Maretzek Italian Opera: Faust

“Card.—Miss Kellogg not [illeg.] being able to sing, as will be seen from the annexed statement of her physician, MME. FREDERICI-HIMMER has, in the kindest manner, consented to appear in the part of Margherita at today’s Matinee.

To Max Maretzek, Esq.—

            Sir.—Miss Kellogg is recovering from her influenza, but it will not be safe for her to sing before Tuesday of next week.       J. F. GRAY, M. D.

New York, Friday, March 4, 1864.”

“The rôle of Margherita will be sustained by Mlle. Frederici, formerly of the German opera. This change in the caste [sic] is rendered necessary by the continued indisposition of Miss Kellogg.”

Cast.

Includes a short note from Maretzek noting Miss Kellogg’s illness.

Very brief mention. “[Faust] was sung at the Saturday matinee to the largest audience of the season, with the German singer Frederici as Marguerite.”
 

“The ‘Faust’ Matinée on Saturday was an extraordinary success, and will help materially to cover the losses of some of the preceding evenings. Long before the time of opening the doors they were besieged by a dense crowd of ladies. When the opera commenced the house was filled, upstairs and down, to its greatest capacity. Many hundred fair ones had to turn from the scene of their anticipated pleasure and decline on inferior entertainments. Not even during the Piccolomini furore was there such an excitement. The performance was in all respects admirable. There was one change in the cast, necessitated by the continued indisposition of Miss Kellogg. Owing to this cause the rôle of Margherita had to be entrusted to Mlle. Frederici-Himmer, who sang it in German, and was quite successful. The music belongs properly to the mezzo-soprano voice, and is therefore easily within the range of the German prima donna’s powers. When Mr. Anschutz’s company gave ‘Faust’ we spoke favorably of Mlle. Frederici-Himmer’s impersonation of the heroine. It did not suffer by the excellent surroudings of Mr. Maretzek’s company.”

“The matinee held on Saturday—the best attended of the entire season—was mainly interesting, because Mme Friderici-Himmer of the German Opera performed the ‘Gretchen’ in German, which is quite an accomplishment for an Italian singer. Although the strength and range of her voice exceeds Kellogg’s, Mme. Friderici-Himmer does not possess Kellogg’s sensitivity to details and nuances of playing this role. It was, however, a well-deserved success for Mme Friderici-Himmer.”

OPERA ITALIEN.

    “The performance of the day given Saturday at the hall at Irving Place is one of the most beautiful ever seen in that theater. The receipts surpassed the highest figure ever attained there for a matinee. The audience was brilliant beyond description.

    The artists undertook to put themselves at the level of their hearers and Faust was sung admirably. Miss Kellogg, always indisposed, was replaced marvelously by Mme Frederici-Hemmer.”