Strakosch Italian Opera: Don Giovanni

Lists cast. “This is the strongest combination for the presentation of this difficult opera that we have had in years.”

“Grand Chorus of Sixty. Powerful Orchestra of Fifty.”

“…Wednesday evening will be notable for the revival of ‘Don Giovanni,’ with Maurel (who made so great a hit in ‘Ernani’) as the Don, Torriani as Zerlina, Maresi as Donna Anna and Nilsson as Elvira. This last-name character has usually been slighted here by being entrusted to inferior singers, and its performance by the Swedish prima donna will undoubtedly be quite a revelation of the capabilities of the part.”

“In our reference yesterday to the distribution of parts in ‘Don Giovanni,’ to be done at the Academy of Music this evening, we assigned to Mme. Nilsson the rôle of Zerlina, previously filled by her in this City. We are very glad to correct our assertion in relation to to-night’s performance. Mme. Nilsson will personate Donna Elvira—a change by which, we need scarcely say, the impressiveness of Mozart’s immortal work will be much heightened.”

“Mozart makes good his claim to immortality in our day by bringing together the two largest houses that have attended any performance of the present season—the one at the Grand Opera house to hear the ‘Magic Flute,’ the other last evening at the Academy when ‘Don Giovanni’ was given.

Those who attended did not do so in vain, for they had the opportunity of seeing this opera put upon the stage with a completeness such as it seldom receives. We do not refer to the scenery or any of those minor and really nonessential matters, but to the distribution of the parts. It is not too much to say that every rôle of the many that this opera requires was in competent hands, and the result was a performance so meritorious as to call for enthusiastic and generous praise. The cast was as follows: [lists cast with roles].

It will be a surprise to many that Madame Nilsson should have assumed the character of Elvira. Naturally it would have been expected that she would take the Zerlina, or if not that then the Donna Anna. But her splendid ability has nowhere been better illustrated than by the manner in which she took up the usually slighted part and raised it to the most conspicuous position, save that of Don Giovanni, in the cast—and this not by acting, for it gives opportunity for almost none, but by sheer force of splendid singing. In recalling the casts of ‘Don Giovanni,’ a long procession of dreary Elviras comes to one’s mind, who served only to drag down the opera and make it wearisome with their incompetency. It would be but the plain truth to say that the part was never properly sung in this country until last evening, when at last its charming music was fitly given, and it assumed the important position in the opera that Mozart intended it should have.

The performance of M. Maurel also calls for the warmest commendation. His Don Giovanni was one more step in advancing his reputation, so materially increased by his masterly singing in Verdi’s ‘Ernani’ last Friday evening. The Don Giovanni being a vastly more difficult rôle, his success in it is all the more praiseworthy. It was one of the finest personations that the character has received upon our stage. The other portions of the cast, though not so conspicuously good, were nevertheless entirely satisfactory. The difficult concerted music trios, quartettes, and sextettes were all given with artistic finish. Especially good was the sextette in which Leporello is discovered in Don Giovanni’s hat and cloak. This seldom goes without a flaw, and usually, through one or two of the parts being intrusted [sic] to inferior singers, becomes painfully discordant, but last evening it went to a charm.

Signor Campanini’s two arias were beautifully sung, especially the ‘Il Mio Tesoro.’ Some of the music usually omitted was also restored last evening.

The performance was considerably lengthened by repeats—to a demand for which most singers are far too ready to yield on the slightest encouragement. It is seldom that these encores proceed form more than one in twenty of an audience, and it is a little hard that the remaining nineteen should be compelled to wait the pleasure of the over-zealous twentieth person. It is a pity that managers and artists should not adopt a fixed rule on the subject, and have it understood that there are to be no repetitions. It would be a relief to the artists themselves, and to the great majority of their audiences as well.

The excellence of the present performance shows what the manager has it in his power to do in the way of presenting a great work well if he so chooses. Why should he not continue to give performances so far above the average as to make this season remarkable in operatic records?”

