Combination Italian Opera: ll Trovatore

Issuing of season’s prospectus; roster, repertory.

Complete roster.

“The 1st of April, 1872, will be long remembered by the operatic public of New York as one of the most remarkable occasions in the history of Italian opera in this country—the strongest combination of lyric talent that has appeared since the famous Havana troupe drew within the walls of the Academy of Music an audience of overwhelming proportions, and the receipts were considerably over nine thousand dollars. The apathetic nature of an Academy audience is well known, and nothing short of an extraordinary event could call forth the wild enthusiasm with which the principal artists were greeted last night. Madame Parepa-Rosa, Miss Adelaide Phillips, Herr Wachtel and Mr. Santley appeared in the well-worn ‘Trovatore’ with a magnificent chorus and orchestra, one hundred and twenty strong, and the performance in general was of such a nature that the old, familiar music seemed as fresh and novel as if it had been given for the first time. The result of such a daring experiment on the part of the management—daring in view of the enormous expense consequent on bringing such a combination together---proved the correctness of our constant assertion that the New York public will support first class opera, no matter what it costs. An impresario need not feel any apprehension of failure if he only secure the best talent, and we are of opinion that a company like that which is heard in the summer at either of the London opera houses, great though the cost may be, can be presented at our Academy for an entire season with the best financial results. Parsimony in management has been ever the bane of opera here. A prima donna or a tenor of fame has been thought, heretofore, a sufficient attraction, and the ensemble has had to look out for itself. We trust that the example which Mr. Rosa has shown in presenting an opera complete in every sense of the word will not be lost upon future managers of Italian opera. Certainly the public have shown a desire to assist the lyric drama when thus presented, and any failures in the future, as in the past, must necessarily be placed to the account of the management.”

“The preliminary excitement which had heralded the new opera season, culminated in the opening performance last night. The fact that the receipts were about nine thousand two hundred dollars proves at once that the house was crowded to a degree which is without a parallel in the history of the Academy of Music. Not only was every seat occupied, but every step, and every standing place was filled; and money was refused at the doors. Altogether, the interest in this performance, if gauged by its pecuniary  returns was simply unprecedented in New York.

And the performance was worthy of this excitement. Parepa, Phillips, Wachtel and Santley form a cast which cannot be surpassed. The audience thought so last night, and as each member of the great quartet appeared on the stage a hearty round of applause gave a hearty welcome.

Of Madame Parepa Rosa, who has often sung here in the part of Leonora, it is unnecessary to speak at length. Although not in her best voice last night, the favorite prima donna sang with great power and effect, and after the aria Di tale amor introduced a sotto voce cadenza of unusual beauty and originality. Miss Phillips, the Azucena of the evening, was welcomed back with genuine warmth, and gave a nobly dramatic delineation of the unnatural yet effective part of the Gipsey. Her voice throughout was rich and melodious, and her action far transcended what is usually witnessed on the lyric scene. Indeed, her by-play in certain points was worthy of the greatest names on the dramatic stage.

Wachtel and Santley in the ‘Trovatore’ give us two of the most notable personations which the average opera-goer may hope ever to witness. The one is all fire, the other all finish. If the singing of Wachtel may be compared to an ardent flame burning in uncontrolled splendor, that of Santley may be likened to an exquisitely carved statue, perfect in all its proportions, cold and serene in its matchless perfection. The Di quella pira of the former awakened irresistible and tumultuous excitement which could only be allayed by an immediate encore, and by repeated calls before the curtain. The Il balen of the latter was probably the most simply perfect bit of vocalization ever heard upon our operatic stage. In quality of voice, in accuracy of intonation, in clearness of enunciation there was nothing to be desired; and as soon as the last note of the exquisitely-sung cadenza faded on the ear, there arose a spontaneous thunder of applause which was as sincere as it was demonstrative. Of course Wachtel gave his high C with rocket-like force and with unerring precision; but to our taste there was far more real credit due him for his recording of the cantabile movement, Ah si ben mio, in which the most fascinating points of his ravishing voice were heard to the best advantage. His action, by the way, responds well to his vocal resources. In the aria Mal reggendo, where Manrico tells how, from some irresistible impulse, he spared his enemy, the Count di Luna, when about to plunge the uplifted sword into his heart, every phase of the meaning of the words was expressed by gesticulation, as graceful as it was appropriate. In fact, the great tenor told the story in pantomime, as well as in song.

