Strakosch Italian Opera: La Favorita

The announcement of the first appearance of ‘Die Kleine Pauline’ in Italian opera, under the Strakosch management, was attractive enough last night to draw a large and brilliant house. She appeared in what may be considered her most sympathetic rôle, that of Leonora in Donizetti’s most impassioned opera, ‘La Favorita.’ Campanini was the Fernando; Del Puente, King Alphonso, and Nannetti, Balthassar. The music of Leonora gives an opportunity for the best part of Lucca’s voice, and affords her many opportunities to display the grand qualities of such a wondrous organ. In the first scene between Leonora and Fernando the passionate love of the King’s favorite for the young novice, who has fled from his monastery for her sake, is expressed in glowing musical terms, and Lucca, last evening, seemed to pour forth all the wealth of her glorious voice in this scene in the opening, Ah! mio bene’ and the succeeding ‘Deh! vanne.’ In the duet with the King, ‘In questo suoi’ and ‘Ah! l’alto ardor,’ the intensity of expression and breadth of tone become more marked; but in the delivery of the melodic gem of the opera, ‘O mio Fernando,’ the voice of the prima donna was electrical in effect. Nothing could be more beautiful than the tearful appeal of Leonora to her lover in the last act for forgiveness and the rapturous ‘E fia ver,’ when she is pardoned by him. Campanini, although his voice at times betrayed symptoms of the terrible strain which it has been subjected to for the last fortnight, sung the glowing music of the lover with such expression and passion that he shared with the prima donna the honors of a recall at the close of each act. Especially beautiful was his rendering of the aria ‘Spirito gentil,’ in which his intelligent phrasing and ease of delivery testified to the excellence of his vocal method. In his defiance of the King, the scene which Mario once made memorable, the sword of the tenor was flung into the orchestra—a rather exuberant proceeding. Del Puente made the rôle of the King one of the most attractive features of the occasion, and the fine aria, ‘Viene, Leonora,’ received full justice at his hands. Equally satisfactory was the Balthassar of Nannetti, who is in many respects the best basso we have had here since the days of Amodio. The chorus was not up to the usual standard which one generally expects from this important department of the opera this season, and there were perceptible signs of negligence and want of unanimity incompatible with Signor Muzio’s usual carefulness. The orchestra labored under the same disadvantages, although to a more limited extent. One of the trombones needs a word or two of warning from the director for want of promptness in obeying the baton. This was felt particularly in the accompaniment of Balthassar’s solemn adjuration at the close of the second act.”

“The long series of admirable performances we have enjoyed at the Academy of Music, this season, has made regular opera-goers rather fastidious. Therefore it is that a representation of ‘La Favorita,’ which would have gone far toward satisfying us, a twelvemonth ago, is now scarcely to be dealt with in the enthusiastic spirit resulting from a recital of ‘Gli Ugonotti’ or ‘Lohengrin.’ Compared with the well-nigh faultless entertainments to be attended when these sterling works grace the bills, Wednesday’s, though it possesses some features of unquestionable excellence and impressiveness, was pretty uneven. ‘La Favorita,’ of course, suffers by parallel with compositions of such acknowledged symmetry as those mentioned above, for, with the exception of the magnificent fourth act, the opera is but a mosaic of delicious melodies and trivial passages. Then, on the occasion we refer to, the prima donna lost, in our judgment, by the contrast which one could not help establishing between Leonora and the artist who has so steadily, and to general acceptance, appeared at the Academy this year. Mme. Lucca we hold to be a woman of genius, and Mme. Nilsson, a woman of talent, but Mme. Lucca’s genius is not sufficiently great to allow her to set at defiance all the rules of her art, and we do not think that the magic of a beautiful voice or the dramatic force of a few incidents will outweigh in the balance achievements, less spontaneous, perhaps, but far more shapely, varied and elaborate. Mme. Lucca, who was the object of a most cordial reception from a very large audience, sometimes incited it to applause as hearty as has ever been bestowed, but, in the main, did not produce the equable pleasure usually derived from Mme. Nilsson’s efforts. It was impossible to resist the volume of tone that rolled forth at the close of ‘O mio Fernando,’ although the long trill, perfect as it was, was not exactly appropriate; nor could one listen unmoved to Mme. Lucca’s passionate utterances in the duet, during which, as during the whole act, her face reflected the emotions of the character, with the mobility and eloquence of a tragedienne. On the other hand, the least critical spectator could not overlook the constant recourse to a portamento method of attacking the notes, which gives a sluggish air to her singing, nor can any excuse be offered for the utter disregard of rhythm, which, in the duet, divested the theme of its form, and changed a tuneful outburst into a succession of highly dramatic but unmelodious phrases. Signor Campanini’s personation of Fernando, albeit the tenor was rather hoarse, bore the stamp of more reverence for Donizetti and for the laws of song. Signor Campanini’s labors have invariably been characterized by study and thought, and his smallest bit of recitative repays attention. It was evident, Wednesday, that the performer’s condition commanded considerable reserve, but the elegance of his phrasing and the earnestness of his acting were apparent throughout. His first duet with Mme. Lucca was shaded in the nicest manner, and his scene with Alphonso, when he frees himself from the honors thick upon him, was carried forward to a striking climax. In the fourth act, Signor Campanini found himself, luckily, in better shape than at any previous stage of the representation, and his delivery of ‘Spirito gentil’—a delivery pervaded by the pure and touching sadness the charm of which exaggeration of time and accent can but impair—elicited an unanimous demonstration of approval. Fernando’s after-transactions with Leonora were quite as telling, and, in brief, the fourth act proved the best of the recital in point of rendering. Both Signor Campanini and Mme. Lucca were summoned before the curtain at the end of every act, floral tributes being exceptionally plenty. Signor Del Puente portrayed Alphonso with dignity, and the rich quality of his voice added to the spell of ‘Vien, Leonora,’ and ‘A tanto amor,’ while in the delicious ensemble of the duet with Leonora his tones blended finely with those of Mme. Lucca. Baldassare fell to Signor Nannetti, who did particularly well in the fourth act. The chorus was not up to its habitual plane.”