Maretzek Italian Opera: Don Giovanni

“Rovere will appear as Leporello for the first time.”

“Rovere has made so decided a success by his personation of Crispino, that we may expect an excellent representation of his part tonight.”

Discussion of the cast.  “The opera of Don Giovanni, now nearly a century old, holds its popularity as fresh and strong as ever.  Its melodies are so purely heartfelt and so perfect in form that they have in them the elements of immortality, while in richness of harmony, variety of instrumentation and descriptive and dramatic coloring the music is even now unequaled.  It is to managers what is termed ‘a sure card,’ for its announcement is certain to insure a crowded house in every part.”

“The opera of Don Giovanni was performed last evening . . . to a large and fashionable audience, although the evening was most unpropitious.  The cast was not only strong in names, but in quality and fitness.  The performance was satisfactory throughout, and, in some parts, very admirable.  Zucchi and Kellogg were specially excellent, the former for passion and pathos, both in her singing and her acting, and the latter for her simple and delicious delivery of the exquisite music of Zerlina.  Irfre sang in a tasteful and artistic manner, Bellini was a dashing and impetuous Don, and Rovere was humorous and effective as Leporello.  Madame Ficher deserves a word of commendation for her careful rendering of the music of Elvira.  The orchestra was most ably conducted by Carl Bergmann. The wonderful instrumentation was rendered with grace and delicacy, and the artistic coloring has rarely been better defined. The performance was a success, several of the members being very warmly encored.”

Well attended and well received event. We will save the details of the review for the next performance.

" . . . . Last week, the best performance was that of Don Giovanni, which the American public, to its credit, always listens to with enjoyment. It's Mlle Kellogg who's the queen of Mozart's opera. With grace she sings the duet: La Ci darem la mano, and the delightful aria Batti, Batti, Bel Mazetto! [sic]. The role of Donna Anna, which fell to Mme Carozzi-Zucchi, is a relatively thankless one. There's a long recitative and an aria that few singers can take on. These difficulties didn't exist for Mme Zucchi, who surmounted them with the skill that we know in her and who phrased the recitative with a mastery and an energy that, it seems to us, [the audience] didn't appreciate enough."

Don Juan (Don Giovanni) is already several seventy years old, yet still seems to have its audience. It is old in thought and form; however, it is always effective. Where may that come from? Because it has something that touches our “human truth,” and because it carries the “divine power of the genius” in it.