Di Murska Italian Opera: Linda di Chamounix

“Ilma Di Murska will introduce in the last act, as a rondo finale, the celebrated “Carnival of Venice,” with variations, and arranged by Julius Benedict.”

“‘Linda di Chamounix’ has not been very often sung of late years, and its production last evening, with Mme. Ilma di Murska as a heroine, was a fortunate stroke of management. It abounds in graceful melodies; it presents several excellent dramatic situations; and the soprano part so far overshadows all the rest that the deficiencies of the prima donna’s supporters can be almost forgiven, though it is unfortunately impossible to put them wholly out of sight. As for Mme. di Murska herself we do not know that we need add much to what we have already said. One part is essentially the same to her as another. Linda, Amina, Lucia are very much alike in general character, though the dazzling ornamentation with which she decks the ‘Ah! non giunge’ differs in pattern from the sparkling jewels which she strings upon the ‘A consolarmi affrettati.’ This perpetual change, this inexhaustible variety in vocal embellishments, can hardly be too warmly praised. It saves her personations from the reproach of sameness. It makes them always fresh and delightful, despite the close similarity in their general style of treatment, and their total lack of dramatic color. Last night she introduced a new surprise at almost every scene, and her singing was if anything more amazing and brilliant than on Monday. The Pierotto was Madame Testa, and the principal male parts were filled by those three graces of the lyric stage, Verati, Mari, and Reyna.”

“Donizetti’s ‘Linda di Chamounix,’ which has not been sung in this City for a good many years, was represented at the Academy of Music last evening. There is some pretty music in ‘Linda,’ but we cannot say that as a whole the score or the libretto are of great interest. Only two incidents of the entertainment really impressed us, these occurring respectively at the outset and at the close of the opera; in the first act Mme. Di Murska sang ‘O luce di quest anima,’ and, in the last, she recited Benedict’s variations on ‘Le Carnaval.’ Mme. Di Murska interpreted with extreme brilliancy and precision ‘O luce,’ the prefatory andante being rendered with due sentiment; and in ‘Le Carnaval,’ the perfect ease and surety with which she made light of difficulties a bravura songstress of ordinary attainments would shrink from, elicited loud applause, and three calls before the curtain. Mme. Di Murska’s performance of Linda, we have to add, was thoughtful and refined. Signor Verati, to whose too emphatic delivery we must take exception, was nevertheless a respectable representative of Carlo, Signor Mari was Antonio, and Mme. Testa Pierotto.”

“The second night of the Di Murska season of opera at the Academy of Music was signalized by the production of Donizetti’s light, sparkling opera, ‘Linda,’ which, since its first representation at Vienna, over thirty years ago, has had some of the brightest stars of the lyric stage in the title rôle. Miss Kellogg has been the immediate prececessor of Mlle. Di Murska in the rôle of Linda at the Academy. The opera has of late years fallen into semi-oblivion, owing to its very lightness and want of those grand dramatic effects that characterize some of the other works of the same composer. The brilliant cavatina ‘O luce di quest, anima’ was delivered with that limpidity of tone, delicacy and completeness in execution and ease and elegance of style that set it forth in a brighter form than ever it received on the Academy boards before. The contrast of tone between Di Murska’s beautiful voice and those of the other artists in the cast robbed the duets in which she took part of a good deal of the expected effect; but when she had the stage to herself, as in the mad scene at the finale of the second act, as Pirotto played only the part of a spectator in this scene, Mlle. Di Murska’s exceptionally brilliant voice enchained the attention and interest of every hearer. But in the last scene of the opera, when she introduced the ‘Carnaval of Venice,’ with introductory theme, written especially for Jenny Lind by Sir Julius Benedict, the effect of her truly marvelous vocalization was electrical, and the audience called her before the curtain half a dozen times. There were trills which sparkled like diamonds, chromatic scales, arpeggio and staccato passages of the same delicacy and beauty and artistic finish as if they emanated from the violin of M. Wieniawski. Indeed, if they were written for the violin they could only be successfully executed by such a virtuoso. And although Mlle. Di Murska is such a phenomenal vocalist that she carries, as it were, with her by storm the coldest audience, yet her true artistic method, her keen appreciation of the necessities of a rôle and her fulfillment of every artistic demand inspires an equal degree of admiration. Of the other members of the company who appeared, it is only necessary to say that the tenor, Verati, was better than on Monday evening; the contralto, Mme. Testa, displayed the vibrato in her voice to a disagreeable extent, and the barytones, Mari and Reina, united in a duet in the first act, which would have been heard above the din of a peace jubilee or a Wagner opera. The orchestra was sadly out of trim, and the violins played sad pranks.”