The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-23
ITALIAN 0PERA-"KAMLET."


last night at the Academy OF Music, before one OF
the largest audiences OF the season. Miss Nilsson
deserves credit for thus fulfilling IN every detail the
terms OF her engagement with tho public, and to
her own persistent exertions the honor Of placing
this much taked-of work on the American stage Is
DUE The opera, TO speak from flrst impressions,
has one scene-the madness and death Of Ophelia-
which will live and take place among the best
works OF the Italian. French or German school;
but the rest OF the opera Is ~ means up TO even
the average standard Of these works The first Iatal
defect OF the opera is In the lbretto, In which
NM Care and Barrier succeed In burlesquing
Shakespeare to an unlimited extent The Bard OF
Avon has received rough usage before ut the hands
OF opera librettists but this Is the worst OF all.
Zlngarel, vacca, Bellini and Gounod have set
"Komeo and Julter' to music, each version being
entirely diIerent as far as the handling Of the
Tragedy Is concerned. Rossini transformed
"Oinello" and Bcriioz patched portions OF "Much
Ado About Nothing" together Then the unetuous
Falstar has been tortured worse than at Herne's
oak by tine hbrettists OF Saeri. Nicoiai, Adam and
Balfe. N. Thomas. the composer OF "hamlet" in
trOduced Falstar, Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth
| In one OF the widest and most extravagant bur.
lesques ever written, known under the title OF "A
Midsummer Nights Dream" Scarcely less
absurd is the idea OF making poor Old
| Polonlus and the Queen accessories to
to assist at Ophelias dean and giving very oddly
arranged selections rom tue original dialogue. For
mystery' stlIl NM. uarre and Barber are not
e Gn lorna IN eo
should let these WORKS alone and follow the example
Of the great poets worxs Regarding the music i
Is IN general a strange patchwork Of Meyerbeer,
a,navIan AIRS thrown IN. me opera was first pro-
duced IN Paris on March Q. 1883, with Mile. Nilsson
| nc 0nh allu Al Qnlla M COM no
Laertes, Nine. Gueymard as the Queen aud NJ.
B-lval as he KING. In tine following year Nilsson,
Garden, London, and wnen MISS Nilsson came TO
America It was represented IN London by Mile:
Sessi as Opnelia, Mile, Tieuens as the Queen and
Uoiognl as Hamlet But the swedish songstress
alone saved the opera In Europe, as the neaviness
isws:- opnelia, Mile Nilsson; the Queen Mile. Cary;
s,snor brisno the Ghost ssnor coieiti asmiet
ana Opnclia are In realty the only roles worthy Of
0pS5a speak Of the %usc IN
detail: We can only I melton some Of the
| ton. The coronation Marcn' from the 'Pr0phet"
| furnIshed the ground for the opening march and
queen Gertrude by the usurper Claudlus. A short
| cello solo announces tine xntry OF eamlet, to
him OF his plighted word to ner The first passage
OF interest In the score 10 the Illustration Of tie
| i Doubt that the doth move,
| But doubt love.
This Is solo OF Hamlet strangely reminding us Of
| often during the opera in instrumental form anu Is
used to mark the love between Hamlet and Ophelia.
In the duet which follows many IDEAS are borrowed
from Verdi. Laertes there his only solo, and, In
| fact makes his hrst and last appearance in the
but does not call Tor special commentator as q
composition. The courtlers then enter and sing an
scene on the pattlements set last night with tho
tower from the Hlrovatore," part Of the wood
from "LAfrIcaine'') followed ana the ghost
made his DEBUT. The Instrumentation OF this scene
schulz" furnished no inconsiderable share OF lie
materials. Marcelus and Horato were represented
were not or a high order oil merit. The ghost was
clad IN armor as usual. but with the singular APP
Spetr0 Internal, IS strong, vigorous piece OF de-
lineatlon, Tor which Mr. Barrels voice was made.
the Meyerbeer pattern succeeds the disappearance
OF the ghost, ana his theme is re-
isins that nquiet deaizen Of The other world
The third tabeau Is gardell scene which is bodily
Upnelia here iamenis the indifference Of Hamlet to
her love In strains very ike the 'king OF Thule"
little Of the DoniZel spis SHOWN IN ner sue
| Queen follows, which did not receive from Miss
Gary due spirit apd expression; me chorus Of The
| ami Instrumentation. Hamlet then sings common
place rinkng song SHADE Of . the divine Wam
duces the OF the players before the King The
well known play OF The Mousetrap" Is entirely done
| In pantOmme by three ballet dancers, and Hamlet
accuses the King before the entire Court with the
murder Of his father. The nth tableau commences
with the monoogue, fine specimen OF Meyerbeer.
tsh instrumentation: In THIS Faure made q great
hit In London and Paris, but 1t fell without effect
tanning such rd,e. The trio between Opheia, tho
Queen and Hamlet , which follows, Is very
5 evsnns fhe oeaa cosea
with the sceale between Hamlet aud his mother,
which ting Ghost took paS the ,S and last
OF the opera, introduced ballet OF len coryphees
and one male dancer and the mad scene and dealA
Of Opnelia. The ballet in Paris pnd London, AZ well
| as the magnificent mise en scene, would be calcu.
lated to save worse opera than "riamet." But
this scene last night wrought the audience
| up TO pitch OF enthusiasm rarely witnessed in
| the Academy. and went far to compensate ior the
shortcomings OF the composer aud the iInpresaro.
Apeculiar effect Is produced here ny the chorus be.
pouches Jerrnees, with u harp and iute accouipa-
nlment Ophea then laid herself down to die ut
the waters Without disparaging The poetic idea
OF the death, 1t Is necessary to speak OF the me;
cnanieai Illustration OF Il; The stream" consisted
| one Of these Miss Nilsson was slowly waited down
on what IS known In stage parliance as travel
save this scene at least, by the person IN charge
OF the scenic department the chorus and or.
Mr.. Marctzek brought them through without q halt
or break. It's, indeed. singular instance OF the
| want OF apprecla that sometimes Will warp the
judgment OF musicians, that NJ. Tho mas should be-
come the successor OF Auber at the Conservatory
| OF Paris, instead OF GounOd, who IL now living in
London. One page from the pen OF tine composer
OF "Faps!'' 10 worth all the scores tina! N. Ih9mass
tai evening was The recipient of showers 'so OF
bouquets, and was recalled repeatedly 1t each fail
| OF the curtain. Poor shakespeare In music the
drama he Is selected as the avorite target FOR un.
| sCrupulOus actors ami composers, rsf
Before VIC close the subject OF the nrst representa-
ton of .'Hamet' 1t IL necessary to say that the
| score was cut with an unsparlng hand JudiclOusy
Ia some instances aud udicr0usly for the story at
least In others. The opera ended with the death or
Oplelia and the last act was entirely omitted. The
gravediggcrs were allowed TO sink in oblivion, the
| duel between Hamlet and Lacrtes was unfOuPht
| and Claudius escaped scot free. We doubt very
much II, after the exit OF Ophelia on the bosom OF
| ''the stream" many OF the audience would have
| cared to wait 10 hear what became OF her lover
| and brother. "RobertO II Dav0l0n will lie given