Scan 5
Musical Courier 1903-01-28: Vol 46 Iss 1192, 1903
79 lines. Read by computer on 22 September 2026. Printed page 6. See the scan on archive.org.
1MUSIC IN ITALY.
3MILAN, JANUARY 10, 1903.
5The great musical season of winter begins at Christmas. This year almost all the theatres of the capital, provincial cities, and even the small towns desire to honor San Stefano, promising splendid opera seasons; in some places success has crowned the efforts, others have fallen in the midst of a tempest of whistles, laughs and ridicule.
7Considered psychologically, the Italian public is difficult to understand, and if an artist, after risking an appearance before an audience in Parma or Ferrara, obtains a success, he has reason to be proud and contented. In these two cities of the Province of Emilia the public protests if cuts are made in an opera, and whistle at the first error made by a singer, sometimes with cruelty and almost injustice. What a difference between this and New York, where singers transpose and cut at their pleasure.
9Among the numerous theatres open this year are: Scala de Milano, "Damnazione de Fausto"; Constanzi de Roma, "Rigoletto"; San Carlo de Napoli, "Germania"; Fenice de Venice, "Chopin"; Pergola de Florence, "Germania"; Comunale de Trieste, "Maestri Cantori"; Reggio de Parma, "Vespri Siciliani"; Comunale de Modena, "Aida"; Comunale de Piacenza, "Aida"; Comunale de Ferrara, "I Lombardi"; Comunale de Reggio Emilia, "Rigoletto"; Comunale de Pistoia, "Gioconda"; Vittorio Emanuele de Torino, "Mefistofele"; Fraschini de Pavia, "Fedora"; Coccia de Novana, "Germania"; Politeama de Genoa, "Mignon"; Dal Verme de Milano, "Rigoletto"; Rossini de Venice, "Rigoletto," and an enormous number more in cities of less artistic importance.
11With great anticipation and eagerness is awaited the opening of La Scala, but this stagione the direzione del teatro announced that the solemn event should occur some days prior to the accustomed date, when would then be seen for the first time in Italy "La Damnazione di Fausto" in operatic form, to be interpreted by the following artists:
13Margherita ………………………………………….. Elisa Petri
14Fausto …………………………………………………. Giovanni Zenatello
15Mefistofele ………………………………………….. Maurizio Renaud
16Brander …………………………………………………. N. Sessona
18The directors of La Scala wish to unite to the sense of the ear its most potent auxiliary, sight, and desiring the success of the music of Berlioz they have made an opera of his oratorio. Entirely new machinery, original and prodigiously painted scenery, a system of electric lights co-operating with the magnificent scenic effects—all unite to change into an opera the oratorio of which Berlioz himself said: "I ask only from the principal idea of Goethe and his grand poem a loan of those scenes which in my plan I have traced scenes the seduction of which over my spirit was irresistible."
20La Societa del Quartetto, the excellent club of eminent professors of Milano, has announced a series of concerts to be performed in the music hall of the Royal Conservatory of Milano-Giuseppe Verdi for the following days:
22January 16 and 18—Two concerts by the Trio Instrumenti Antichi (A. Cassella, clavicembalo and piano; H. Casadesus, viola d'amore; E. Nanny, contrabasso), interpreting antique music on the antique instruments, and classical music on the modern instruments.
24January 31 and February 3—Two concerts by Quartetto Marteau (Henri Marteau, first violin; Eugène Reymond, second violin; Waldemar Pahnke, viola; Adolphe Rehberg, violoncello).
26March 3—Concert, Ed. Risler, piano.
28March 13 and 14—Two concerts by the Berliner Tonkünstler Orchestra (seventy men under the direction of Richard Strauss).
30April 3 and 5—Two concerts, the London Trio (Simoni- netti, violin; Whitehouse, violoncello; Amina Goodwin, piano).
32Many Italian theatres have opened with contrasting results; in almost the entire Emilia they whistled with abundance the artists and the operas. In Parma, the traditional theatre of the whistles, they expressed their sentiment in this fashion against two artists, both Spanish, Ainetto, the baritone, and Riera, the bass, in the "Vespri Siciliani." Ferrara disapproved of the opera "I Lombardi," considering it old and out of place. In Pistoia, in "Gioconda," the baritone Belloni was whistled, together with the tenor Mastrobunto. In Venice, at the Theatre Rossini, they protested against Almansi, the soprano, and the tenor Tiorello; in Reggio hurricanes of whistles greeted Felice, the baritone. And these are some of the beauties of the lyric career!
34The San Carlo de Napoli opens the carnival season with "Germania," with the soprano Febea Strakosh as Ricka; tenor Giuseppe Vignas as Fredrico Loewe, and baritone de Luca as Worms. Contrary to all expectation, the opera of Baron Franchetti was received coldly, the partisans of the old school of melodic opera disapproving of this magnificent spartito, and so it can be said to have been a semi-fiasco, notwithstanding the robust voice and fine artistic work of Febea Strakosh, de Luca's dramatic talent, or the delicate modulations of Vignas.
36The same unhappy fate was in store for "Germania" at the Pergola in Florence, but in this case it was the artists who precipitated the public's protest, for the baritone Arcangeli and the tenor Colazza do not know other tones than the fortissimi.
