Maretzek Italian Opera: Lucrezia Borgia

Event Information

Venue(s):
Winter Garden

Manager / Director:
Max Maretzek

Conductor(s):
Angelo Torriani

Price: $1

Event Type:
Opera

Record Information

Status:
Published

Last Updated:
23 June 2016

Performance Date(s) and Time(s)

08 Dec 1866, 1:00 PM

Performers and/or Works Performed

Citations

1)
Announcement: New-York Times, 06 December 1866, 4.
2)
Advertisement: New-York Times, 07 December 1866, 7.
3)
Announcement: New-York Times, 08 December 1866, 4.
4)
Announcement: New-York Daily Tribune, 08 December 1866, 8.
5)
Advertisement: New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung und Herold, 08 December 1866.
6)
Announcement: New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung und Herold, 08 December 1866.
7)
Review: New York Post, 10 December 1866.

“Saturday’s matinée at Winter Garden was not largely attended, but it was stormy weather and not any want of attractiveness in the programme that kept at home the ladies who are usually present in throngs on these occasions. Donizetti’s deservedly popular opera ‘Lucrezia Borgia’ was sung most effectively by Signora Poch, Madame Natalie-Testa, and Signors Antonucci, Fossati, Dubreuil, Reichardt, Banfi, Voelden, Scheele, and the excellent chorus of Mr. Maretzek’s company. The beautiful music of this familiar opera ever seems fresh, and from the early days of Italian operas in this city to the present, often as it has been repeated, it has never ceased to be a favorite with the public. We have seldom heard it more delightfully rendered than it was on Saturday. Mme. Natalie-Testa’s rich contralto notes called forth especial praises. In the beautiful drinking song ‘Il segreto peresse felici,’ she was loudly encored. Signora Poch has the misfortune to look very little like a lady capable of the wholesale poisons of the Borgia. She, however, sang and acted exceedingly well in the difficult part. The trio in the second act was splendidly given. Its repetition was loudly called for, when an amusing episode occurred, which interfered seriously with the gravity of the scene. One of the orchestra, by mistake, commenced a lively air on his violin so different from the mournful strains of the score, that for a moment the audience were greatly amused and the singers were prevented from proceeding. Signor Torriani should get his orchestra under better control. One of the players has a bad habit of sneezing in the midst of pathetic passages. The only thing to be regretted, with the exception of these little errors, was the curtailment of the score, every line of which the audience would have been glad to listen to.”