Combination Italian Opera: Les Huguenots

“Meyerbeer’s favorite opera was again rendered at the Academy of Music, last evening, before a thronged and enthusiastic house. The performance was a marked improvement upon that of Friday evening, some of the singers being in better voice, and the whole machinery running more smoothly. The substitution of Carl Formes for Mr. Ryse as Marcello was also a change for the better, Mr. Formes being at least an artist of experience and skill, although both the quality of his voice and his mastery over it have been impaired by time. Miss Phillipps delighted the audience with the Page’s song, and obtained a well deserved encore. Mr. Wachtel and Madame Rosa made the great duet of the third act entirely effective. Mr. Santley excited much regret that his part was not musically more important; its rendering, dramatically, too, was perfect. His ‘get up’ was closely after the old pictures of Phillip II.”

“’Les Huguenots.’—Notwithstanding the unfavorable state of the weather last night the Academy of Music was crowded by a brilliant and enthusiastic audience. The attractions of Meyerbeer’s splendid opera were too great to allow bad weather to prevent the musical world assembling to hear a representation that, without having claim to be considered perfect, is yet superior to any previously presented to a New York public. It is creditable to the management that an apparently sincere effort has been made to remedy the defects which the press pointed out on the occasion of the first representation. The part of Marcello, which is very important, was inefficiently filled on Friday last by Mr. Ryse, and the effect of the opera was seriously marred by his failure. The complaint on this point was so general that Carl Formes has been secured to undertake this rôle. Although the beaux jours of this artist’s voice have long since passed away, enough of the original power remains to enable him to make a very respectable Marcello. He sang the ‘Finta e se Fratri’ artistically, but scarcely with the necessary vigor. The manner in which he reached the lower notes and his distinct utterance of them would tax the powers of most bassos, but the higher notes bore unmistakable marks of the rude hand of time. In the duet ‘Nella Notte io Sol qui Veglio,’ he was very effective. Indeed his singing improved the character of this scene so much that those who heard it on Friday night, when it was most unsatisfactorily given, must have been well pleased at the change. Miss Phillips had quite recovered from her hoarseness of Saturday, and achieved quite a success in the rôle of Urbani. Her rendition of the song, ‘Nobil Donna e Tanta Onesta,’ secured her a recall, and though there was just a faint trace of hoarseness in the upper notes, her vocalization was brilliant. Parepa-Rosa also was in good voice. We have already expressed our opinions of her rendering of the rôle of Valentina, and have nothing to add. Wachtel, we were glad to see, made a successful effort to restrain his tendency to create effect by tours de force, and as a result his rendition of his part was highly effective. For the first time we heard him sing through his score evenly, seeking only to render the meaning of the composer. The idea of electrifying an audience by nota attaccata may succeed for a time, but in the end people will tire of them and demand legitimate singing. In the duet, ‘Bella Divina, in Cantatrice,’ Wachtel sang with much expression, but the orchestra created quite a small sensation by getting out of time for a moment, with very unpleasant effect. Santley, as St. Bris, sang with sentiment and finish, but the rôle is scarcely worthy of him. Anysley Cook as the Duc de Nevers sang carefully his part. The septet was the great success of the evening. The choruses generally were well given, but the defects which we pointed out on the occasion of the first presentation still exist. So far as can be judged from the reception the audience give the piece, it seems to have afforded much satisfaction. The manner in which it has been presented gives promise that better days are in store for opera habitués, and though at present so far behind the European capitals, that a few years will place us, at least, on an equality with them in facilities for enjoying good music.”

“’Gli Ugonotti’ was repeated, in presence of an audience almost as numerous and quite as enthusiastic as that which attended the first recital, on Friday, of Meyerbeer’s magnificent composition. A change in the distribution made the representation, indeed, more impressive. Herr Carl Formes contributed to the entertainment a personation long since admired and still deserving of warm praise. He sang Marcello in place of Mr. Rhse. The remaining parts were filled as on the earlier night.”

“The second performance of the ‘Huguenots’ attracted an audience last night nearly as large as the first, and the representation called for warm praise in the same particulars which we pointed out yesterday. As a whole it was spirited and interesting and in certain detached scenes it was really extraordinary. The great duet between Valentine and Raoul in the Fourth Act created as before a curious sensation all over the house, and led to a double recall before the curtain. Madame Rosa’s share in it was beautifully and completely artistic. Mr. Wachtel was rather less excitable and demonstrative than on Friday, but his acting was all the better for that. In the short septette of Act Third he was superb; in the delicate amorous strains of Act First less satisfactory. Madame Rosa’s Valentine had all the needed variety of tenderness and passion, and Miss Phillipps and Mr. Santley, as usual, give unalloyed satisfaction to the most exacting listener. The part of Marcel on this occasion was taken by the veteran basso, Mr. Carl Formes, who in former years made the character one of the most effective in his repertory. He is still the noble and spirited actor that he was of old, and for a moment or two he made us forget the ravages which time has wrought in his once beautiful voice, and showed how dramatic art can triumph over the rules of harmony. He restored to the opera some of the picturesque contrasts which we missed so much the other night, but, to be candid, he sang as ill as he ever did in his life, and kept out of tune with marvelous persistency. For the credit of Mr. Rosa it should be explained that the trouble in filling this important role arises from the sickness of Mr. Joseph Hermanns, to whom it was originally assigned.”

“The second performance of the Huguenots passed off quite smoothly on Monday evening. Formes had been substituted for the incompetent singer who undertook the part on Friday evening. The change was certainly for the better from a dramatic point of view, for Formes always made a picturesque and effective Marcel, but as to singing, there was everything to be overlooked. For the first fifteen minutes after his appearance upon the stage, he sang incredibly false. Scarcely a single note was in tune. When he had warmed a little to the work, portions of it went better, but pity rather than pleasure is the predominant emotion in listening to the ruins of this once noble and still sonorous voice. No bass singer on our stage had greater power of expressing tenderness than belonged to Formes in his better days, and glimpses of this were every now and then apparent last evening.

In other essentials the opera was well presented. Especially does Madame Rosa sing the music of Valentina with the refinement and musicianly skill that it exacts. Mr. Santley, Miss Phillips and Herr Wachtel filled the other principal roles, Miss Graziella Ridgeway and Messrs. Aynsley Cook and Hall giving excellent support in the lesser ones. Miss Ridgeway has great facility and a clear and sweet voice, but if she is not careful the New England nasal quality will get the better of its good points. 

The ‘Huguenots’ is an opera of the largest requirements, and the present company fill these, if not to satisfy the ideal standard, nevertheless to the reasonable satisfaction of every lover of music. Few companies that have been gathered in this country could fill so many exacting roles with such an array of competent artists.”