Strakosch Italian Opera: Rigoletto

Brief. “Fräulein Albani sings ‘Gilda,’ which she counts among her best roles.”

“Mlle. Albani’s Gilda must rank as one of the most delightful personations of the season. We miss, it is true, in this young lady certain qualities of force which made the acting of her two immediate predecessors so striking, but she has gifts of her own which the greatest prima donna on the stage might envy. The sweet young voice, the faultless intonation, the perfect neatness, polish, and simplicity of style, the freshness of manner and the winning face, combine to make her one of the charming singers of our time. Last night she was even more engaging than usual. We doubt whether the ‘Caro nome’ has ever been better sung on the boards of the Academy. She made of it not merely a brilliant display of vocalism, but an expression of considerable feeling. In the duet with the tenor in the same scene she was also exquisitely fine, and Sig. Carpi on his part greatly surpassed the average of his achievements, singing with full, clear voice, with fire, and with taste. Sig. Tagliapietra assumed the rôle of the Jester. He acts the part much better than Sig. Del Puente, and he has naturally a noble high baritone voice, but he has a great deal to learn before he will be qualified to fill a part like Rigoletto on a stage like ours. His intonations are extremely faulty, and his style is the very crudest possible.”

“’Rigoletto’ was given for the second time this season at the Academy of Music last evening. The novel incident of the performance was Signor Tagliapietra’s personation of Rigoletto. Vocally it was a very impressive effort, and, from a histrionic standpoint—though its eloquence would have been heightened by a touch of what the Italians call furia francese—it was both intelligent and forcible. As we have already had occasion to remark, Signor Tagliapietra possesses a magnificent high-baritone voice, clear, round, and powerful, and yesterday he had but little exertion to put forth to make the dramatic phrases allotted to the jester uncommonly effective. In the third act his work was most telling, and a call before the curtain followed the duet in which Rigoletto swears to be avenged upon his daughter’s ravisher. As heretofore, Mlle. Albani personated Gilda, and charmed the audience by the beauty of her tones and the chastity and elegance of her method. Signor Carpi’s voice was not in quite as good condition as usual, but the duo in the second act went exceedingly well notwithstanding. The ever-welcome quartet had to be repeated.”

“’Rigoletto’ was given in the Academy last evening before a very large audience. The cast differed from that with which it was before performed only in the substitution of Tagliapietra in the character of the jester in place of Del Puente. The change can hardly be considered in all respects again, although Signor Tagliapietra gave a dramatic, broad and fervent rendering of the character. His voice is weak and ineffective in the lower notes, but some of the higher ones are exceedingly fine and effective. Few singers have ever declaimed recitative with a broader style or a finer enunciation. Altogether the impression that he produced was a very favorable one.

Mlle. Albani gave an equally charming impersonation of the heroine as that in which she won such universal esteem a fortnight since. Her bright, pure voice and facile execution made the ‘Caro Nome’ the effective point of the second act, and in the fourth she sang the splendid tragic music of the quartet with firmness, intelligence, and dramatic force.”

“Verdi’s celebrated opera ‘Rigoletto’ was given for the second time this season at the Academy of Music last night, on which occasion Mlle. Albani appeared as Gilda, Signor Carpi as Il Duca di Mantua, and Signor Tagliapietra as Rigoletto. There was a remarkably good attendance. Mlle. Albani’s voice was in excellent condition, notwithstanding the sudden change of temperature yesterday, and she sang in the most satisfactory manner each successive phrase as it fell to her share. The exquisite character of the tones of her voice is immediately recognized. Their purity and sweetness is such that they are of themselves a source of great pleasure, wholly independent of the melodies which they are the means of producing. Mlle. Albani sang the celebrated air ‘Caro nome’ with great skill, and displayed her voice and singing to such advantage that she made a marked impression on the audience. The utmost silence and stillness prevailed during its delivery, as though each one was anxious to mark every inflexion of the clearly-enunciated text, every musical tone, so carefully moulded with reference to it—in short, her thoroughly artistic realization of the scena.

Signor Carpi sang the ‘Questa o quella’ a trifle too heavily to bring out the melody as intended. His serious and impressive style is unsuited to the character of this ballata. The ‘La Donna Mobile,’ which should also be sung with considerable life and animation—in a careless, happy, light and apparently thoughtless, unreflecting manner—was also too slowly delivered, especially on its repetition towards the close of the opera. But Signor Carpi may be forgiven for this and other little shortcomings of a similar nature. He sang the ‘E’ il sol dell’anima’ extremely well; and elsewhere throughout the opera exhibited his strong lustrous voice to the evident pleasure of all present.