Flowers in abundance were given to each of the four principal performers. Some of the floral tributes should have been reserved for Carl Rosa, or whoever it was that suggested to the chorus the many improved points which they so intelligently adopted. To the nuns’ chorus in the second act there was imparted a variety and grace of style which rendered the familiar strains as fresh and beautiful as if they were new. There were also certain improvements in the scenery of the opera, adding much to the general effect of a performance which will ever be memorable in our musical history, and which, by the way, is to be repeated next Saturday afternoon.”

“One operatic season has followed on the heels of another this winter with extraordinary rapidity, and with wonderful pecuniary results. The manager who, under ordinary circumstances, undertook to reap a field that so shrewd and skillful a gleaner as Strakosch had gone carefully over, with such a pecuniary mower as Miss Nilsson, might naturally expect to find very little golden grain, and much stubble for his pains.

But the Parepa-Rosa management has comprehended the situation, and has made a combination of artists so strong that it cannot fail to challenge public attention and interest. Four such singers as Parepa, Phillips, Wachtel, and Santley are rare to find in conjunction even in the long and brilliant list of operatic companies that have appeared in this city within the last twenty-five years. They brought together at the Academy last evening a splendid audience in point of numbers and an ardent one in point of enthusiasm. It was quite wonderful to find how much power the old Trovatore music had left in it to excite the fervor of the audience.

The characteristics of the different singers whom we have named are sufficiently well understood, and their merits have been amply recognized, both in these columns and by the press at large. They all stand in the front rank. Wachtel is beyond a question one of the best of living tenors, and Santley has but few superiors upon the European stage. The preeminence of Madame Parepa-Rosa and Miss Phillips is equally beyond a question. Each of these artists sang last evening up to the level of their reputations and stimulated doubtless by the friendly rivalry and the unusual interest of the occasion. Madame Parepa-Rosa indeed shows signs of the strain that her recent untiring labors in English opera has put upon her voice. In the sustained note at the close of the tower scene her voice broke, an accident that rarely happens to her and that results from her persistent labors, but in spite of this and of an occasional unsteadiness of tone she is a noble singer, and one who cannot fail to command the admiration of all who hear her. The evening was one of triumph both for Wachtel and Santley. The splendid tours de force of the former were never given with more electric effect. In the Di quella pira the audience fairly broke in upon the aria with clamorous bravos. Mr. Santley, too, appeared to infinitely better advantage than in English opera, acting with great spirit and freedom, and singing with the finely distinct enunciation and polished refined style that are his characteristics. His Il Balen was received by the audience with a favor equal to that given to Wachtel’s Di Quella Pira. In fact it was an even and symmetrical performance throughout, and Miss Adelaide Phillips contributed in no slight degree to this result. Her Azucena has no superior as far as we know upon the stage. Mr. Rosa has increased both chorus and orchestra, and they are not only improved in numbers but in drill. In a word the performance was one that will bear the highest praise. It was highly spirited and dramatic and of sustained and conspicuous merit.”

“Grand as were the final Nilsson nights at the Academy, last night fairly eclipsed them. For numbers the people overflowed from the lobbies, crowded the aisles, and swarmed in every nook and cranny whence a peek could be got of the stage; and for excitement, after the first ice was broken and the sympathies of the audience aroused, the spacious house literally rocked with it.

