New-Yorker Stadt-Theater Opera: Il Trovatore

“The celebrated German tenor came out last night in his true character, and proved himself deserving of everything that his most enthusiastic admirers in Europe thought of him. At his debut everyone was disappointed not on account of his abilities, but for the good reason that he has nothing worthy of him to sing. ‘The Postilion of Lonjumeau’ is one of those trashy French compositions that excite only disgust in a musician’s mind. Last night Mr. Wachtel sang the rôle of Manrico in ‘Il Trovatore.’ He sang it under the most terrible disadvantages. The Leonora (Mme. Rossetti) and Count di Luna (Mr. Vierling) were the worst we have ever heard on any stage, and every one knows that these two people exercise a very important influence on the opera. But the genius of the tenor overcame all obstacles, and he received from the immense audience (standing room only) such a torrent of applause as rarely falls to the lot of any artist in New York. The ‘Di quella pira,’ that pièce de resistance of all tenors, was sung by him in a style such as has never been heard on the New York boards since the days of Salvi. There was no mistaking his ut de poitrine; it was a genuine C in alto, and Lefranc, who sang it a semi-tone lower, was entirely forgotten when the clear, ringing note of the German tenor came out in the second verse. Then his acting was deserving of the highest praise, and, sensational as the character of the Troubadour is, Wachtel redeemed much of its absurdity by his artistic acting and superb singing. When the ‘Di quella pira’ was encored he responded by singing it in Italian, and here he gave evidence of the fact that he can sing better in that beautiful language than in the horrible Teutonic tongue, which seems to make a burlesque of all Italian works. Although the event of the evening was the ‘Di quella pira,’ yet Mr. Wachtel showed rare ability in such arias and ensembles as ‘Dei superbo e vana l’era,’ ‘Mal reggendo,’ ’Ah! si ben mio,’ and ‘Ah! che la morte.’ All through the opera he displayed talent of such a high order that no one who listened to him the other evening in Adam’s trashy music could have recognized at first the same artist. There is only one thing necessary, and on behalf of the public we call on the manager, Carl Rosa, to supply the want. Mr. Wachtel should appear at the Academy of Music with Mme. Parepa-Rosa during her season, which commences on October 2, and he must sing in Italian. The German version of Verdi’s works is an absolute nuisance. Take, for instance, that magnificent finale to the second act commenced by the prima donna, when she is rescued from the convent and the power of the Count by her lover. It is one of the most intensely dramatic scenes ever set to music by Verdi. In German it is burlesque, and so funny that every musician cannot help laughing at it. German recitatives, especially to people who know Verdi’s music as if it were a collection of nursery rhymes, seem like a caricature of the music. Mr. Wachtel sings much better in Italian than in German, and he should be made one of the leading features of the Parepa-Rosa season at the Academy. He has a magnificent voice, and more than that, he has it under complete control. The only feature of interest in the opera last night, besides the tenor, was the true artistic rendering of the rôle of the Gypsy by Mlle. Clara Perl. Her acting and singing were deserving of the highest praise, especially as the soprano and baritone were so execrable. The gentleman who undertook the rôle of Fernando made up and appeared as the exact counterpart of Boss Tweed, and consequently did his utmost to ruin the music. But the immense audience went solely to hear Wachtel, and they were not disappointed in him. We trust that his next rôle will be either Arnold, in ‘Guillaume Tell,’ or Raoul in ‘Les Huguenots.’ At all events, he is lost amid the sauerkraut atmosphere at the Stadt Theatre, which is a disgrace to the name of German, and which should be abolished at the earliest opportunity.” 