Signor Tagliapietra appeared for the first time as Rigoletto and made a good impression. His acting especially was admired. Being the possessor of a noble, sonorous baritone voice of very considerable power, which is under absolute control, he delivers slow, forcible passages with energy, and light, florid ones with facility. He rose to high G in the ‘Deh non parla’ and in the ‘Cortigiani,’ and to G flat at the close of the aria, and sustained the voice at this elevation with ease, augmented the power of the tone, and gradually increased its brilliancy and force til a note of great splendor was formed. At the words ‘Oh, Damnazione!’ however, the change of key was unperceived and the notes produced were utterly at variance with the chord of E major played by the orchestra. The intonation was faulty in the ‘Deh non parlare’ and subsequent duet; and also at the words ‘Piangi, piangi’ in the third act.

In the duet ‘Veglia o donna,’ the pitch was again flattened greatly in the third and fourth bars, while the major third of the harmony was being sustained, and throughout the movement the variations became at times rather painful to sensitive auditors, who sympathized with Mlle. Albani under the trying circumstances; but fortunately the duet was curtained and thus all were speedily delivered from a kind of refined torture, which is difficult to analyze.

The favorite quartet, ‘Un di, so ben rammentoni’ was redemanded.”

“Mlle. Albani appeared for the second time this season last night as Gilda at the Academy of Music in Verdi’s magnificent opera, with Cary as Maddelena, Carpi as the Duke and Tagliapietra (first time) as the Jester. The entire performance had so many good points, as far as the four principal artists were concerned and also in regard to chorus and orchestra, both departments being admirably handled by Signor Muzio, that it may be placed among the most successful of the present season. The prima donna earned all the applause she gained last night in the rôle of the unhappy daughter of the motley clad fool of the Court of Mantua. The duet with the baritone in the second act, commencing with, ‘Oh! quanto affetto,’ and the following scene with the tenor ending with the thrilling ‘Addio! addio, speranza edanima,’ two morceaux so opposite in expression and sentiment, were delivered by the young cantatrice with wonderful effect. In this act she gained her chief triumph. The taking aria, ‘Caro nome,’ one of the happiest thoughts of the composer, was sung by Mlle. Albani with a finish, sympathetic expression and passion that alone would have proved her right to be called one of the great operatic artists of the present day. A velvety voice, complete ease in phrasing, intelligence in delineating the various phases of the character, intense dramatic talent, naturally expressed, and a certain degree of that attribute of genius called magnetism, gave effect to the Gilda of Mlle. Albani. Miss Cary had not much to do in the last act, but that little she did well. Carpi was in good voice and did justice to the music of the Duke, but his apathetic manner and cold impersonation of the rôle of the aristocratic roué detracted considerably from the charm of his voice. Tagliapietra proved himself as the best representative of the title rôle we have had in this city for a long time. His acting of the part was full of fire and emotional power, and his singing was very acceptable, excepting only the disagreeable metallic tones that at times marred his efforts. The voice has many decided tenor notes, and only in the lower register is it coarse and hard. The quartet in the last act, one of the happiest conceptions ever brought on the operatic stage, was given with admirable effect. When the tenor commenced the love song, ‘Bellá Figlia,’ followed by the designing sister of the hired bravo, in the laughing ‘Quanto volga il vostro gioco, mei credete so apprezzar,’ and when the poor, lost Gilda wailed forth, ‘A cosi parlar d’amore,’ and her vengeful father muttered, ‘Taci, il piangere non vale,’ the four voices seemed to be filled with the different passions which they were supposed to represent, a heartless libertine, an accomplished coquette, a lost girl and an infuriate father for the dramatis personae in this wondrous quartet. An encore greeted the singing of it last night. The beautiful chorus of the second act, ‘Zitti, zitti,’ was given with rare expression. The title rôle, of which the best representative we have ever heard was Ronconi, who some twenty years ago was unequalled, although he seldom if ever sang in tune, yet on account of his extraordinary dramatic powers in the rôle eclipsed all others, makes considerable demands on the baritone. Signor Tagliapietra should be encouraged by his success last night to avoid the metallic method of producing the voice that at times robbed it of its best effects. He is a true artist, and is gifted with very many natural gifts, which, however, must be used with judgment.”