Kellogg English Opera: Lucia di Lammermoor

Includes names of company members.

“Miss Kellogg introduced her English opera company last night to the New-York public under favorable circumstances. She had a large and friendly audience, and hundreds of admirers gave her a cordial welcome on her appearance before them for the first time in the character of a manager. The evidences of her success in the arduous task she has taken upon herself must be gratifying to all true lovers of musical art, not only for the good will which they bear the Lady herself, but for the influence which this venture of hers must have upon the future of the English lyric stage. Opera in the vernacular has never been freely accepted either in this country or in England. It has been welcomed now and then with more or less heartiness—not as an honored guest, but rather as a poor relation, who must be fed, and entertained, and patronized in a lofty sort of way, for the sake of the family. Mr. Carl Rosa began a reform in this style of treating it, and is now doing the same thing in England which he accomplished a few years ago in the United States.

Miss Kellogg takes up the good work where he left it; and if she succeed[s] in reconciling the public to the use of their own language, and teaching them to relish the unappreciated beauties of English music, she may open a magnificent field for the exercise of American talent, which just now has no adequate opportunities. The schools of Italy and the concert halls of America are half filled with young American singers who can never take a foremost position on the Italian stage, but are well fitted for the most brilliant triumphs in the lighter operas written for their mother tongue—only it is unfortunately not fashionable either to sing them or to like them. If an artist of established fame and position, like Miss Kellogg, can give these works the standing to which they are entitled, we may soon raise up in our country a national school of opera as distinct and as charming as that of France.

To do this good judgment must be shown in the selection of pieces. We do not mean that the manager should be confined to the scanty repertory of the genuine English stage. We would not have Balfe and Wallace every night. But nothing is gained—on the contrary, much is lost—by turning into English such typical and hackneyed Italian operas as ‘Lucia,’ every strain of which is inseparably associated in our minds with the chief efforts of the greatest Italian singers, and every scene regulated by the traditions of the Italian school. Miss Kellogg may be excused, however, for choosing on her first appearance an opera which displays so finely her own powers. Of course she suggested contrasts and comparisons every moment, but she had no reason to fear them. The beauty of a voice now in its full maturity, the elegance of a method almost irreproachable, correct taste, dramatic instincts, and a personal presence never more charming than it is to-day—all combined to make her Lucia one of the most fascinating which New-York has witnessed. The Mad Scene was like a triumph of vocalism and a noble exhibition of dramatic power, and the Sestette, which had to be repeated, owed almost everything to her.

The general effect of the performance was good, and if we are not misinformed the smoothness and accuracy of the representation are due in a great measure to the personal superintendence of Miss Kellogg herself. There is a fair orchestra of thirty pieces, directed by Mr. Frank A. Howson, and a better chorus than we generally have with the Italian company. The artists whom Miss Kellogg has brought together include some excellent and well-known singers like Mrs. Van Zandt and Mrs. Seguin, and some new ones from London of whom we hear favorable accounts. The only one who appeared last night was the baritone, Mr. William Carlton. He has a pleasant and musical voice, and his style is unaffected, but he lacks force. The Edgar was Mr. Habelmann, who does not improve as he grows older, and the Raymond was Mr. Gustavus Hall.”

