English Opera Company: The Rose of Castile

      “The English opera season at the Olympic Theatre is meeting with a success which does not always attend these enterprises. . . . Next Monday evening Balfe’s opera, ‘ The Rose of Castile’—made popular in London by the Pyne and Harrison troupe—will be produced for the first time in this country.””

      “THE ROSE OF CASTILE will be produced for the first time in America, in which the celebrated actor, Mr. W.H. LEAK, will make his first appearance.”

      “[T]he Rose of Castile, a most charming opera—never sung in this country—will be produced.”

      Announces opening night as Monday, July 23.

      “To-morrow night Balfe’s charming opera, The Rose of Castile, will be given for the first time in this country.”

      Cast.  “Last Four Nights of the English Opera.”

      Cast.

      Notice placed under the “TOO LATE FOR CLASSIFCATION” heading on the last page of the paper.  “In consequence of the sudden indisposition of Madame Borchard on the stage last evening, owing to over exertions at the many rehearsals of the new opera of Rose of Castille [sic], and at the same time singing every night, it was deemed necessary to dismiss the audience before the conclusion of the first act.  Those persons having checks are respectfully informed that they will be received for admission this evening, when the opera will be performed.  B.A. BAKER.  Manager of Opera.”

      “The serious indisposition of Mme. Borchard on Wednesday evening brought the performance of Balfe’s charming opera, The Rose of Castile, to a close before the termination of the first act.  The lady was really ill and not shirking, as was ill naturedly asserted by the critic of an evening journal.  Last night the artiste was in excellent voice, and was received by the public with a warmth which proved their sympathy.  Throughout the opera Mme. Comte Borchard sang with great success, and was deservedly applauded.  She was encored in several of her morceaux. . . .

[Plot of the opera]

     We have before said that Mme. Borchard was very successful as the Queen. Miss Louisa Myers, who has much improved of late, acted and sang her role of Confidante of the Queen very nicely.  Mr. Castle, as the Infante, was really very pleasing. He sang with spirit, and was warmly applauded. In the first act, he was especially successful, getting and encore for his musketeer’s song. Mr.Campbell, as Don Pedro, a vile conspirator, was very effective, singing in the second act a baritone aria which was tumultuously applauded. It was noticeable that this artist and Mr. Castle have greatly improved both in singing and acting.

     As given last evening, spite of the drawbacks of a first representation, the Rose of Castile was still eminently attractive.  There are many very pleasing airs in this opera—in fact, the whole of the music is sparkling. That it pleased the large audience which filled the theatre was evinced by their hearty applause. . . .There is some dancing in the opera and several fine choruses. The finale of the first act is very effective—in fact, there are many gems in the opera worthy of a more extended notice than we have space to give.”

      “During the second act . . . ‘La Manola.’”

      “’Rose of Castile’ was produced here on Thursday to a good house and to an audience that was so enthusiastic that the performance did not terminate until a late hour.  It was to have been submitted to the public on Wednesday, and in fact did proceed to an agreeable part of the score on that evening, when the sudden and unmistakable indisposition of Mme. Borchard rendered a postponement absolutely imperative.  The curtain dropped, and Mr. Baker, the stage manager, came forward and announced, with an agony that can be appreciated but not described, that the money would be returned at the door to such unflinching economists as felt disposed to demand it.  The same audience was, to a large extent, present on Thursday evening, and the favorable impression the music had created was widened in the fact that many pieces in the first act, which had passed without a recognition on the first night, were vociferously encored on the second.

     . . . Mme. Borchard, although overtaxed with the somewhat tawdry brilliancies of the rôle, sang like an artist.  Mr. Castle never sang or acted better. The gentlemanhas much to learn, but he learns it quickly, and Don Manuel is decidedly his best effort. The honors of the evening were bestowed upon Mr. Campbell, whenever he an opportunity of displaying his magnificent voice, and properly, for such a voice it is a privilege to hear. Miss Myers was in every respect satisfactory, but we would suggest to this extremely talented young lady that she avoid the foolish habit of to speak in an older tone than that with which nature’s speech has blessed her. . . . The small parts were played by Messrs. W.H. Leak, Walter Birch and J. Clarke, and were unusually well played for small parts.  The female chorus was good; the male chorus execrably bad.  Unfortunately, the two masses are frequently divided in this opera, and the contrast was not only noticeable, but unpleasantly so.  The orchestra . . . was uncomfortable, and in some places absolutely bald.  We cannot believe for a moment that the orchestration is the work of Mr. Balfe.  Careless as that composer is apt to be, he has always a decent regard for the continuity of the scene, and carries it through with a design more or less perfect.  In the present version of his work, much of the orchestration is the merest patchwork.

