New-Yorker Stadt-Theater Opera: L’Africaine

Louise Lichtmay benefit on Tuesday evening.

“A very large and unusually brilliant house greeted last night the first production of Meyerbeer’s posthumous opera, at this German temple of the arts. The cast was the following: [see above]. The opera was played for the first time at the Grand Opera House, Paris, on April 28, 1865, with Mme. Saxe, Mlle. Battu and Naudin, Favre, Warot and Belval in the leading rôles. Mr. J. Grau was the first to present it in this country and Zucchi was the first Selica introduced to the New York public. The performance last night proved the fact that Mme. Lichtmay is the best lyric artiste we have at present in this city, for she made her greatest success in the principal rôle. Mlle. Roemer was fair and nothing more as Ines, and Mr. Vierling, a sure, true, and conscientious artist, made the part of Nelusko such a success that to him, after Mme. Lichtmay, the triumph of the opera is due. The tenor, Bernard, was so bad that we wonder that such an able manager as Mr. Rosenberg would ever allow him to attempt such a difficult rôle. Habelmann would have been infinitely better. The opera was placed on the stage admirably, and Mr. Rosenberg deserves much credit for it. The ship was a little shaky, but the tree redeemed it all. Altogether the opera was a success, and the Stadt theatre, which under the Hamann auspices became a standing reproach to the metropolis, has proved with Rosenberg such a success as even few of the enthusiastic Teutonic kind would ever hope for.”

“The immense crowd which filled to excess every part of the Stadt Theatre last night again proved the necessity of a commodious and handsome theatre for the German population of New York. The audience, with the exception of a little band of native amateurs and a goodly force of professional critics, was entirely Teutonic. But there are many of the wealthier classes of our German residents who refuse to visit the establishment in the Bowery. A theatre so built and located as to attract all classes is imperatively demanded.

“The announcement of the production of ‘Die Afrikanerin’ of Meyerbeer was the magnet which attracted the large crowd to the Stadt Theatre. The liveliest interest was felt in the work and a great success was anticipated. In the cases of the prima donna, Madame Lichtmay, and of the baritone, Bierling [sic], this expectation was justified; these two artists rendering their parts of Nelusco and Selika with great dramatic force and with excellent effect. On the other hand, the tenor, Bernard, who has given some excellent performances during his connection with the establishment, was entirely out of his element, and by no means sustained his reputation. The other artists were indifferent. The chorus was well trained and generally effective. The orchestra was bad, playing the accompaniments in a loud and scrambling style, often overpowering the voices. The splendid unison passage which prefaces the last act, and which was always encored at the representations of the work at the Academy of Music, passed off with a minimum of applause. Indeed, the representation of last night partook too much of the character of a rehearsal.

“Lichtmay—for whose benefit the opera was given—was frequently called before the curtain and rewarded with tumultuous applause and with elegant floral tributes. Her chief successes were in the duet of the fourth and in the final scena of the last act. To the ‘Slumber Song’ she did not impart the interest which Zucchi did; but in every other point she was admirable. The charming duet for two sopranos which opens the last act was omitted, and there were other ‘cuts’ judiciously made to reduce the opera to a suitable length.

“The German singers certainly showed courage in attacking this formidable work of Meyerbeer’s, and their representation of it contained many good features. A few additional performances ought to smooth away the defects which now chiefly lie with the irrepressible orchestra.”

