Grover German Opera: Faust

Event Information

Venue(s):
Academy of Music

Manager / Director:
Leonard Grover

Conductor(s):
Carl Anschütz

Price: $1 parquet and dress circle; $1.50 reserved seats; .50 family circle; .25 amphitheatre; $2 secured boxes

Event Type:
Band, Choral, Opera

Record Information

Status:
Published

Last Updated:
2 June 2016

Performance Date(s) and Time(s)

15 Sep 1864, Evening

Program Details

Himmer remained ill and was replaced by Tamaro, who sang in Italian.

German/American Crossover.

Performers and/or Works Performed

1)
Participants:  Teutonia Männerchor;  Grover German Opera Company;  Mentz’s Military Band ;  Bertha Johannsen (role: Siebel);  Anton Graf (role: Wagner);  Giuseppe Tamaro (role: Faust);  Marie Frederici (role: Marguerite);  Heinrich Steinecke (role: Valentin);  Theodore Habelmann;  Joseph Hermanns (role: Mephistopheles)

Citations

1)
Advertisement: New York Herald, 13 September 1864.

2)
Announcement: New York Herald, 15 September 1864.

3)
Advertisement: New-York Times, 15 September 1864, 7.

4)
Announcement: New-York Daily Tribune, 15 September 1864, 4.

5)
Advertisement: New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung und Herold, 15 September 1864.

6)
Review: New York Herald, 16 September 1864.
“Musical. THE GERMAN OPERA. Thursday is an off night for opera, and last evening there were many other attractions to divide the patronage of our citizens; still Faust asserted its supremacy, as usual, and the Academy of Music was filled by a very large and fashionable audience. Manager Grover is certainly succeeding in rendering German Opera fashionable, in attracting to it audiences which are not alone German; and deserves credit for his enterprise in this respect. We have never before noticed in terms of praise the fine mise en scene, the powerful choruses and orchestra of this opera troupe, and will simply add here that we consider the success of this enterprise accomplished, and congratulate our great Western cities on having before them the promise of an entertainment worthy of patronage. M. Carl Anschutz is so well known as a most efficient conductor of opera that we need do no more here than compliment him on the performances which have been given and conclude that the remainder of the season will be as brilliant.
Signor Tamaro was the Faust last evening, as Hisvener [
sic] is still indisposed.  This artist has a most pleasing voice, which he manages with skill. He was much applauded, and deservedly so. Mme. Frederica [sic] (Marguerite) sang with much more spirit than on the first performance of this opera.  She was not, as on that occasion, laboring under the natural nervousness of a first night of the season, and as a result was much more successful.  In the third act she received the warmest applause.  Hermann (Mephistopheles), as we have before noticed, sings and acts the role in a masterly manner. He shared the applause, which the pleased audience liberally bestowed upon the artists.
The choruses were all well sung, the grand ‘Soldier Chorus’ being especially well rendered.  As usual, this received a determined call for an encore.  In fact, the whole performance was a success, so much so as to warrant Manager Grover in considering this his great card of the season.”
7)
Review: New York Post, 16 September 1864.
“AMUSEMENTS. The Academy of Music was almost as crowded last night as at the [first] recent successful representation of ‘Faust’ in this city and in Brooklyn. In consequence of the continued indisposition of Himmer, Tamaro as Faust sang the tenor rôle in Italian, and Madame Johannsen, as Siebel, both sang and acted with exquisite taste and feeling.  She was more than once encored, as was Hermans [sic], whose representation of Mephistopheles was characterized by less of harshness and more of histrionic power than usual.  The Soldiers’ Chorus was given with spirit, and was vehemently encored.  The German opera this season may now be fairly regarded as a gratifying success.”