Albites Italian Opera: Un Ballo in maschera

Buongiorno’s debut.

“A performance of unusual merit was given at the Academy of Music last night. Verdi’s ‘Ballo in Maschera,’ An opera which has been popular here since the days when it was sung by Colson, Brignoli and Hinckley, was given with excellent effect, and received with warm applause by a large and enthusiastic audience. Madame States was the Amelia, displaying in the part the wealth of her rich, powerful voice, though lacking in the delicacy of vocalization which marked La Grange’s personation of the part a year or two ago. The new tenor Villani made some excellent points, and gave more decided satisfaction than he did in ‘Poliuto.’ His rendering of the barcarolle and of his part in the concerted piece, E scherzo e follia, was so good as to ensure applause for those morceaux amounting to an encore, though the evident desire of the audience was not complied with. Signors Bacelli and Cucinato took the part of the two conspirators which Coletti and Dubreuil used to fill so effectively.

“There were three debutants. Miss Grace Ridgway, a young lady who is well known in the concert room, appeared as the Page, and by her pleasing appearance, fascinating manners, and the judicious exercise of a sweet, clear soprano voice, won at once the kindly sympathies of the audience, securing two encores. Her style is, of course, immature, and her voice is yet childish in tone; but her success was undoubted. Mme. Fontanesi sang the music of Ulrica, and acted the part better than has yet been done here. The hit of the evening was, however, the new baritone, Buongiorno, who reminds the hearer of Badiali. His style is admirable, and he is one of the best actors we have ever seen on the lyric stage. In this point his excellence was chiefly shown in the dramatic situations of the third act. His voice is very powerful; but he also possesses an exquisite mezzo voce, which he used with decided taste and judgment. He came upon the stage a perfect stranger to a New York audience, and not one friendly hand was raised to encourage him on his entrée. His first aria was listened to in critical silence; but at its close there was a burst of genuine applause, which proved that the merits of the new singer were promptly recognized. He made another great success in the romanza of the fourth act.”

“The ‘Ballo in Maschera’ was given last evening at the Academy of Music. Although the night was an extremely disagreeable one, the house was crowded, and there is every present appearance that the season will be a prosperous one.

“The enterprise deserves public support, for Mr. Albites is bringing forward artists to whom it is a true pleasure to listen. Two such made their first appearance last evening. One was Miss Grace Ridgeway, a young American, a Boston girl, brought up at the public school in that city, an excellent pianist, and, as the result has proved, an equally excellent vocalist. She sang the part of the page with much archness and simplicity of manner and with charming qualities of voice that at once won her the sympathies of her audience, and secured her a double encore for her first song.

“Her voice is not large, but it is of such purity every tone is distinct and clear, and the music is given with a quiet confidence that springs from good training. The other debutant was Signor Buongiorno, a baritone, and a most excellent and worthy artist. His voice is of high range—a tenor-baritone, almost; his singing was true, even, and finished. He will commend himself as a man to be heard with gratification.

“Signor Villani, the tenor, made his second appearance. We can only repeat our opinion of his genuine merit and our belief that he will become a favorite. It is a pleasure to be able to speak so freely in praise of the leading members of this company, for usually in operatic enterprises the laudation needs much qualification.

“Mme. Agatha States was the soprano. The character of Amelia is one in which she has often been heard here, and which she has always sustained satisfactorily, as she did last evening.”

“An unexpectedly good performance of Verdi’s ‘Ballo in Maschera’ was heard last night at the Academy. The elements of uncertainty were so many on this occasion that the merit of what they listened to came upon the audience as an agreeable surprise. What with an entirely unknown and unheralded singer in the important part of Renato, a débutante and novice in Oscar, and a tenor, however presumably good, following so strong and taking an artist as Lefranc in Riccardo, it must be admitted that the chances of prosperity were beset with perils. When we say that the embodiment of each of these characters was received with hearty applause—applause that was, for the most part, deserved—we only imperfectly suggest the artistic success of the occasion. Signor Buongiorno, the new baritone, is a great acquisition. He is a singer possessed, in the first place, of a strong, resonant voice, aided in the second place by thorough culture in a manifestly good school, and inspired, in the third place, by remarkable delicacy and finish of style. Signor Buongiorno phrases with large, manly and dramatic expression; has much of the histrionic power of identification, and a good share of genuine Italian enthusiasm. We welcome him with sincere pleasure to the Metropolitan lyric stage.

“Miss Ridgway as Oscar was received with much favor. The lady is an absolute novice, and, in point of carriage and action, has almost everything to learn. Her exceedingly pretty soprano has, however, been well cultivated, and her extreme nervousness last night did not prevent her from using her vocal power with decided and pleasing effect. Miss Ridgway’s first appearance must be recorded as a very satisfactory success, and when she can act as well as she can sing, the young lady will be an excellent lyric artist. The friends of Mme. Agata States received her on her entrance as Amelia with lively demonstrations, and the lady soon showed that her remarkably powerful voice had suffered no diminution by time and absence. For the exacting music of Verdi such an organ is in some respects singularly adapted, and may, indeed, atone for possible shortcomings in taste, method and sympathetic quality. Signor Villani proves himself in Riccardo a better singer and artist than in Il Poliuto. His school is admirable, his recitative unusually round and satisfactory, and his middle voice passages better than those of any robust tenor we have heard here. A certain lack of ductility and swing in delivery, and an occasional apparent feebleness of imagination, or, perhaps, we should say inspiration, are the sole drawbacks to the absolute perfection of his efforts; and even these but little impaired the deep impression made by Signor Villani’s Riccardo. Mme. Fontanesi is good, without being great, in Ulrica, and our old friends Sam and Tom—apart from their probability as figures in our old-time Boston—acquitted themselves to advantage, in the persons of Signori Bacelli and Cucinotta. The chorus and orchestra were better than on preceding nights, and Signor Nicolao exerted himself to good purpose to bring about such good results. We may add that the audience were roused to unusual excitement in parts, and were much more demonstrative than on Monday or Wednesday. We should say that the triumph of Signor Albites’ season is now tolerably well assured. Only the inclement weather prevented last night’s house from being an overflow. In spite of that drawback it was exceedingly good.”