“The season of English opera at the Academy was entered upon auspiciously last evening. We say it was entered upon auspiciously, for the performance was one which evidently afforded great pleasure, and the audience was very large. The gratification supplied by the entertainment was quite justifiable. The spectators had not gathered in the expectation that their recollections of Italian opera would be effaced by the new-comers, and when their hopes of a conscientious rendering of ‘Lucy of Lammermoor’ were fulfilled, they were satisfied. Comparisons, it has been said, are odious, but they are the soul of criticism, notwithstanding. This admitted, we are constrained to say that the interpretation of Donizetti’s work would scarcely bear criticism. In our judgment we have lately had amid us, in Mme. Nilsson, the greatest of Lucias, and only a few weeks ago, Mme. Di Murska sang the music of the part with a brilliancy no one can hope to surpass. We have listened, too, to several capital Edgardos, Signor Campanini and Signor Tamberlick having assumed the rôle, and under Signor Muzio’s bâton we have enjoyed an excellent orchestral reading of the score. To apply these standards to yesterday’s rehearsal would be fatal. But as the patrons of English opera are not those of Italian opera, we hardly think the parallel is required. Vocally there was much to admire in last night’s representation. Miss Kellogg’s voice is as fine as ever, her method as good, and her singing as correct. To sing in tune, to phrase intelligently, to shade nicely, to trill to perfection, and to execute runs with clear definition and reasonable fluency, ought to be negative qualities, but they are not generally possessed, and as Miss Kellogg has them she is to be credited accordingly. In English as in Italian opera, she is to be reproached with a faulty enunciation of words, which, as a rule, keeps the listener in ignorance of the language she uses; and her acting, while it has gained in ease, has certainly not improved in variety of accent. Miss Kellogg, last evening, delivered honestly the notes of Lucy, and, as a songstress, won considerable applause. The air and cabaletta in the first act, and the ‘mad scene’ in the last awaking most enthusiasm, and the latter number resulting in the artist’s recall. Mr. Habelmann was the Edgar, and he, also, in spite of a strong German accent, enjoyed the favor of the assemblage throughout. Mr. Habelmann’s tones are rather worn, but the tenor employs them with skill and taste, and though he might advantageously be blessed with increased animation, both experience and talent as a comedian are discernable in his exertions. Henry Ashton was personated by Mr. Wm. Carleton, the new baritone of the company; Mr. Carleton was ill yeaterday, and, as a consequence, no estimate of his worth could be arrived at. Norman was allotted to Mr. Hall, and Arthur--or rather Arturo—to an Italian comprimario, who gravely sang his lines in the language of Dante, and appered to make himself quite intelligible malgré his unforeseen nationality. We have to add to the foregoing review that the chorus and orchestra were remarkably proficient, and contributed vastly by their strength and unity to the interest of the performance. The sextet was done twice.”

“The problem as to whether English Opera can be made popular and permanent with us is constantly renewing itself in one form or another, and it meets with very contradictory answers at various times. Madame Parepa-Rosa and her husband demonstrated that it could be made to pay and to pay liberally. They have carried their experiment into England, taking with them some of the best English opera singers that we had, and there, too, they have met with a large measure of success. The latest venture of the kind is that of which Miss Kellogg is the inspiration and main support, and which commenced a short season at the Academy last evening with ‘Lucia di Lammermoor.’

The performance was witnessed by a large audience. The parquet, dress circle, and upper tier were very full; the boxes much less so. This only indicates what has been sufficiently demonstrated before, that English opera will always owe its chief support to the public at large and not to the fashionable classes, and furthermore that those who attend its performances go for the sake of the music and not for the sake of appearances. It will hardly be questioned by anyone that opera finds its best expression in Italian, which is, one might say, its native tongue. Translations into English are at the best only poor makeshifts, even where they are rendered by so apt a scholar and musician as Mr. J. Wrey Mould, whose version, with some alterations for the better, was used last evening. The recitatives are almost always ludicrous. The necessities of good English opera are that the person who writes the libretto shall be as good a poet as the composer is a musician.

Mendelssohn waited all his life for some one who would furnish him with a good libretto, and died without finding him. So English opera contends against translations which burlesque it even when they are well done. It is bad enough to have to sing ‘Io gelo ed ardo! Io manco,’ but much worse ‘My blood turned to ice seems. All’s over.’ There will always be this stumbling block of absurdities in the way of translated English opera, and it is hardly offset by any advantage to be derived from hearing the performance in one’s native tongue. That is more a matter of faith than of experience; for it is quite impossible for even the most careful listener to catch more than a word now and then of what is being sung, much less to follow the plot without a libretto.

But still we are destined in the future to have English opera here beyond a doubt. Have we not fifty or more Americans studying vocal music at Milan at this moment? They certainly cannot all sing on the Italian stage, and what will they do if there is to be no English opera? The present experiment is being made under very good auspices. Miss Kellogg is the best singer that we have so far had in this department of art—far better than Madame Parepa, both as a vocalist and as an actress. She has an exceedingly good company. It is throughout somewhat light in calibre, but composed of carefully trained, correct, and pleasing singers. A noticeable feature of last evening’s performance was that there was little or no singing out of tune—a thing that often cannot be said of performances of Italian companies.

