Maretzek Italian Opera: Poliuto – Opening Night of the Winter Season

“The director has the honor to inform the public and the subscribers that the Academy of Music will be closed during election week. On Monday, Nov. 14, 1864, will commence The Regular Winter Season of Italian Opera, which will extend to the 25th of December, after which the company has, by contract, to appear in other cities.
Among the prominent novelties and revivals to be produced during the next season are Donizetti’s masterwork, never yet produced in America, Don Sebastiano, and Auber’s new version of his sparkling opera, Fra Diavolo.  The author of this charming French opera in preparing it for the Italian stage, has not only revised and embellished the score throughout, but has contributed no less than five new numbers to the existing brilliant collection.  The work has, therefore, quite the value of a fresh opera, and as such, cannot fail to interest the public.  All possible advantage will be taken of the opportunities afforded for the display of an effective mise en scene. . .  
It may be worth while to state here that this [the past season] is the greatest legitimate success ever obtained at an American Opera House, inasmuch as the paying public were left free to criticize, to approve or disapprove, without being prejudiced in advance by preliminary puffing and the publication of sensation biographies of the new artists.
Every precaution has been taken to prevent the seeming manufacture of applause by an interested claque, such as has been often employed in former times upon like occasions, either by managers or the artists themselves.  It is with increased confidence, therefore, that the Director extends his sincere thanks for the patronage accorded to the Opera, and he anticipates that the kind reception obtained by the principle members of the company will stimulate them even to more brilliant exertions before their new friends in the operas to be produced hereafter.
Subscriptions For Eighteen Nights will be received today and the following four days at the Box office of the Academy of Music.  The regular sale of secured seats for any single night will commence on Thursday, Nov. 10, at the regular ticket offices.

Long and detailed article on the success and plot of Poliuto. “The announcement of the repetition of Donizetti’s noble opera “Polituo” at the Academy of Music on Monday next will gratify almost all our musical citizens. Those who have not heard the magnificent interpretation given to the music by Zucchi, Massimiliani and Bellini will be glad to embrace this opportunity, and those who have so heard it will the more gladly hear it again. At the same time there are some few of our citizens who only view the announcement of “Poliuto” with scorn—the editor, for instance, of the New York Musical Review, who declares in his paper that it is the trashiest of operas. A few also of resident musicians recently from Germany, are disposed to regard it with contempt; while others, whose highest composition has been a rambling symphony, will view it with a certain degree of patronizing approbation.”

COMMENT: For the negative commentary in the New York Musical Review, see R: MRW 11/05/64, p. 357 in the event “Maretzek Italian Opera: Il Poliuto” on 10/28/64.

 “Opening Night of the Winter Season. – Il Poliuto will be given this evening at the Academy in Fourteenth street, with Carozzi-Zucchi and Massimiliani in the cast. This ushers in the winter season of the Opera. Linda di Chamounix, Don Giovanni, Faust and Rigoletto will be performed during the week. Look out for a brilliant season.”

Cast.

 “The opera selected for to-night is ‘Il Poliuto.’ When it was revived a few weeks ago it crated a profound sensation.  Mme. Zucchi, whose progress in public favor has surprised her warmest admirers, is heard to singular advantage in the role of Paolina, . . . Zucchi is both [a great actress and a good singer], and the furore she created was unquestionable. . . . Massimiliani is also heard to great advantage in this opera. . . . The American custom of changing the opera every night is embarrassing and fatiguing to a new singer, and Signor Massimiliani has undoubtedly suffered from these conditions. His success is, therefore, the more legitimate and meritorious.”

The opera will continue the success it achieved in the fall, thanks to Carozzi- Zucchi and Massimiliani.

“While in previous seasons the program of the Academy of Music was mostly Verdi’s operas, it seems as if this season Donizetti’s works will have preference.  The big operas Maretzek had promised in the beginning of this year’s season have not yet happened.  Also, Gounod’s Mireille, which was partly revised and significantly shortened by the composer, will probably not be staged before the spring season.”