38Indescribable triumphs—tempests of applause—have attended the productions of "Rigoletto" and "Siegfried" at the Costanzi di Roma; "Rigoletto" at the Dal Verme, Milano; "Chopin" at the Fenice in Venice, and "Maestri Cantori" at the Comunale Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste.
40In Rome, before an audience of diplomats and nobility, "Rigoletto" was sung with the following cast:
42Gilda …………………………………………………. Fanny Toresella
43Maddalena ………………………………………….. Elisa Bruno
44Duca di Mantova ……………………………………. Enrico Caruso
45Rigoletto …………………………………………….. Giuseppe Caruso
46Sparafucile ………………………………………….. Ettore Borucchia
48Signora Toresella is one of the few virtuose of pure singing—of the limpid trill, correct vocalization and noble emission of the voice. Elisa Bruno is a contralto with a ponderous voice that recalls the beauty of the 'cello' in her low tones, and the passionate song of the violin in the high ones. As to Caruso, he is the emperor of the tenors. You will hear him this year at the Metropolitan and then can judge for yourselves. Pacini has a big baritone voice of good quality.
50"Chopin" was given with the sopranos Bice, Adami and Alice Zeppilli; tenor, Amedio Bassi, and baritone, Corradetti. In Messina, at the Vittorio Emanuele, "Germania" was received with applause and good criticisms, and the success was due to the beautiful voice and histrionic ability of the baritone Adamo Gregoretti, who has a splendid presence, and a voice masculine, full of tone and flexible to all the modulations.
52Not a day that passes in the musical calendar but some composer in the kingdom announces some project of his ardent imagination, or some work concluded after nights of indefatigable artistic labor. One of the most prolific announcers and projectors is the good Ruggiero Leoncavallo, who, encouraged by the immense success of his "I Pagliacci" in Paris, promises to put to music all the arguments of all the modern French poets and the exquisite decadents of the Café Hachette. He announces two new operas, neither yet complete.
54Franchetti, more prudent and serious, intends taking a journey to Greece, to collect impressions and harmonies applicable to the libretto of the poet Ferdinando Fontana, which is taken from the Greek tragedy, and is a fusion of "Edipo a Colono," with an episode of the war of the "Lette contro Tebe" and "L'Antigone." He also intends to produce another opera, upon the well known tale of "Guinevere and Lancelot." King Arthur will be the principal figure, and the action touches all the various episodes of the Knights of the Round Table. The author of the libretto will be one of the best theatrical writers in Italy, Angelo Orvieto.
56Coronaro, professor of composition in the Conservatory of Milan, will present an opera in one act, based on the comedy of the great Venetian bard Goldoni; to be produced at the Fenice in Venice.
58Maestro Cesare dall' Olio has finished an opera which is to be sung in the Dal Verme in Milan. It is entitled "Pasquina."
60The Florentine Bacci will present for the first time in the Rossini of Venice an opera, the libretto of which is by the Neapolitan poet Golisciani, entitled "La Sirena."
62FRANCOIS G. DE CISNEROS.
64MRS. CARL ALVES' SUCCESS.
66MRS. CARL ALVES, the famous contralto, will enter her tenth year as solo contralto at the West Presbyterian Church this coming May. Since her retirement from active work as an oratorio and concert singer Mrs. Alves has devoted her time to teaching, and her success as a teacher has been truly wonderful. Mme. Isabelle Bouton, one of her pupils, has just closed a contract for a five weeks' tour in the spring and has numerous concert engagements with the best and largest organizations all over the country. Her recent appearances with the Arion Society, of this city, was a tremendous success and led to several other engagements. Miss Genevieve Finley, another pupil, made a hit in Boston in "The Country Girl." Miss Corinne Welsh, one of the most promising of her pupils, sang at a concert in St. John, N. B., recently and received the following press comment:
68Heard for the first time in St. John, Miss Corinne Welsh made a most pleasing impression on her hearers. Her first notes were delivered with a clearness and sweetness which was captivating, and her selection, Verdi's "O Don Fatale," established her as one of the finest singers of the many which St. John people have had the pleasure of hearing. One of the great successes of the evening was the singing of this most gifted and talented lady.—The Gazette, St. John, N. B.
70Miss Corinne Welsh made her initial appearance here last night, and with the first bars of Verdi's "O Don Fatale" established herself a favorite. Her rich contralto voice, with its liquid tones and creamy smoothness, is one of the finest ever heard here. Her numbers were all well chosen, and she contributed in a marked degree to the success of the concert.—Telegraph, St. John, N. B.
72Madame Blauvelt's Tour.
74MADAME BLAUVELT, who began last week, at the Bagby recital, her last concert tour here before going into grand opera at Covent Garden, is singing this week in Savannah and Charleston. She is the only American artist who has been engaged for the Grand Cycle Music Festivals to be given this spring through the Dominion of Canada, the special feature of which is the "Coronation Ode" and other late English festival successes, the conductor engaged for the entire series being the noted composer and leader Sir Alexander Mackenzie.
76Miss Edith Milligan to Play.
78MISS EDITH MILLIGAN, a pupil of Leopold Wolfsohn, will play at Frederick Reddall's concert, which will be given at the Pouch Gallery, Brooklyn, February 13.
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