Anschütz German Opera: Merry Wives of Windsor - L. Quint, W. Hartmann and J. Weinlich Benefit

Event Information

Venue(s):
Academy of Music

Conductor(s):
Carl Anschütz

Price: $.50 parquet, balcony and family circle; $1 reserved; .25 amphitheatre

Event Type:
Opera

Record Information

Status:
Published

Last Updated:
27 November 2022

Performance Date(s) and Time(s)

27 Apr 1863, 8:00 PM

Program Details

First NY performance.

Closing Night.

Performers and/or Works Performed

1)
aka Merry Wives of Windsor; Merry Wives of Windsor, The; Falstaff
Composer(s): Nicolai
Text Author: Mosenthal
Participants:  Joseph Weinlich (role: Page);  Bertha Johannsen (role: Mrs. Ford);  Ludwig Quint (role: Slender);  Johanna Ficher (role: Anne Page);  Anton Graf (role: Sir John Falstaff);  Herr Behringer (role: Innkeeper);  Mlle. Franchetti (role: dancer);  Madame Scherenberg (role: Mrs. Page);  ? Krenfeld (role: Dr. Caius);  William [baritone, bass] Hartmann (role: Ford);  Guglielmo Lotti (role: Fenton)

Citations

1)
Announcement: New York Herald, 20 April 1863.

 

2)
Advertisement: New-York Times, 22 April 1863, 7.

“First And Only Performance in New-York of Nicolai’s celebrated work. The Merry Wives of Windsor. Grand romantic Opera in 1 act, with Ballet.”

3)
Advertisement: New York Herald, 22 April 1863, 12.

 

4)
Announcement: Musical Review and World, 25 April 1863, 99.

“Nicolai’s ‘Merry Wives of Windor’ will be given for the first time in New York.”

5)
Advertisement: New-York Times, 25 April 1863, 7.

 “In the third act, Grand Ballet with Mlle. Franchetti.”

6)
Announcement: New-York Times, 27 April 1863, 4.

 

7)
Advertisement: New-York Times, 27 April 1863, 7.

 

8)
Announcement: New York Herald, 27 April 1863, 1.

 

9)
Advertisement: New York Herald, 27 April 1863, 7.

Full cast, time, prices, etc.

10)
Announcement: New-York Daily Tribune, 27 April 1863, 8.

 “The many admirers of the fatherland lyrics will not fail to attend. . . . There are decided improvements in the stage business over the acting English original.”

11)
Announcement: Courrier des États-Unis, 27 April 1863.

 “This evening, performance of the German company. They will give for the first time, The Merry Wives of Windsor, an opera by Nicolai.”

12)
Review: New York Herald, 28 April 1863, 6.

“Last night Nicolai’s comic opera, ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor,’ was given by the German Opera troupe, at the Academy of Music, to a fair house. The music of this opera is sparkling, some of the airs being really most pleasing. The execution was excellent, although, owing to the large size of the house, the voices were not heard to great advantage. The artists were much applauded, and it may fairly be said that the opera was a success.”

13)
Review: New-York Daily Tribune, 29 April 1863, 4.

Academy of Music.—This institution, though closed this week to Italian, is open to German opera. On Monday, Nicolai’s sparkling opera of ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ was performed for a benefit. This work is very little known, and therefore we desire to call the attention of connoisseurs to it. Nothing more is requisite to individuals the quality of the composer, than the manner in which he treats the readings of the letter of ‘John Falstaff’ to Mistresses Ford and Page; and the skill which he exhibits in the scene where the fat and thirsty knight drinks the party under the table.”

14)
Announcement: Dwight's Journal of Music, 02 May 1863, 23.

 

15)
Review: Musical Review and World, 09 May 1863, 111.

The Merry Wives of Windsor. Music by Nicolai.

            This opera was performed for the first time in New York, Monday 27th, for the benefit of Messrs. Quint, Weinlich, and Hartman, under the direction of Mr. Carl Anschutz. It is one of the modern efforts in German comic opera and has enjoyed during the last fourteen years a great popularity in Germany. The plot is taken from Shakespeare’s well known comedy, but the libretto is by no means an enjoyable one. There is a heaviness about it, which the most sparkling music would not be apt to overcome. Almost all of the work is given to the two sopranos, while the tenor and baritone have little or nothing to do. The bass fares better, but he too might have become a much more prominent figure. Thus it happens, that all the interest is concentrated upon the two ladies, they have to bear the whole weight of the action of the opera, and although this is pretty successfully done in the first act, it is a matter of course, that neither the librettist nor the composer could carry this on through the whole length of the opera. Thus the interest lackens considerably in the second act, and ceases entirely in the third. The music is pretty, extremely well made and here and there very effective, but Nicolai too was no creative genius. Besides there is very little real comic element in the music; in this respect Lortzing was much more successful. Nicolai knew, how to handle the orchestra and the vocal masses, although with regard to the latter little opportunity was given him in the above opera, to prove his superiority, but he possessed neither the melodic power nor the eye for scenic and dramatic effects Lortzing had, not to speak of the general character of his music, which is by no means as thoroughly German, as that of the last named composer. In our opinion Lortzing bears still off the palm as the representative of modern German comic opera, in spite of the many deficiences [sic] in his artistic cultivation. A very interesting feature of the new opera is the instrumentation and orchestration, which both offer occassionally [sic] some very fine traits. The instrumental part is decidedly the best of the whole work and the overture will always be heard with pleasure. Strange to say, one of the prettiest melodies in the overture is scarcely alluded to in the opera itself.—Mad. Johannson sung and acted with her usual spirit. The other lady performers were very deficient; the house was but moderately filled.”

16)
Review: Dwight's Journal of Music, 16 May 1863, 29.

New York, May 11.—Otto Nicolai’s comic and fantastic opera ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor,’ text very closely after Shakespeare, was given by Anschütz’s German company at the Academy, April 27th. It is to be regretted that this opera was not given earlier; such charming music would have borne frequent repetitions, although, being of a finer grade of comicality than that of Lortzing, for instance, (the broad German comic, is to our thinking, heavy) it would perhaps have been less generally enjoyable to the German audiences, that form the majority of Anschütz’s patrons. ‘Die lustige Weiber’ abounds with beauties, and those of no common order, sparkling melodies, effective concerted pieces, and the instrumentation is most admirable. The fairy music in the last act is very fairy-like, and there is a duet between ‘Sweet Anne Page’ and Fenton, in the second act, remarkable for its charming treatment. The overture, much better known in America than the opera itself, which, we believe, Anschütz’s company has been the first to produce, is very brilliant. It is needless to say anything of the plot, save that it gives abundant opportunity for dramatic-comic musical situations, while the variety of character in the dramatis personæ is most favorable to the composer. The performance was tolerably good.”

17)
Review: Dwight's Journal of Music, 11 July 1863, 60.

 “Of operas, we have heard some entirely new to New York. Such were Meyerbeer’s ‘Dinorah,’ Nicolai’s ‘Merry Wives of Windsor,’ Petrella’s ‘Ione,’ Verdi’s ‘Aroldo,’ and Gluck’s ‘Orpheus.’”