Maretzek Italian Opera: Faust

The continuing success of the first five performances of the season shows how established Maretzek’s company is.  He wants to continue offering performances on a daily basis.  Brignoli, who will debut next week, will make possible to extend the repertory, which until now has been difficult to do with only one tenor. 

“To-night Gounod’s most popular opera, Faust, will be sung to an immense audience, as almost every seat in the house was engaged yesterday. The Arion Society assist in the soldiers’ grand chorus. This will render the performance all the more brilliant.”

“In consequence of the Arion ball on Thursday evening, there will be no performance at the Academy on Wednesday. It takes place to-night instead. Gounod’s opera of ‘Faust’ will be given.”

“Italian Opera.

Faust is decidedly the operatic sensation of the season.  Immense and most fashionable audiences crowd the Academy of Music at each representation of this most popular work. Last evening there were ladies standing around the balcony, all the seats in the house being taken. Chairs and camp stools were put into use and still hundreds were forced to stand, that they should have continued to do so throughout the whole of the performance is the best proof that it was most attractive. [Announces performances for the remainder of the week.]

We have so recently noticed the performance of Faust that we need do no more than say that last evening the performance passed off with even more than usual eclat. Miss Kellogg, Mazzoleni, Biachi and Bellini sang and acted admirably, the mise en scene and choruses were splendid and the instrumental music was all that could be desired. The Arion Society assisted in the grand Soldiers’ Chorus and roused the audience in enthusiastic applause.”

Very brief mention. “The Opera House showed a brilliant display of fashion at the ‘Faust’ performance last night. The opera is announced for repetition on Friday, and will then, says the manager, be withdrawn; though why this should be done, when it attracts such unusually large paying audiences, is one of the sealed mysteries of operatic management.”
 

“Academy of Music.—The peculiarities of Gounod’s music have become so familiar to the artists who sing various rôles in ‘Faust,’ that that opera is now presented in a manner that leaves little to be desired, and is infinitely more clear and direct than on the first night. This is especially the case in the part of the hero himself. It required several performances to accustom Signor Mazzoleni to the vagueness of some of the melodic forms, and to the mysticism that hangs so suggestively about the music of the opening scene. He has now made himself at home in the rôle, and it gains new strength not merely from thoroughness of study, but from intelligence of interpretation. Signor Biachi, as Mephistopheles, has also vastly improved. The rondo in the second act is full of diabolical enthusiasm. It is sung with superb effect by this young and excellent artist. If the serenade came in any other part of the opera than the fourth act, it would certainly be encored. It is one of the best executed and quaintest numbers in the opera. Signor Bellini, we need scarcely say, has been a very valuable addition to the cast. The death of Valentine is a fine dramatic sketch, with musical touches of high emotional import. It requires a first-class artist to do full justice to it. The ladies in the opera saved it on the first night, and we need only say that Miss Kellogg is still supreme as Marguerite, Miss Sulzer is good as Siebel and Miss Stockton acceptable as Martha. The performance last night was witnessed by an audience that occupied every nook and corner of the house.”

Part of review of multiple performances. “The Academy of Music has enjoyed an excellent succession of houses during the past week. [Norma was performed and is a “very superior opera.”] The other two operas being destitute of genius—Faust, and The Last Days of Pompeii,—the singers have uphill work to excite applause…in the former opera (Faust) they got no applause worth noting, so exceedingly feeble are the melodies or the attempts at melodies vouchsafed to the leading artists.”