Maretzek Italian Opera: Lucrezia Borgia

"M. Bellini's indisposition held off the performance, the day before yesterday,  of Don Giovanni, which was replaced by Lucrezia. Mme Zucchi wasn't applauded as much as usual. We hope that M. Bellini's sore throat won't be serious, because that artist is in almost all the works in the repertory."

“On Wednesday, Don Giovanni”.

      “The misfortune which Maretzek so eloquently and pathetically bewailed in his letter published in our columns at an early stage of the operatic season befell the manager last night. One of the leading singers, Bellini, the Don Giovanni of the occasion, was taken sick, and so the opera was changed. Lucrezia Borgia was substituted, Zucchi rendering the part of Lucrezia with her accustomed dramatic excellence. The opera has been given several times this season with the cast of last night, and always with success. The audience was somewhat diminished by the absence of those who were disappointed at the change, and were unwilling to accept Donizetti in place of Mozart, but it was liberal in its applause; the prominent singers were called before the curtain after the second act, and the usual encores were demanded.”

Short review.  “A brilliant audience assembled last evening to hear ‘Don Giovanni,’ but that work was not performed.  Signor Bellini was too indisposed to sustain the role of the hero, and such is the morality of New-York, that it was impossible to find another Don Giovanni in it.  A change of opera consequently had to take place.  ‘Lucrezia Borgia’ was performed instead, and received with favor.”

“Wednesday, M. Bellini’s indisposition made it necessary to replace Don Giovanni with Lucrezia. M. Bellini has fortunately recovered from his illness of the throat. We weren’t astonished to learn of his casualty, in thinking about how he had screeched the evening before in Linda, and the previous evening in Poliuto. The human voice requires to be taken care of better; it is not an instrument of brass. . . . Why doesn’t M. Bellini, who is a good musician and a man of ability, try to sing a bit more piano. He would gain from it, and the public as well.
 

   If some disappointed people left the hall Wednesday, they were very badly inspired. MM. Susini and Lotti were in good voice, Mlle. Morensi did the brindisi perfectly, and Mme. Zucchi sang Lucrezia with more breadth and passion than ever. It’s impossible to render the complex situation in the second act, where Lucrezia implores and exasperates by turns any better; it’s impossible to have flashes of fury better restrained, to speak at the same time the language of an overwhelmed mother and a menacing spouse.”