulfilled its promise well enough, but not a very full proportion of the members were present. Their appearance on this occasion was understood to be in return for Madame Rosa’s assistance when they had their performance of ‘Der Freischütz’ recently at the Academy. We believe she gave the whole of herself on that evening, and we do not see why they did not return the compliment.”
“The Parepa-Rosa English Opera Troupe had a crowded house on Monday night. There were two really great artists in the cast of the above-mentioned opera—Mme. Rosa and Miss Rose Hersee in the rôles of Agnes and Anna. Messrs. Castle and Campbell did not please us as Max and Caspar. The voice of the former is too hard, and in the upper register too metallic and unsympathetic for Weber’s magnificent music, and the latter, although no exception can be taken to his fine, resonant barytone voice, acted and sung the part of Caspar very much inferior to Remmertz, of the Arion, who sang it before at the same house. ‘Der Freischütz’ seems very queer in an English shape, especially as the dialogue, as far as these two gentlemen are concerned, was both extremely inaudible and ineffective. Mme. Rosa’s superb voice was the feature of the opera, and the beautiful prayer was sung in a style such as we have rarely heard before in America or Europe. No better interpreter of the coquettish rôle of Anna has ever been heard in this city than the fascinating Rose Hersee. But Castle and Campbell ought not attempt to sing or act in this opera, for both were unsatisfactory in every sense of the word. The choruses were well sung, considering the Arions furnished the male part, and we would advise Mr. Carl Rosa, the conductor of the orchestra, to moderate the pace of his tempi, in order that the nuances of Weber’s music may be brought out with that delivery and expression that they demand. Talk of ‘The Marriage of Figaro.’ There is more freshness, perennial youth about Weber’s operas than anything ever written by Mozart in the operatic line. We say this confidently, and we call upon any musician to bear us out. ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ is like a series of sonatas, very pretty, certainly; but nevertheless unsatisfactory on the dramatic stage, but ‘Der Freischitz’ never [tires?]. The magnificent orchestration alone, constantly varied, is enough to make it a permanent favorite.”
“The Parepa-Rosa English Opera Company performed ‘Der Freischütz’ at the Academy, to a full but not crowded house, on Monday, March 21st, Madame Parepa appearing in the rôle of Agatha, and Miss Rose Hersee as Annchen. Castle was the Max of the opera, and Campbell appeared as Caspar. The three former appeared to great advantage. The splendid choruses of the Arion Society were one of the features of the performance, though the society did not turn out in full force.”