There can no longer be any doubt that New-York is destined swiftly to attain the rank of one of the first cities for lyrical drama in the world. The star of Italian opera has for some time been in the ascendant here. Chiefly owing to the potent spell of Mlle. Nilsson, the elegant amusement has gained steadily on popular attention until the numbers and the enthusiasm of the public have risen to an extraordinary point, and the late season wound up at last in quite a blaze of splendor. Yet, as honest chroniclers, we are bound to repeat that in both regards the Academy audience of last night has never, in our experience, been surpassed in New-York. A combination so unexampled as that of this occasion was perhaps needful to secure a great success. What has gone immediately before was, in truth, so fine in its way that no inferior work was likely to be palatable. Still, such is the passion of the moment for Italian opera that either one of the great singers who appeared together last night might have had a respectable season as a central attraction, even if surrounded, as the custom is, by nobodies. Hence, when Mme. Parepa-Rosa, Mr. Wachtel and Mr. Santley sung together in one opera, the effect could not for a moment be doubtful. The Academy was therefore simply packed last night from the floor to the ceiling. Showers of applause greeted the entrance of each of the famed artists as they came on in ‘Il Trovatore;’ and the satisfaction of the public liberally expressed through the various numbers of the act, rose to something like transport over the trio at its close when Mme. Parepa and Mr. Santley were called by acclamation before the curtain and saluted with cheer on cheer of approval.

The second act, introducing Miss Adelaide Phillips as Azucena, completed a quartet not to be excelled in the world. It was a wise step on the part of the management to provide a contralto not unworthy to be associated with the soprano, the tenor and the baritone. The audience were delighted to welcome Miss Phillips once more to the boards of the Academy, and the lady, always a favorite, and deservedly, as becomes a true and finished artist, won a goodly share of the evening’s applause. The Leonora of Mme. Rosa is well known here, and the Manrico of Mr. Wachtel has been seen and commented upon by us at length. The same is to be said of Miss Phillips’ Azucena. Thus, the only strictly new performance witnessed last night was the Count di Luna of Mr. Santley. Of this we may observe that, vocally speaking, it even overtopped expectation. Mr. Santley has accustomed us to look to him for almost unparalleled smoothness and evenness of delivery, and his matchless voice, handled with consummate skill, met the requirements of his highly dramatic role in a manner completely satisfactory. The artist was in grand voice last night, and his histrionic efforts—better conceived, or at any rate better executed than in either ‘Zampa’ or ‘Fra Diavolo’—were well up to the needful spirit of the scene. The ‘Il Balen’ was better sung than we have ever heard it here, even by poor Amodio, and was rapturously encored. The second act ended with infinite éclat. But the climax of the evening was reached in the ‘Di quella pira,’ which was given by Mr. Wachtel with electrical energy. The great tenor emitted his famous chest C with prodigious clearness, and startled his public into quite an Italian furor of delight.

Mme. Parepa-Rosa sang as she always does, with exquisite purity and finish, and for once an opera was given which can justly be said to have been nearly perfect in all its parts. The chorus and orchestra took on the infection of excellence, and were almost worthy the principals to which they served as background. Few better-pleased assemblages have ever separated in New-York than the audience that last night gutted the Academy after the ‘Trovatore.’”

