Trovatore: Benefit for the Samaritan Home

“A performance of the opera of ‘Il Trovatore’ was given at this house last night, with Miss Pauline Nininger as Leonora, Mme. Gazzaniga as the Gypsy, Signor Leoni as Manrico and Signor Reyna as the Count. Carl Bergmann conducted the orchestra. The opera was given for the benefit of the Samaritan Home—a charity which finds a ready response in the circles of fashion, to judge from the very large and stylish audience that was present last night at this well worn opera. First, as to the prima donna. Her merits and defects can be summed up in a few words. She is young, handsome, and, as might be expected in an amateur, extremely awkward on the stage. Her voice is as good a specimen of American sopranos as we have heard, with the exception of Miss Kellogg. The quality is pure, clear, penetrating and susceptible of dramatic coloring to a very high extent, which, however, has not yet been reached. Her school is founded on the very best Italian model, and she manages her voice with an ease and intelligence that many an artist might be proud of. Yet she has a great deal to learn, and, first of all, the first principles of acting. Again, she was so terribly nervous last night that she lost the effect of some of the most important arias in the opera. There is, however, a bright future before Miss Nininger, if she does not allow herself to be spoiled by indiscreet flattery and consider that she has already reached the climax of art. Let her visit some of the opera houses in Europe and make herself acquainted with the various schools and leading singers in the world, and she will come back a thorough artist. The tenor was another amateur, and he was the best by far in the entire cast. His voice is excellent, under perfect control, of dramatic and effective power, and his acting shows fire, earnestness and intimate acquaintance with the stage. His phrasing and rendering in ensemble alone betrayed the amateur. Both these amateurs surprised everybody by the style in which they sang the music, as many veteran artists have appeared at the Academy without doing half as well. Reyna’s voice seems to be composed of rusty iron, and has the rare faculty of singing from a half to a full tone below the pitch at will. His ‘Il Balen’ was something to be remembered as the acme of incompetency. We have spoken before of Mme. Gazzaniga’s Acuzena, and there was nothing new in it last evening. The chorus was horrible, as usual, and howled out before and behind the scenes with their well known sangfroid. Poor Bergmann was on thorns all the while to keep the erratic forces under his control in hand. But the two amateurs were the best features.”

“The combined influence of music, charity and fashion, with a general desire to behold the first efforts of a debutante attracted to the Academy of Music, last evening, a very large and brilliant audience. ‘Il Trovatore’ was given in aid of ‘The Samaritan Home’ under these agreeable and unusual circumstances, and with a degree of success that entertainments which we might term sporadic do not often attain to. As effective a representation of the work, as might be reasonably expected, has not been enjoyed of late years, and was of course not to have been awaited last night. Perhaps no greater compliment can be paid to the appreciativeness of assemblages here than a mention of the fact that they will overlook, in their admiration of the score, a disregard of scenery, costume and accessories, making ninety-nine performances out of every hundred bear a resemblance of rehearsals. A more desolate picture than the vast stage of the Academy offers during a rendering of an opera is not readily brought before the eye. The indifference of the public to this, and its undiminished willingness to bestow attention upon recitals of Italian opera conspicuously or even moderately good in other respects does it a credit which few Continental audiences could claim. There was a particularly strong reason yesterday for the national disregard of details, for as we have noted already, ‘Il Trovatore’ was exceedingly well executed. After recording a word of censure for the two choruses behind the scenes, it can be said without flattery that the interpretation of the whole opera was accomplished with much smoothness and a very fair share of impressiveness wrought at the familiar points. Miss Pauline Nininger sang Leonora, and Signor Leoni was Maurice [sic]. Both performers are amateurs, but we are inclined to tax Signor Leoni with an amount of experience, making the distinction asked less needed than it often is. Signor Leoni, besides, has been heard to advantage in the concert-room already. Miss Nininger’s appearance on the Italian stage was also her first in public. She is a pupil of Signor Albites, whose valued tuition, by the showing of last night, has had for its object the development of a sympathetic, equable and extended soprano voice, with high notes of especial richness and power. Miss Nininger’s execution is facile, and had not stage-terror of the most perceptible order prevented a full display of her powers, her delivery of the ‘Di Tale Amor’ would have enabled one at the very outset to arrive at an estimate of her merit. In the after scenes, the cordial recognition her endeavors had from the first relieved the lady of much of her embarrassment. The finale of the first act profited sufficiently by the sosprano’s share of it, and so did the closing bars of the second. But the adagio in the fourth supplied the most satisfying evidence not only of the rare vocal fitness of Miss Nininger for the career she seems to have chosen, but of the results of well-directed studies. She rendered magnificently the air beginning ‘D’amor Sull’ali Rosee,’ the tremolos, the downward run and the cadenza being sung with a finish and an expressiveness of the highest order. The duet with the Count was capitally done also, and the impassioned scene with the troubadour in the dungeon only lacked, to be as striking as it ought to be, the self-confidence of a more time-tried artist. We do not believe ourselves called upon to deal harshly with the qualities of Miss Nininger as an actress. She certainly did not paint the inamorata of Manrico in the pale colors, even, we have become accustomed to look upon. We can hardly, however, quarrel with a young newcomer who, on her earliest presentation to a numerous and critical gathering, displays the gift of a fine voice, and acquirements which are unfrequently discerned at a corresponding period in a singer’s artistic life. Miss Nininger was recalled at the end of the entertainment, and this acknowledgment sealed an undoubted success. Signor Leoni’s work did not awake, possibly, as much interest as that of the lady, but it had abundant evidence of approval. Signor Leoni’s voice, in volume and in timbre, is equal to any demand, and his method of using it indicates careful training. He sang Manrico with a great deal of expressiveness, and with an ease in utterance quite at variance with the exaggeration of most amateurs. The remarkably dramatic portrayal of Azucena by Mme. Gazzaniga-Albites has already been written of here. Her personation of the gypsy, yesterday, exceeded that already noticed in pathos and vigor, and the eminent singer’s triumph culminated in the duet with Manrico, commencing ‘Si la Stanchezza.’ Signor Reina, as Count de Luna, repeated a very praiseworthy performance, which has also been alluded to in these columns recently. The mishaps for which the choruses are responsible were referred to above. It only remains to add that Herr Carl Bergmann conducted with precision, and that if Signor Albites modestly stood in the background, he is none the less to be remembered as having prepared a very pleasant and, in all respects, a very remunerative entertainment.”

“The performance of ‘Trovatore’ at the Academy of Music, on Monday evening, for the benefit of the Samaritan Home for the Aged, was, from a social and pecuniary point of view, a very brilliant success, and, musically, highly creditable. Miss Nininger, the Leonora, and Signor Leoni, the Manrico, were debutantes. Both had an excellent reception, and displayed more than ordinary talent, fair culture, and good voices. Madame Gazzaniga appeared as Azucena, and Signor Reyna replaced Dr. Valentine in the role of Di Luna.”

Miss Nininger received her earliest training from Ettore Barili in Philadelphia.

Letter to the editor from Ettore Barili clarifying his role in the soprano’s training.

Includes letter from Ettore Barili claiming Pauline Nininger as his pupil until last September; importance of giving vocal teachers all the credit they deserve. For Antonio Barili’s correction see: NYP 03/10/71, p. 2