“The performance last night of the ‘Troubadour,’ with Herr Wachtel as Manrico, amply confirmed the conjecture already expressed by many judicious critics that his proper sphere is the serious or ‘heroic’ opera, as distinguished from light or comic music. The prominent faults of his style, where such are evident, are lack of truth in intonation and of entire flexibility and finish of delivery. The bold, spirited and highly-colored music and energetic action of Manrico brought out all Herr Wachtel’s virtues with none of his defects. The opening aria, from behind the scenes, was sung with a slight faltering and uncertainty of tone; but as the opera went on the singer rose to the situation, and the curtain fell for the first act on a delighted and excited audience. In the second act his voice seemed to grow continually clearer, and his method more assured, with use; the cavatina and love-scene with Leonore were beautifully sung; and the splendid martial burst ‘Di quella pira’ was given with a trumpet-like clearness and certainty which roused the audience to something like frenzy. In response to the repeated calls before the curtain, Herr Wachtel came forward and sang a strophe of the same air in Italian, whether as a concession to the taste of a part of his auditory or from a feeling of essential fitness and relation between the spirit of the language and the character of the air, it might be hard to say, but with superb effect. The famous ‘Miserere’ was less skillfully rendered, one or two passages being perceptibly faulty in intonation and delivery. In short, where grace, delicacy, flexibility and ease and finish of execution are required, Herr Wachtel, so far as at present appears, does not seem to justify his European reputation. In music appropriate to the tenore di grazia he has many equals, or even superiors. But as the tenore robusto, in all scores requiring force, clearness, brilliancy and high dramatic coloring, he probably equals or surpasses any artist at present on the operatic stage. Those who, having been forced to temper their earlier commendation with much limitation, were last night able to enjoy and praise without stint or reserve, will wish that in the choice of pieces yet to be produced this may be kept in view, and will pray rather for such operas as will set the best powers of this admirable artist in the most prominent light.

It is almost needless to repeat that the men at the curtain lifts, last night, had a hard time of it. Much of the applause was shared with Mme. Clara Perl, who made her debut for this season as Azucena. Mme. Perl sings with assurance and spirit, and her acting is judicious and picturesque. Her voice, however, is hardly of sufficient roundness and body, nor her style of adequate breadth for the exacting and rather masculine rôle of Azucena. Frl. Rosetti, a débutante, or certainly not known to the general musical public, made an acceptable Leonore, but certain marked deficiencies in voice and method forbid more decided commendation.”

“Herr Wachtel last evening materially modified the impression that he produced on the occasion of his first appearance. Adolph Adam’s light and sparkling ‘Postilion of Longjumeau’ is no opera for a singer to make an effect with; and though Wachtel was buoyant and bright, and all else that that petty work afforded him an opportunity to be, he failed on Monday evening to show any very high artistic qualities. But last evening in the ‘Trovatore’ he made it very clear that his European reputation was well deserved, for he exhibited the qualities of a great artist. In the first act he was somewhat weak, but rose in power as the opera progressed. Unlike Lefranc, who was so fine in this opera, his voice, instead of weakening and giving way under the strain put upon it by Verdi’s music, held its tone and power clear and firm to the end. We have had voices of greater sweetness, and used with greater delicacy, but no bravura singer whom we now recall ever made a finer impression than did Herr Wachtel in the famous allegro passage from his aria in the third act, ‘Di quella pira.’ We give the Italian words, for Wachtel gave them himself, renouncing his native German, on being called upon to repeat the aria, for the softer and more vocal Italian.

He made no use of the distasteful falsetto in this opera, but sang with honest chest tones, and took the much talked-up high C repeatedly, and with an electric vigor that fairly carried away his audience. His voice showed great evenness and equal strength through all its registers, the notes above the staff being especially noble and resonant.

It is unfortunate that Wachtel’s support should be so bad. Miss Clara Perl was really the only one who did credit to her rôle.

Mr. Carl Rosa has now a grand company of artists under his control, and has it in his power to bring together two such great singers as Madame Parepa-Rosa and Herr Wachtel. If he will but exert this power and unite them in the ‘Trovatore’ or some equally popular opera, with fitting singers for the subordinate parts, and a really strong chorus, there will be an opera that our music-loving people will not be slow to support, and that will recall the best days of the lyric stage in this city.”

