Fossati Opera Company: G. Fossati Benefit

“The operatic matinee announced by Signor Fossati for Wednesday morning at Wallack’s Theater, and postponed on account of the sickness of Mlle. De Gebele, took place yesterday at 2 o’clock. The house was not crowded, but was well filled by a very fashionable and intelligent audience. The programme consisted of two acts of an unpublished opera, composed by Signor Antonio Barili, called ‘Una Noche en Sevilla,’ which was performed entire [sic] in Mexico, with great success. It would be utterly unfair to pass any judgment upon this work of Signor Barili’s from the programme of yesterday. The orchestra was so bad that we scarcely understand how Mr. Barili could have heard their abominable and disreputable bungling and still keep his seat. Of the overture we can only judge by its subjects in their mere outline—for there was no filling out through the incapacity of the players. These are certainly clever, varied in character and offering good contrast. We think the form is somewhat faulty, caused by the number of subjects, which necessitates several anticlimaxes. The opening chorus is popular in its character, and the duo of Orphan Children is truly charming in its melody, and full of the true Spanish character. This duo is a gem. The Romanza for Soprano, sung with much spirit by Mme. De Lussan, is a clever and brilliant number, and received much applause. The duo for Contralto and Bess is also a well made and characteristic composition, and was well sung by Mdlle. De Gebele and Signor Fossati.

    The Tenor Romanza, by Mr. Farley, is a very beautiful subject, and was sung by that gentleman in a very chaste and admirable manner, but Mr. Farley lacks very much in impulse and dash. The quartette, which closes the act, is one of the very best compositions in the opera. It is full of variety, very melodious, well harmonized, and full of effective counterpoint.

    The prelude of the second act is melodious in outline, and if the orchestration had been filled out by competent players, it might have proved acceptable. As it was, it appeared too frivolous. The Soldiers’ Chorus is a very spirited and melodious movement, and had it been sung with more power it would have been encored, as the composition deserved. The Serenade and duo, for Tenor and Basso, is both well made and effectively contrasted. The Serenade is very sweet and melodious, and the bass and solo is very quaint and characteristic. It was so well sung by Mr. Farley and Signor Fossati, that it gained a hearty encore. The concluding duo, soprano and tenor, is a very charming and effective composition, and was exceedingly well sung.

       The work, as we have said before, is full of talent. It is melodious, musicianly, and its sentiment is quite true in character. We judge that it is well instrumented, but the performance was so execrable, that every idea of the composer was bemuddled in the most wonderful manner.  We hope to hear the entire opera performed before long in a manner commensurate with its merits.

    The second part opened with a symphony by Prof. Janotta.  Our descriptive powers fail in the endeavor to portray the character of this work. It is no more a symphony than it is a cachuela, and it is no more a cachuela than it is an oratorio. It is, in fact, one of the most commonplace pot-pourris that we ever heard and was really an insult to the public, when presented with so much pretentious assumption. It contains nothing worthy of putting upon paper, and we are afraid that even the charm of faultless white kids will not save it from the contempt it justly merits.

    Signor Fossati sang throughout like the excellent artist he is, and we trust that his benefit matinée proved a financial success.”