“If the performance of ‘Don Giovanni’ last night was [illeg.] not exceptionally brilliant in any particular, it was exceptional in the general effect, and good in nearly all its parts. Mozart’s great work under such circumstances can never be dull, and despite the lack of stirring [illeg.] the audience manifested unusual enthusiasm, and insisted upon the repetition of most of the [illeg.] numbers. The cast was the best balanced that we have had in many years. Mlle. Maresi was not [illeg.], indeed, the arduous rôle of Donna Anna, and [illeg…] what is generally called the leading soprano part in this opera with any sort of interest; but she sang the music intelligently and accurately, and her voice, though it lacks force and character, is almost always true and pleasant. The part of Donna Elvira, on the other hand, was far better filled than we are used to seeing it. Intrusted [sic], as it so often is, to a more or less incompetent comprima[illeg.], it loses the prominence which Mozart meant to give it; but Mme. Nilsson last night raised it to its proper importance. The rôle of Zerlina, which [illeg.] took two seasons ago, was very well played last night by Mlle. Torriani, who sang sweetly and acted with good taste and sufficient but not extravagant vivacity. The Don Giovanni of M. Maurel had a more distinct individual character than any other personation of the evening. This gentleman never fails to engross the attention of the house when he is on the stage—not by tricks of manner, but by his highly polished art and his fine personal presence; and his singing is so beautiful in its peculiar school that we forget the lack of sweetness and depth in his voice, and forget even that his French methods are not after all the best. He did not make such a deep impression with Don Giovanni as he did last week with Don Carlo, but he certainly achieved a most gratifying success, especially with the difficult ‘Fin ch’an dal vino,’ and the serenade. Sig. Campanini sang both the arias written for the tenor. In the ‘Dalla sua pace,’ which is generally omitted, his tender expression and smooth delivery were admirable; but in the ‘Il mio tesoro’ he was still better, and his crescendo on the sustained F in the latter part of the song fairly roused the house. It only remains to be said of the cast that Sig. Nannetti was a good Leporello, a rustic rather than a buffoon; and that Masetto was Sig. Scolara and the Commendatore Sig. Coletti, neither being satisfactory. The ensembles were all successful, and the trio went off to a charm. Sig. Muzio’s orchestra gave a delicate interpretation of the beautiful score, but the chorus, which is decidedly worse than it used to be in former years, shows no sign of improvement whatever.”

“It is a noticeable fact that the quaint, old-fashioned yet ever fresh music of Mozart has attracted to the opera houses the two largest audiences of the season. ‘The Magic Flute’ at the Eighth Avenue Theatre recently, and ‘Don Giovanni’ at the Academy last night, were both listened to by several thousands of attentive auditors. The days of [illeg.] and knee-breeches seem still to triumph over us in matters of art, and our musical masters still rule us from their urns.

The interest manifested by the public last night was justified by the fact that almost the entire strength of the Strakosch company—including the three prima donnas—was enlisted in the performance, and as a natural result there was a well-managed and enjoyable entertainment. Madame Nilsson, to the surprise of many, took the part of Elvira, usually allotted to inferior singers, but really as important in itself as any character in the opera, and, by a restoration of airs usually excised, demanding as much artistic ability in its rendering as the parts of either Donna Anna or Zerlina. To the latter, however, Mozart gave the most pleasing and taking melodies of the opera, and the Vedrai carino and Batti batti have always, when decently sang, won applause and encores.

Madame Nilsson, however, showed our public, for the first time, the great capabilities of the rôle of Elvira, and in the two arias which the composer has bestowed on this part evinced her unusual skill and delicacy of execution. In a dramatic point of view she also raised the part into prominence, her acting and by-play being excellent, while her costumes were the admiration of the whole house. Altogether, this was the most remarkable and satisfactory personation of Mozart’s Elvira that has been seen on our stage.

Maresi was the Donna Anna of the evening, and sang her difficult music well, but made no mark as an actress. Mlle. Torriani’s Zerlina was pleasing and she won an encore in the Batti batti. Neither of these ladies, however, approached, in the individuality and power of their personations, previous representatives of their respective parts.