“Herr Wachtel’s third appearance in this country was made at the Stadt Theatre, last evening, in ‘Il Trovatore.’ The impression of Herr Wachtel’s impersonation of Manrico was in accord with what might have been forecast from the two performances in which the artist was previously heard. By no means so symmetrical, so finished, or so replete with capital stage business as his picture of Chapelou, Herr Wachtel’s troubadour is a far more telling character than the postillion. Yesterday’s first incident did not promise the pleasurable excitement after events were to cause. In his romance, commencing ‘Descrito sulla terra,’ and delivered from the wings, the tenor’s voice broke badly, the mishap opening up a sorry prospect of results for greater demands upon the artist as the opera progressed. And yet it was to be written afterwards that Herr Wachtel has never sung with equal truthfulness of intonation, neatness of execution, and commendable sobriety in ornament, since the season commenced. The finale of the first act was rather noisy than remarkable, but the duet with Azucena at the outset of the second was full of contrast, and the ‘Mal reggendo’ ending it, although taken too slow, as was indeed nearly every allegro in the opera, was a very fine dramatic outburst. The close of the second act suffered most from the German proneness to slacken all the tempos, and there was little of the stretta about it as given, but it was full of vocal eloquence so far as Herr Wachtel was concerned. The performer’s air in the second scene of the third act, beginning in the Italian version, ‘Ah, si, ben mio,’ was certainly the artistic feature of the evening, if it was not its sensation. Herr Wachtel’s mezza voce was never laden with more sweetness and color than it was last night, and in point of variety of recital and depth of expression, his rendering was magnificent. The sensational element, of course, was embodied in the high notes evoked by the ‘Di quella pira.’ Herr Wachtel gave, indeed, the whole air an amount of authority it has never before been endowed with, but it would be unjust not to note that the two successive high C’s taken in its progress were wonderful in their quality, and that their attainment bore little resemblance to a feat, so easily and surely were they sounded. The demand for a repeat, which followed, brought a second interpretation, Italian words being substituted this time for the German text. It is hardly necessary to say that the enthusiasm of which Herr Wachtel’s performance had already elicited a frequent exhibition became, at this point, altogether confusing. There was plenty of applause throughout the entertainment and it was not always dispensed with absolute justice, but the murmurs of approval and the general clapping of hands, were now quite undistinguishable in the hurricane of plaudits and cheers, joined in by the orchestra, the members of which rose to their feet and made the backs of their instruments do duty for their palms. We should gladly, did space permit, dwell at greater length upon the rendering of ‘Il Trovatore’ than we have done. Our attention, however, would still be devoted to Herr Wachtel, for the general singing and acting, last night, were not conspicuous for their excellence.

Mme. Rosetti, who was Leonora, Mme. Perl, a very correct and intelligent Azucena, and Herr Vierling, a mediocre Conte di Luna, were the artists who sang with the tenor and whom he, very naturally, dwarfed. It would be a great satisfaction were affairs more nicely balanced. And if Mme. Parepa-Rosa, for example, would but sing Leonora, and Mr. Carl Rosa, with the Italian traditions, replace Herr Neuendorff with his unlimited good-will and unswerving adherence to German views of Italian music, even Herr Wachtel’s striking delineation would benefit by the change.”

“The star of the week, before whose brilliancy all lesser lights have paled, has unquestionably been Herr Theodore Wachtel. He has sung in two operas, appearing thrice in ‘Postillion” and once in ‘Trovatore.’ On each night the houses have been quite stupendous, and, remembering that they were collected in the Stadt Theatre, unexpectedly fashionable. On each night, too, the plaudits have been lavish and resonant, and all other tokens of delight freely shown. Nevertheless, it is not to be concealed that there are those who do not like Herr Wachtel. There are things about him, doubtless, that all must like, or at least admire and own the merit of; but as a whole, regarding him as that 'entire and perfect chrysolite,’ a truly great tenor, there are dissidents of various sorts. To difference of opinion on this point Herr Wachtel has been well accustomed. In Paris especially his experience of it was well calculated to teach an artist philosophy. We do not, therefore, fear that his equanimity will be seriously disturbed by the discovery that in this as in other respects New-York resembles Paris. Our own estimates of his merits were so recently expressed in these columns as not to need anything approaching a complete recapitulation. We are in duty bound to say, however, that, to use a rather trite expression, the gentleman has vastly improved on acquaintance. The second performance of ‘The Postillion de Lonjumeau’ showed him to greater advantage than the first, and his work in ‘Il Trovatore,’ although it was inauspiciously commenced, proved him, at different stages of the opera, to be a skilled singer, and one to whom the dilettanti may look with confidence for many satisfying efforts, as well as for not a few startling vocal effects.”

[Beginning of review deals with Wachtel’s performances in the Postilion of Jumeau] The ‘Trovatore,’ however, which was brought out on Friday night gave Wachtel the opportunity to manifest those qualities on which his reputation as a singer depends. He addressed himself to the business of that much-abused and too often heard opera with a zeal and fire that are seldom seen upon the lyric stage. In the third act the brilliancy of his singing quite won from the audience a burst of genuine enthusiasm and admiration. We say brilliancy because that is the distinctive quality of Herr Wachtel’s singing. His voice is bright and firm and resonant, not sensuous, sometimes not even sweet. Its registers are beautifully even, and its reach and compass extraordinary. His vocalization, also, is brilliant. When he sings a scale, it is with no uncertain sliding along the tones, but every interval is firm and true.” [Review continues with a discussion of La Dame blanche]

“Never has the role of Manrico been so artistically rendered, both dramatically and vocally, as by [Wachtel] the grand tenor.”