“The opening of the new opera season last night was attended with all the magnificence which the combination effected by Mr. Rosa seemed to require. The audience exceeded even the enormous gatherings to which we were accustomed during the Nilsson performances, and the enthusiasm far surpassed anything we have witnessed in the Academy of Music for many years. It is so long since New-York has seen a whole company of artists of the first-rank that the union of Madame Parepa Rosa, Miss Adelaide Phillipps, Herr Wachtel, and Mr. Charles Santley in a single performance naturally aroused a remarkable degree of interest. Each of the four stands in the front rank of the profession, and all have some peculiar qualities in common which render their singing together especially effective. Add to the superiority of the leading artists the fact that the performance was [illegible] and liberally arranged in all its details, with an admirable orchestra and a chorus so good as to be almost phenomenal, and it will readily be understood that last night’s representation of ‘Trovatore’ was something to be long remembered. The principal singers were received at their first entrance with cordiality, yet with no particular warmth; but as the piece went on the excitement of the listeners [illegible] and audience seemed to stimulate each other, and there were calls before the curtain, encores, and demonstrations of all kinds in wild profusion. The Leonora of Madame Rosa has been often seen and admired in New-York. It is a role which suits her particularly well, and it was taken for granted that she would fill it to the entire satisfaction of everybody. Her best effort was in the ‘D’amor sull’ali rosee,’ where she displayed some of the brightest charms of her pure style of vocalism. She must have received at one time and another during the evening a small wagon load of flowers. The Azucena of Miss Phillipps is inseparably associated with the first successes of the opera in New York, and our audiences admire it, not only for its intrinsic excellence, but for its pleasant memories. It was keenly appreciated and liberally applauded, as it well deserved to be. Herr Wachtel was in his best voice and spirits. The Serenade, the Tower scene, and the two famous arias in Act Third were naturally his great numbers, and the ‘Di quella pira,’ given with even more than his usual fire, and even more than his usual neatness and ease in the production of the high chest C, aroused, of course, a great storm. His performance, however, deserved praise all through the evening, for it was careful and artistic. Mr. Santley, of whom we have finally to speak, was by no means the least of this remarkable quartet. The expectations of his admirers were much more than realized. He acted with quite enough energy. He threw into his performance all the passion and sentiment of which Di Luna is capable. And so far as his singing is considered, we have no hesitation in calling him the best male artist who has been heard in America since Mario. Voice, style, intelligence, feeling—all are his. His phrasing, his intonations, his enunciation are a perfect study, and his face, manly air and gallant bearing complete the delightful impression. His ‘Il balen’ was a new revelation alike of the artist’s own powers and of the composer’s sentiment. The enthusiasm of the audience broke forth before the end of the song, and found vent in audible exclamations of delight all over the house. The splendor of his interpretation of this well worn song will almost cause the rotund and mellow Amodio to be forgotten, and dwarf all other Counts into insignificance. We need hardly add that the various trios and concerted pieces were given with a glory, and received with emphatic approval. The chorus did an unprecedented thing, for it not only sang with vigor and correctness, but actually with expression. Mr. Rosa conducted the orchestra with the firm and delicate hand for which he is becoming so [illegible].”

“The rendering of ‘Il Trovatore,’ given on Saturday afternoon at the Academy of Music, was, in some respects, a decided improvement even upon the memorable performance of the same opera on the opening night of the new troupe. The principal difference was that Madame Parepa-Rosa had entirely recovered from her indisposition. On Monday evening she had, indeed, done well; but had, through sickness, fallen somewhat short of the great expectations her friends had formed; On Saturday she surpassed them all. Mr. Santley’s singing was again perfect; Mr. Wachtel surpassed himself in the tender passages; and Miss Phillips fully sustained her well-earned reputation, by a complete and artistic rendering of Azucena.

No music that has had a charm for the popular ear ever wears out in the hands of such artists as these, and ‘Trovatore’ is still the general demand.”

[Preceded by three general paragraphs extolling the remarkable season just ended] “The opera, for the opening night, was Il Trovatore, with the following cast [see above]. Need it be said that even this worn and worthless opera was galvanized into life and so superbly rendered that it was listened to with pleasure by all? Mme. Rosa had not quite recovered from an affection of the throat, from which she had been suffering, and showed signs of fatigue, particularly in the ‘tower scene;’ but so popular has she become, that her best efforts were accepted by the audience, with every token of admiration and, even in those parts where she was less successful, she was encouraged by applause and floral offerings. Miss Phillips made one of the Azucenas I have ever heard; and Wachtel electrified the audience with his high C in ‘Di quella pira.’ I have not space enough to speak critically of his merits, which are well known to most of your readers, but his singing seems to be phenomenal rather than artistic. With Santley it is different, for he joins to a deep, rich voice, every tone of which is full, rounded and complete, a culture only to be attained by long years of hard study and patient practice. It is plain, too, that his first thought is always for the music he is singing, and not for his audience, nor for himself. In every sense he is a true artist and he seems to be thoroughly appreciated here.”