“’Il Ballo in Maschera’ drew almost as good a house last night as the two operas which have preceded it, and was received with much more cordiality than either ‘Poliuto’ or ‘Traviata.’ The performance as a whole was creditable, though the cast was not remarkable in any particular. Mrs. States delivered the music of her role with all the wealth of voice and [wildness?] of style which she lavishes upon everything; yet her Amelia was a moderately successful impersonation and won considerable applause. Signora Fontanesi, who was a second soprano on Wednesday, playing Anna to Miss Kellogg’s Violetta, was a contralto last night and made herself personally and vocally disagreeable in the part of Ulrica. She requires no particular criticism. Signor Villani confirmed all that we said of him on his first appearance. He is a trusty but not a brilliant singer, with a good style and a bad intonation. His best effort was the Non sai tu. The second part of that duet was marred by the soprano, but for whom it would probably have been encored. The role of the Page was filled by Miss Graziella Ridgeway, a young lady who is not unknown to our concert rooms, but has never before appeared upon the operatic stage. Her manner was easy and prepossessing, and her personal presence attractive, and these merits sufficed to secure for her a debut of success which her singing would not have obtained. She has a pretty voice, sweet and true, which she uses exactly like a little child.

“The remaining role in the opera—that of Renato—was given to Signor Buongiorno, the baritone of the same Havana troupe upon which Mr. Albites has already drawn so heavily. He has naturally a good voice, and his style is in many respects pleasing and natural. The upper and lower registers, however, are ill joined. The one is strong, rich, and deep, the other is a tenor, strangely and unpleasantly contrasting with the lower tones. Despite a tendency to flatten, the result apparently of a slight hoarseness, he seemed to give pleasure. The chorus was in good trim. The orchestra was both coarse and incorrect, and the conductor as noisy as ever.”

“The Albites season of Italian opera has opened with éclat, and, for the first week, has had quite a surprising share of public favor. Even sanguine observers had no expectation of seeing so capital a house on Wednesday, and when this was almost equaled, despite the rain, on Friday, the least hopeful began to admit that the venture was likely to succeed. ‘Il Poliuto,’ ‘La Traviata’ and ‘Un Ballo’ make up the works so far given—the second-named being given for the matinée of yesterday. We have already commented upon the efforts of the various artists, and there is not much to add to the opinions thus expressed. It may, however, be said, that the new tenor, Signor Villani, rather disappointed the public in ‘Il Poliuto,’ and pleased very much in ‘Un Ballo.’ An artist may fairly expect indulgence in a new and (acoustically) difficult house, and before a strange audience, and this, on Signor Villani’s debut, was freely accorded. Such lenity was not called for by his Riccardo, which was a much more definite and impressive embodiment than his Poliuto. The excellence of this tenor is likely to be more generally conceded as he is better known. So far as we can yet judge, he is seldom phenomenal, has no peculiar moments of inspiration, and so is less apt, like Lefranc or Beaucarde, to carry his audience up to enthusiasm. On the contrary, there is a certain immobility about him, a want of emotional plasticity, that is indicated in his facial as well as in his vocal expression. But he is a more trustworthy singer than either of those named; a far better instructed singer than the first, with plenty of voice and a thorough comprehension of the exigencies of the stage. The more he is seen, we repeat, the better is this tenor likely to be esteemed.

“Miss Kellogg, by general consent, has shown great improvement this week. She has developed symmetrically in mind, voice and person. Her Violetta is a world in advance of her former impersonation of that character. We look forward with pleasurable anticipations to her Gilda and Marguerite during the coming week, as likely also to be ripened and subtilized by the same influences that have so bettered her Violetta. Signor Caroselli, a new tenor di grazia, was seen here for the first time on Wednesday in Alfredo. This gentleman is young, good looking, and gifted with a beautiful voice. As an actor he is inexperienced, and needs training as well as practice. As a singer he may develop into almost anything; for his organ is one of singular sweetness and purity, and has an elasticity which, under favorable circumstances, may make it capable of wonders hereafter. On Friday Miss Ridgeway appeared for the first time on any stage as Oscar in ‘Un Ballo.’ The young lady, who is extremely petite, and almost childlike in person and bearing, was cordially received. She sang the important music of the Page with considerable certainty and sweetness, and elicited hearty plaudits. Miss Ridgeway will have to study and labor to become an actress, and will do wisely not to regard the encouragement attending her first appearance as a proof that she has already become one. There is no royal road to distinction in this art, any more than in any other, and success in it, as in others, is almost invariably in the ratio of honest exertion. Miss Ridgeway has a bird-like, fluent soprano, and plenty of it for so tiny a person, and, if it will stand the needful wear and tear, will gain for its possessor abundant appreciation.

“On Friday, also, came forward a new baritone in Signor Buongiorno—the best singer and [illegible] in this department than seen here in a long time. We yesterday endeavored to do some justice to this gentleman’s claims. He is an artist of an excellent school, and with a good deal of dramatic fire. Such a baritone was sadly needed, and we congratulate Mr. Albites on his acquisition. The band and chorus at the Academy during the week have been respectable, and the works have been, in general, placed upon the stage in better style than for some time past. There is now some ground to hope that the evil days of lyric art at this house have definitely passed away.”