The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-13
A At u s E M E N rs.

stDer Freischuetz'' at the Academy.
The chez doume OF Carl Maria Won Weber was
produced last night at the Academy to o full
house. 1t Is many years since this great piece was
heard in Italian in New York, If we ex-
cept its singing once by the Arion So
ciety. The cast last night included Nine.
Pauline Lucca as Agathe ana signor Janet
as Caspar. In far it proved strong, but the Max
OF Signor vizzani was an Indifferent performance.
The rest OF the characters were merely further
descents in the scale OF indifference. The work In
which Weber wove all the weird and wild dream
ings Of his nature with weird wild story from the
folklore Of Germany presents such varied features
and demands such excessive care in production
that 1t Is not wonderful managers at the Academy
have avoided it. IL tests the capacities Of the best
arranged operate establishments in Europe, and
the haphazard manager here finds very little to
his hand when he attempts to improvise 1t In
9. week. It r. is over fifty nifty year. since
fifty since Henrietta Sentag set all Germany ablaze
with excitement over her Agathe. The stage
n now, but tat It is questionable Il it ' was
scss The ,srTSi; scene in r. wSifs Glen:
the production Of the fitfu and demonac In Orches
tratI0n, needs either simple suggesttveness OF tho
feet realism OF the gloomy and awful cidoions
Of medi@val Germany: The Incarnation scene last
night was farcical in the extreme, and
badly as 1t was conceived, worked worse. The con-
ceaed echo chorus was out OF all time and tune, and
the scene with despairing efforts. The chorus In
deed was poor throughout, and in the huntsmen's
dashing song was feeble and disappointing. they
could scarcely be heard above the flourish OF the
horns. ...
it is pleasant to turn frsm these things to the two
Agathe, IN the second act, where she first appears.
at once won the sympathies Of the audience:
T Weber sSaS scaroe save Sasa nss
or fuller utterance than she gave it. The
foil, dramatically speaking, Of . joyous, light
foreboding Agathe in this scene, like full light
to set OF the delicate toning Of RembrandtisH
S Mas FL 2t gSol h:as: s and %%sss
IN its despite. The marvellous recitative
and aria, "Come una vote Il soma" was
the first proof how Lcca made the part rd ner :w1;
in whirlwlnd OF braves and elapping OF hands.
The trying ordeal OF varied emotion, rising ever
store, was magnipcenty sustained, and brought
forth display Of feeling on rich tide OF song
that enthraled the 6enoder ana listener enc she, she
reirained from marring the success BY partial
repetition the desperation Of soul struggling
been more sympathetically rendered than
in her acting and singing to the close
Of the scene. me riuicuous rvu, .1 ~ .. July nrs;
completely WIFI acrid smoke that Agathe seemed
almost choking in the fourth act while attempting
to sing OF her dream.
The Caspar OF Signor janet was his nrst appear.
ance in the character, and wherever the other
stage elements were not against him he
achieved marked success His song IN the nrst
act "Or via cantamo,n was spienaIdiy rendered
and well deserved its encore The score Is exceed
ingy difficult for Caspar to the end OF the first act;
bat janet mastered IL without effort.
der Freischutz" will be repeated on Friday
night
Musical and Dramatic Notes.
Mr. r. d. Davies the ventriloquist, Is TO have .
benefit at Niblos this afternoon.
MAN and Wife" has been produced at the Prince
OF Wales Theatre in London with success.
At the Winter season OF Italian opera in London.
which has just closed, it was found that only four
operas were necessary to make the programme
attractive-"Il Conte Ory," "LElisir d'Amore,r
al Barbiere" and "Cos fan tutte."
Miss Mary Griswod Is TO play '.the business
woman" In Olive Logans new play to he produced
at the Union Square Theatre this evening Mr.. r.
f. Mackay Is to play one OF those eccentric charac.
tiers Tor which he has SHOWN such remarkable apti.
tude.
M. Sardou has sent TO Mr.. Daily for a package OF
American newspapers OF the largest size to be used
In the first act OF "Unclc SAM when the French
government ai'ows the piece TO he played in Paris.
The act is supposed 20 take place on q Hudson
River steamboat, and eacn OF the passengers will
be busy reading an immense nc wspapor when tina
play opens