In the Don Giovanni of Maurel there was much to admire. The La ci darem and the serenade were exquisitely sung, and the appearance of the gay Spanish don left nothing to be desired; but we missed the splendid dash and brilliancy which Gassier and Bellini, for instance, threw into their action. The Leporello of Signor Nanetti was a clever personation, creditable to this promising young artist, but cannot make us forget that from Sanquirico to Formes and Ronconi we have had Leporellos who were really great. Campanini made a strong impression as Ottavio, and was encored in both of his airs—the Dalla sua pace, so often omitted, and the familiar Mio Tesoro. He is one of the very best Ottavios we have ever had.

It will be gathered from these remarks that the performance of ‘Don Giovanni’ last night was less remarkable for the individual superiority of the performers than for the excellence of the general effect. The opera was well sung as a whole, orchestra and chorus were good, and there seemed to be that general smoothness and finish which has characterized the previous performances at the Academy during this season.”

“The first performance of ‘Don Giovanni’ this season, attracted to the Academy last evening a vast audience. Admiration for Mozart’s music went far toward the attainment of this result, but the announcement that almost all Mr. Strakosch’s performers would be concerned in the representation, was too tempting not to have an even weightier influence. The recital, like its predecessors during the present series of entertainments, was satisfactory alike as a whole and in detail. Mme. Nilsson, who, until this year, personated Zerlina, was yesterday Donna Elvira; Mlle. Maresi was Donna Anna, and Mlle. Torriani Zerlina. Mme. Nilsson was greeted with much cordiality when she came forward with her aria d’entrata; and the first bars of ‘Ah! che mi dice mai,’ prefacing the concerted passage with Don Giovanni and Leporello, showed the advantage of her change of character. In the air ‘Mi tradi quell’ alma ingrata,’ her power of endowing music not only with the charm bestowed by an exquisite voice, but with the fullest expressiveness, became clear; and, in the ensembles, the beauty of her tones and finish of her style contributed largely to the impressiveness of what can be fairly considered the most important part of the opera. Mlles. Maresi and Torriani are both possessed of light and flexible voices, and their efforts were much applauded. The most striking achievements of the night, however, were those of M. Maurel and Signor Campanini. As Don Giovanni[,] M. Maurel may be reproached with a tendency to grace-notes not altogether consistent with the requirements of such pure melody as Mozart has lavished in ‘Don Giovanni,’ but his admirable delivery of recitative, the tastefulness of his phrasing, and his skill as a comedian, are qualities too rare not to condone for many defects. His performance was thoroughly artistic, and we are glad to say that it was generally appreciated, and rewarded by encores, which secured the repetition of ‘Fin’ chan dal vino’ and ‘Deh vieni alla finestra.’ In the opening scenes of ‘Don Giovanni,’ Signor Campanini appeared to suffer slightly from hoarseness. He, nevertheless, sang ‘Dall sua pace’ so sweetly that he had to sing it again, and when ‘Il mio tesoro’ was reached the unpleasant symptoms of a cold had disappeared. ‘Il mio tesoro’ was, of course, done a second time. Signor Nannetti was the Leporello of the representation, Signor Scolara the Masetto, and Signor Coletti the Commander. We alluded above to the excellent rendering of the concerted portions of ‘Don Giovanni.’ The fine trio, ‘Protegga, giusto Cielo,’ and the delicious sestet were encored.”

“‘Don Giovanni,’ the chef d’œuvre of Mozart, the work on which, in spite of a bad libretto, he lavished the richest treasures of his imagination and in which there is not a dull musical thought, is the rock on which many a stately operatic argosy has been artistically wrecked. One cannot point to a satisfactory performance of this work for years past in this city, and even in boastful London it has fared badly at both houses, Covent Garden and Drury Lane. The Italian artists, even those of the highest order, seem at all times to fall in the comprehension of the innate beauties of this opera, and it would be interesting to collect the fragments of artists’ representations among the past Donna Annas, Donna Elviras, Zerlinas, Don Juans, Leporellos and Don Ottavios. Representatives of these rôles, who shone with brilliancy in more modern works, came to grief in the music of Mozart. The Germans have been more successful in presenting the opera with a complete ensemble. What we remarked after the production of ‘The Magic Flute’ last week at the Grand Opera House about the extreme difficulty of obtaining nowadays all the materials necessary for a proper representation of an opera of Mozart, is particularly applicable to ‘Don Giovanni.’ It is, therefore, not judicious for an impresario to subject his company to such a severe test. Weakness in any one of the eight rôles, or in the chorus or orchestra, is fatal to the success of the opera. When it is not a great success it becomes dull, monotonous and uninteresting. There is no medium. Triumph or failure can only attend a representation of the opera of ‘Don Giovanni.’