     There are many excellent numbers in the opera, and nearly the whole of the music is free from common reproach of being made for the music publishers. There is, of course, a series of plaintive encore pieces for the principal singers, without which an English opera would be incomplete. But the majority of the morceaux are dexterously contrived, and display the melodious fertility of an elegant and graceful pen. The finale to the first act is unusually good and fresh, but it did not receive a fair share of justice from the company on Thursday night. Nevertheless, many encores were secured, and the applause left no question of the success of the work. The scenery and dresses were alike creditable, and the ‘Rose of Castile’ will undoubtedly take its place in the repertoire of the company as one of its most attractive works.”

      Long review.  An operatic company singing and sweating in a theatre with the thermometer near ninety is the pursuit of Apollo under difficulties.  So, accordingly, Madame Borchard succumbed by the close of the first act of Rose of Castile, on Wednesday evening, overcome by rehearsal fatigues and the weather; and the audience was invited to go away. . . . On [Thursday] the entertainment was resumed from the commencement, and played spite of the mercury till the end.

     . . . It is called an opera in English parlance—and even ‘a grand opera’ in the bills—but strictly speaking, according to the Italian meaning of the term opera, it is not one, but simply a musical drama, more than half being spoken dialogue.  All departures from the Italian invention and style of opera . . . are essentially barbarous [sic]; nor does English, French, or German custom add to their civilization. In music, they are as abortive as in the arts of design a picture would be one half painted and the other half engraved; or a statue half marble and half ebony; or a temple with half the columns brick and the rest stone. . . .

     The objections to the introduction of speaking into a so-called opera are numerous, but the chief are that the breaks between the singing and speaking are horribly nasty and disagreeable; as no voice, not even the best, can stand such clips and cadences as occur between the sustentations of the singing voice and the gobbling-up of words in the required manner for English consonants and all the world of elision with which our language abounds. Another reason is that vocalists after singing declaim badly, and after declamation are apt to sing badly. Another is that if a singer be gifted with a fine voice and good method and style, and is a stick of an actor, his acting is much overlooked while singing, but not overlooked at all when acting—and hence he subsides from an artist into a bore. Another reason is the dreary rubbish which constitutes about nineteen twentieths of the dialogue of the so-called English opera.

     Rose of Castile is a drama the merit of which lies on Mr. Balfe’s music.  The libretto is good for nothing.  Plot there is none. . . .

     It is a pity that a man of the quickness and resources of Mr. Balfe has to waste them on such words. . . .

     There are several charmingly-written pieces in this work; but the school does not admit of this scope or elaboration of the grand opera, or carry away the auditor with délire of the scene.

     The rehearsals were inadequate.  Some singing was out of tune and some acting astray. We would urge on every singer, that in dialogue music where one has a prolonged statement to make, to stand a little in the rear of the person addressed, so that the audience and the actor be addressed at the same time. Likewise to employ ultra-precision in enunciating the words: without this latter quality they might just as well be uttered in Choctaw. Another point is not to take a vowel—even the right one—in a florid passage and run the gauntlet of several vowels before concluding the phrase. Another is not to break notes in two when one syllable goes over two notes.

     The formation of our theatres is bad for opera.  There is an immense cave or cellar under the boxes which eats up the sound fearfully.  The old Park was the only proper form for a theatre either for singing or acting.  All the theatres now are bad for sound.  More money is got into them, at what a cost.  It would require an orchestra and chorus of three times the size used in our theatres to render an opera effective or agreeable to a cultivated ear.

     . . . [Campbell] has a baritone of extraordinary power, and all he needs is more familiarity with the stage.  Mr. Castle has a tenor of grazia which is much liked and approved by the audience.  Another debutante showing distinct talent is Miss Meyers [sic].  This young lady under proper drilling has the stuff for an artist.”

      Mostly excerpts from the New York Tribune review on 07/30/64.  “In spite of dog days, they have been giving English Opera at the Olympic Theatre.”