Maretzek Italian Opera: Faust

ARTISTIC GOSSIP. – “This evening the doors of the Academy of Music will open. After a long stoppage, it will finally be given to us to listen to good music and to make sweet enjoyment for ourselves. Maretzek provides us with this pastime.
    
As he had announced to us, Faust inaugurates the season. It seems that the success of Gounod’s opera should be deflated; it is nothing like that. We could dispute sometimes whether Faust is a masterpiece, but we have always recognized its popularity, and we are persuaded that the immense majority of spectators will be charmed to hear again these melodies that have charmed the public so many times. The principal interest of the evening is in the debuts of the tenor Irfre and the bass Antonucci. One of our friends, who attended the general rehearsal, gives us details on these two artists:
    
M. Irfre possess a supple and well-timbred voice. He excels in the art of nuances, and he expresses perfectly the difficult scene in the first act. The voice of Antonucci recalls that of the celebrated Graziani; at the rehearsal, M. Antonucci, who is a very handsome man, did not have in the least a diabolical air, but that’s a fault that is easy for him to correct at the performance by painting himself up a little. We would add that it’s not necessary for Mephistopheles to be attired like the devil of legend, and armed with claws, horns and a tail. It’s up to the actor to give the character his satanic physiognomy by means of his motions and his art, more than by his costume. If Mephistopheles were too much a horned devil, one could not comprehend that Marguerite wouldn’t figure out his deceit and not bear his presence for a single moment. Besides, M. Antonucci, who had to have heard the creator of the role, M. Balanqué, in Paris, should possess the traditions of the role perfectly.

    M. Bellini has exchanged the role of Mephistopheles for that of Valentin, a secondary character whom the artist would nevertheless know how to make conspicuous. Mlle Kellogg will always be the Marguerite whom we know, and Mlle Ficker, a young singer who is unknown to us, will sing the role of Siebel.”

“Phillips will resume her role of Isabel [sic].”

“Miss Adelaide Phillips, in the role of Siebel, will be added.  This will be the strongest cast that has yet been vouchsafed to the beautiful opera of Faust.”