“Meyerbeer’s ‘Africaine’ was sung last evening at the Stadt Theatre for the benefit of Mme. Louise Lichtmay, the leading artist of the company. An overflowing audience was gathered to greet the first hearing, in many years, of the master’s posthumous work, and to reward the talent and industry of the lady, whom the occasion was intended to honor and reward. A smooth and satisfactory representation, though one not so creditable to the troupe as several enjoyed during the season now progressing, was supplied. The weakness of the Vasco de Gamma caused, principally, the difference in question. The part is not of excessive difficulty, but a tenor whose resources have been so completely exhausted as Mr. Bernard’s cannot begin to cope with it. The subsidiary rôles also suffered mainly from a lack of vocal wealth in their supporters, and the chorus was scarcely so well acquainted with the score as to be able to atone for small numbers by exceeding spirit and unanimity. In spite of these very potent drawbacks to the attainment of an even relative perfection, the performance afforded much pleasure, and was accented, at not a few stages, by enthusiastic plaudits. The efforts of Mme. Lichtmay, who was Selika, and of Mr. Vierling, who was Nelusko, produced this effect. Mme. Lichtmay delivered with infinite sweetness and delicacy the slumber song, commencing, ‘In Grembo a me,’ with much passion the duet in the fourth act, and with histrionic power, rare among prima donnas, the grand scene under the Mancenilla-tree. Mr. Vierling’s personation of Nelusko was full of force and color, and his recital of ‘Adamastor, Re del Onde,’ and his acting in the interview with Selika, in the fourth act, when bending his love to his Sovereign’s will, were very fine points of a very amusing picture. Last evening’s rehearsal of ‘L’Africaine,’ which was ended at an unnecessarily late hour, suggests no more copious details than precedes. But as the opera is likely to have a run, we are sure that later renderings will compel addenda to these brief notes. Before closing this record, however, we have to mention that the orchestra, under Mr. Adolph Neuendorff, read the music with correctness and expressed it with spirit, though it did not impart to that of the fourth act the increased beauties which a less hurried sounding of the Indian marches and a more scherzando utterance of the dance pieces would have created by the mere strength of contrast. ‘L’Africaine’ is nicely set at the Stadt, and the attention to scenic detail is shown—and with capital consequences in form of demonstrations of approval—by the special engagement of a small corps de ballet, led by Mlle. Marie Marwig.”

“The announcement of Meyerbeer’s picturesque and highly-colored work, with Frl. Lichtmay as Zelica, packed the Stadt Theater, last night, with an excited and sympathetic audience. The success of the representation hardly answered the public expectation, though any lack of approbation in regard to the other artists might easily escape notice in the general enthusiasm for the prima donna. If it is not in mortals to command success, it should, at least be in their power to form some estimate of the forces at their command and their probable commensurateness with the task at hand. While we recognize the difficulty of mounting a complete German opera troupe in an American city, and the praiseworthy zeal and energy which led the management to attack so exacting a work as L’Africaine, it is to be regretted that much more heed was not given both to the difficulty of the undertaking, and to the comparative slenderness of their resources. Meyerbeer’s work, from its extremely scientific and complicated character, and its noteworthy lack of fresh, spontaneous melody, especially needs freshness, strength, and sympathetic quality in the voices, and truth, and thoroughness in execution. This is probably true, in a greater degree, of the Afrikanerin than of any one of his operas. But with the exception of Frl. Lichtmay, no one of the artists on this occasion was fairly in harmony with his role. Herr Vierling sang the difficult music of Nelusco, with spirit, but his voice is not in its prime, is not always true, and is singularly unsympathetic in quality. His acting, too, passing the bounds of the barbaric, occasionally verged on the grotesque, or even the comic.

“Of Herr Franosch as the President of the Council and Frl. Römer as Inez, kindness enjoins the very briefest and most cursory mention. The weight of the whole opera fell, as might be expected, upon Frl. Lichtmay, and her success was the greatest success of all. It has so often been our pleasant duty to commend this lady’s meritorious method and fine, clear vibratory quality of organ, that we may be excused now from minute or elaborate criticism. Suffice it that she gave full effect to the very trying music of the score, and that her acting was at once spirited and dignified. Her audience were in full sympathy with her from beginning to end, and bouquets and encores were the standing order of the evening.

“Of the orchestra and chorus, it may be imagined from the preceding comments, not much can be said in the say of commendation. Both showed lack of toning down and good drill, and throughout the whole representation a certain roughness and rawness of method and execution were painfully manifest. We make these strictures with the more reluctance, that the Stadt Theater has, in past time, done much honest and useful work, both in dramatic and lyric art. We hope soon to commend their renewed success in a return to the more congenial field of light opera.”