The principal characters were well presented. Miss Kellogg herself gave a fine interpretation of the character of Lucia—admirable from the musical point of view, and spirited in action. The mad scene was especially well given, and the elaborate cadenza, with flute obbligato, sung with that exquisite finish of vocalization and brilliancy of which this lady is so consummate a mistress.

Herr Habelmann, the popular German tenor, made his first essay in English opera on this occasion, and brought to it that sweetness of voice and excellence of method that have gained him his good reputation.

Mr. William Carlton, the baritone, is a careful and conscientious singer, lacking freedom and grace of action and weight of voice adequate to the part.

The chorus was the same polyglot body that always appears at the Academy. They sing with equal ease and equal indifference in English, French, German, or Italian, and if it were a question of singing in Icelandic they would undoubtedly do it on a notice of twenty-four hours. On the whole we can speak with cordial praise of the company.”

“Considering the disagreeable state of the weather last evening, the opening of the English opera season may be regarded as a success as far as the audience is concerned. The Academy of Music was fairly filled, the only blanks being in the box circle. The opera selected was ‘Lucia,’ a work which, since its first production at Naples, forty years ago, under Donizetti’s own direction, has held a prominent position in popularity everywhere on the Italian stage. Regarding its adaptability for the English répertoire we cannot speak in commendatory terms. The florid character of the music needs the smooth, elastic tones of the Tuscan tongue to give it its due meed of brilliancy and expression. ‘The Bohemian Girl’ loses much in an Italian form, as would Tannhäuser presented in any language but German. So with ‘Lucia’ in English. The cast last evening was distributed as follows [lists cast].

Miss Kellogg’s voice has gained considerably in volume of tone and breadth of expression since her last appearance in this city in Italian opera. The instrumental prelude to her first recitative and cavatina (one of Donizetti’s most characteristic morceaux) was entrusted to the clarionet on this occasion, instead of the harp, and was very well rendered, notwithstanding the unsuitableness of the change. The opening air, ‘Silence o’er all was reigning’ (Regnava nel silencio), was delivered with an intelligence and effect that it rarely receives, Miss Kellogg introducing a very brilliant and trying cadenza at the end, the execution of which was faultless. Her rendering of the florid cabaletta showed flexibility of voice and intelligibility of phrasing. The same qualities appeared in the succeeding duet with the tenor. In the scene with Ashton, in the second act, in which the brother convinces Lucia of the faithlessness of her lover, Miss Kellogg’s voice was equally true to art, but we missed the great dramatic qualities of passion and despair which such a scene would naturally call for. It might have been that the prima donna reserved her powers for the bridal scene and the grand sextet, with its accompanying tableau of mental agony and unhappy love. In this scene she was equal to the situation, and was called out before the curtain at the close of the act.

In the mad scene, with its exuberance of florid vocalization, Miss Kellogg excelled her previous efforts, and in acting and singing left nothing to be desired. The passages with the flute were given with ease and finish, and the last beautiful air, ‘Shed thou one tear of sorrow’ (Spargi d’amor pianto), with delicacy and expression. The rest of the cast does not call for extended comment. Mr. Habelmann was ill at ease in the earlier part of the opera, although he partly compensated for it in the last two airs. He has an inartistic habit of catching at certain notes as if he designed to take them by storm, and thereby losing the important quality in an opera of this kind of smoothness of delivery and distinctness of phrasing. Perhaps singing in a language foreign to him may account for this. Mr. Carlton was laboring under the serious disadvantage of recent illness and hoarseness, and had much difficulty in carrying his part through without mishap. Mr. Fenich sang the rôle of Arthur in Italian, and exhibited a fine, sonorous tenor voice and a fair school. The chorus and orchestra, although small in number, were evidently well selected and in good training, under the direction of Mr. Howson.”