 “Brilliant opening of the new season. The political excitement of the past week compelled the opera management to give us an interregnum, and very wisely; for who could “lend a listening ear” to the charms of Donizetti, Verdi or Gounod while the fate of the country was in the balance? The new season was opened last night with unusual brilliancy. Never, perhaps, was the beauty and taste of the city better represented. The Academy was, in fact, a parterre in which variety of color and elegance of costume contributed to make a perfect scene, upon which it was pleasant for the eye to dwell.
    The opera was Donizetti’s fine tragic conception, Il Poliuto, which in an especial manner evokes the splendid dramatic powers of Zucchi, and they were on no previous occasion so thoroughly developed as in her performance last night. She is unquestionably the best lyric artiste we have had here for some years. One of the most striking and most laudable powers she possesses is the capacity to disguise or lose the artiste in the character she personates. This is the strongest evidence of genius, and is only to be found in artists of the highest order. It is not Zucchi but Paulina we see. It is not the effort of the artiste, but the passion, the life, the impulse, of the heroine we recognize and sympathize with. She acts and sings as if there were no audience to will applause from, although applause comes spontaneously and abundantly. One feels that it is nature assisted by art, rather than art assisted by nature. These essentials of genius it is which have constituted the rapidly acquired success of Zucchi and will assuredly render it permanent. Massimiliani gains reputation as he becomes more familiar to us. Gifted with a fine voice, he won in his first efforts a kindly and gracious approbation which he has since more substantially earned by the manifest improvement that has attended his more careful study both of vocalization and acting, which was particularly observable in his rendering of Poliuto last night. The applause was commensurate with the merits of the artists. They were twice called before the curtain.”
    [Review concludes with a summary of the operas planned for the new season.]

“’Poliuto,’ as given last night at the Academy of Music, was another of those magnificent lyric performances which are making Maretzek’s present season a memorable one in the annals of our operatic stage. Zucchi and Bellini, in all they did, and Massimiliani in the concerted music of the second and in the duet of the last act, were everything that could be desired. The prima donna was even more passionate than ever, and in her acting and attitude almost made the spectator forget her admirable vocalization. An opera like “Poliuto,” played as it is by this company, ought to run a month as it would do in any Italian theatre; but the manager is so well acquainted with the mercurial tastes of our audiences, that he offers for to-night “Linda,” for Wednesday “Faust,” for Friday “Don Giovanni,” and for Saturday (in Brooklyn) “Rigoletto,” for the re-appearance of Mrs. Van Zandt.”

Brief review.  “The performance was an average one—not so good as the first and second representations—but still satisfactory in every general respect.  There was a full and fashionable house.”

"The debut of the winter season was an immense success yesterday. Mme Carozzi-Zucchi and M. Massimiliani were called back several times, and the great singer [Carozzi-Zucchi] was cpvered in flowers. We are convinced that, like us, all of the press will hail the beautiful dawn of the winter season."

Yesterday’s performance was sold out.  Compared to earlier stagings of this work, which had rightfully failed, this production was almost flawless.  Miss Carozzi-Zucchi and Sig. Massimiliani received thundering applause, as rarely happens in the Academy of Music, for the end of the second act and the duet of the third act.

Quietness reigned in the Academy last week, the elections having choked off Maretzek and his “furriners” for the time being.  Another season is announced to commence to-night, but it seems to us that Grover and his contaminated Germans have taken the wind out of the sails of Max and his adulterated Italians.”

“M. Maretzek couldn’t have inaugurated the winter [opera] season better than by bringing back Poliuto; and well he did. It is in this opera that Mme. Carozzi-Zucchi has crowned herself, and where she has definitively accomplished her conquest of the public. The great artist didn’t belie herself last Monday, and she had magnificent flights that moved the coldest and made the most rebellious ears understand the music. We comprehend without any trouble why Milan and San Carlo surely haven’t replaced her, for singers who unite the art of singing with that of tragedy to such an eminent degree are rare. We really worry that eventually a great European capital will take Mme. Zucchi away from us, but we will at least have possessed the fullness of her artistry and her abilities.
    It should be said that M. Massimiliani worthily seconded Mme. Zucchi in Poliuto. Formerly, our tenor distrusted himself and the public; they didn’t abandon him. Today, he feels himself master of his voice and of the listener, and was warmly applauded by the side of Mme. Zucchi; that’s the greatest praise we can give him. M. Massimiliani sings the prayer of the first act and the second act duet perfectly; he isn’t less outstanding in the sextet. He isn’t as perfect in the opening air of the second act, whether because he’s saving his talents or because that number isn’t written well for his voice; he found himself in a passage that appeared to confound him every time, and where he abruptly cut off the sound, in a less than agreeable manner.”