Maretzek Italian Opera: Faust

“THE ENTIRE ARION SOCIETY have on this occasion kindly offered to sing in the Soldier’s Chorus, thus forming, together with the regular chorus of the company, THE GREATEST CHORAL FORCE that has ever been heard in opera.”

“Faust will be sung to-night at the Academy of Music. Yesterday hundreds in vain applied for seats, all were sold. We deem it little short of madness on the part of Mr. Maretzek to leave New York when he might remain, get two sets of artists and give Faust at least thirty or forty nights to overcrowded houses. The ways of impressari are strange, and Maretzek is the most unfathomable of them all. We doubt whether Boston will manage to get up a Faust excitement to equal the frenzy of New York on the subject. To-morrow Faust will be given at the matinee, and the ladies talk of breakfasting there that they may thus secure seats. They crowded the house last Saturday before noon. To-morrow they will present themselves at dawn.”

“Academy of Music.—‘Faust’ was given here last night to an overwhelming audience. The performance was, in all respects, excellent, and needs but a few words of remark. Biachi being sick, Herr Hermanns took his place. The last-mentioned gentleman will be remembered as a member of Mr. Anschutz’s German company. He appeared with merited success in the ‘Merry Wives of Windsor,’ and in one or two minor parts subsequently rendered. His addition to Mr. Maretzek’s company, last night, was, of course, a matter of necessity, but we think it may hereafter be a matter of choice. Mr. Hermanns has a voice of beautiful quality, not powerful and striking in delivery, but melodious and appreciable to a large degree. As an actor he is immeasurably the best Mephistophiles we have had here. The rondo of the second act, although sung in German, won a deserved encore mainly because it was sung with an incisive satanic spirit that has never before been infused into it. Mr. Hermanns’ acting, indeed, throughout so good that—whatever may be its precise Goethian value—it gave a dramatic significance to a rôle that so far has only been musical in its direct interest. We may add here, as a matter of justice to the gentleman we have named, that he is fully competent to the task of singing the part in Italian, but being called upon at a short notice, he had not time to learn the words.”