There have been many memorable casts in this opera. [Lists different casts at different international venues.]

[Lists cast with roles for this performance.] The only artists who achieved a thorough success were Mme. Nilsson and M. Maurel. The rôle of Elvira is always considered an ungrateful one, as it possesses neither the grandeur of the music of Donna Anna nor the taking coquetry of the airs of Zerlina. It was so completely neglected in Pasta’s time that it was not even mentioned in the cast. Yet it is important in a dramatic sense as the title rôle. The deserted wife of the libertine serves as a necessary foil to his heartless, licentious schemes, and she occupies more of the attention of the public from the first to the last scene than either Donna Anna or Zerlina. It is a terrible strain on an artist like Mme. Nilsson, for she was obliged, last night, to fill up the many blanks which the weakness of her assistants occasioned. But she nobly accomplished her ungrateful task, and it would be difficult to point to another occasion in which the greatness and complete symmetry of her art were more apparent. The recitative and aria, the former commencing with ‘In quali eccessi, O numi,’ and the latter with ‘Mi tradi, quell’alma ingrata,’ transposed on this occasion from the last to the first act, were delivered with that purity and at the same time breadth of tone and style, clearness of phrasing and warmth of expression that would have satisfied the composer himself, squeamish as he was in his opinions of vocal artists. The celebrated trio of Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, and Don Ottavio, ‘Protega il giusto cielo,’ was saved from utter insignificance in the rendering by the magnificent art of Mme. Nilsson. It is an extremely difficult piece of music, and the Swedish nightingale deserves more praise for keeping the other soprano and the other tenor from breaking down in it than for any triumph she has gained in operas where she had no such ungrateful work to perform. In other scenes the influence of her art was felt to advantage, and her Donna Elvira must be placed as one of the best rôles that the modern operatic stage can boast of. It is only under such circumstances that the full measure of her greatness as an artist can be felt.

The Don Giovanni of M. Maurel was worthy to be placed beside the Donna Elvira of Mme. Nilsson. A thorough artist, at home in any rôle and gifted with a barytone voice of exceptional calibre [sic] both in tone, flexibility and training, he invested the title rôle with a significance it has lacked for years on the boards of the Academy. Of all the well known music of the rôle the most delightful in his interpretation was the serenade, with its quaint, pizzicato accompaniment. He sang it with an effect that brought an instantaneous encore. After M. Faure the operatic stage can boast of no Don Juan equal to Maurel.

The rest of our task is not so agreeable. Mlle. Maresi was evidently overweighted in the music of Donna Anna, and made anything but a favorable impression. Mlle. Torriani’s voice seemed to shrink in tone until there was little betwixt it, and silence in the ‘Batti, batti’ and ‘Vedrai Carino’ of Zerlina, Campanini obtained a recall in ‘Il mio tesoro,’ though all through he was ill at ease in the music of Mozart. The Leporello of Nannetti was a mere clown, and unlike anything ever known before in this rôle. The chorus and orchestra pursued independent paths more than once during the opera, and the mise en scène was worse than ever before. Facts are stubborn things, and every one regretted to find in last night’s representation of this wonderful opera an utter absence of ensemble in the most essential points. When will Mozart receive justice? He has been cruelly dealt with on two occasions this season, and unless more care is taken with ‘Nozze di Figaro,’ which, we presume, will be the next of his works presented before the New York public, there will be another shipwreck of artistic reputation and managerial promise.”