The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-10-21
lie Petit Faust" and Pima
fore Again.
MISS NELSON'S RENTREE.
"David Carrick," "uncle Tom" and "Fleder-
maus"- Philadelphia Theatres
ACADEMY OF Mus1c-.'LA TRAvrATA.

Sineiaa Nine Emile ANDRE
The opening of the italian opera season was
effected last evening at the Academy Of Music, when
LA Travata'' was sung by members of Her Majes-
TVS Opera Company. The occasion was doubly in
teresting being the rst subscription night and the
occasion of the debut OF Nine. Emile ANDRE and
Signor Runcio. two prominent members of the new
troupe and herAlded valuable acquisitions to the
company. Nine. ANDRE is a pupil of valgulier
and Rogers. has sung in the Paris Italian
Opera. and. it is said. on Verdi's recommendation
sang Aida in the French capital. She has also sung
In lies Amants de veronne" with Capoul. and has
sung under Mr.. Mapeson's direction in England
in a number Of roles. signor Runcio's experience
has not been extensive and varied Mme
Andres, but they both came to us with
Endorsements which promised and secured them
pleasant welcome as soon as they appeared.
The event of the evening second in importance to
the debuts the temperance of favorie of last
season. Signor Galassi, who was heartily
.eived. The chorus of the present troupe is
ample in number. and remembrance Of the precision
md tunefulness of this important department dur
Ing the last year good reason for presupposing
shat it would be efficient this The orches
ira Is under Signor Ardtis baton and though there
has been some disaffection among the players.
q full complement hand last evening as the
conductor took his place.
With this brief review of the material, its utility
may be summed up in few paragraphs. Nine.
ANDRE a disappointment. as was Signor
Runcio. and. both with connoisseurs and the gen.
eral audience the verdict seemed to be nearly
unanimous. Good points, many and excel
lent. were observable, but. finished artists,
Is members Of Her Majesty's Opera Company, to
whom was accorded the opening of the season. they
were unsatisfactory and disappointing. 1t was not
that they did nothing well-on the contrary, they
did great deal that good-but they failed
to win a success and failed to give such
rendering Of the opera was At
ling to the occasion. The cause of the
result did not alone rest with them for the entire
company in almost all departments was artistically
below last seasons standard; but. they were the
stars % the evening, they naturally looked to
rs the controlling spirits.
Nine. ANDRE is u soprano. possessing some bril-
iancy in the upper notes when they called upon
forcibly by musical climax or in crescendo. Her
voice Is naturally of rather agreeable quality, but
she often destroys this effect by radical faults Of
style. She possesses debility executing runs and
trls with facility, and her pianissimo passages are
we'll taken. Her dramatic intentions are good, but
she fails. in phrasing, to convey them. She sings
very unevenly. often beginning and going partly
through passage most successfully. and
from the key. Her voice possesses power,
but 1t lacks resonance in the medium
and lower registers. and result the musical i'm
pressions not sustained throughout the entire
Of an aria. Her main fault last evening was serious
disregard Of the key fault in which she echoed
to extent by Sgnor Runcio, and most heartily by
the chorus, the latter, despite Arditis strenuous
efforts failing to sharpen to the orchestra for bars
together, with most disastrous results to all the
chorus hnales.
The brindisi of the frst act Mime. Ambre failed
to carry off with proper spirit and eciat In the duo
with the tenor the light arabesques on the melan-
choy theme of his score were not brought out with
sufficient clearness and effect The "Ah forse lui'
exaggerated in the staccato Introductory phrases
though the cavalctta was well done. The duo with
Germont. in the second act, was comparative sue
"Grandio morir 81 Giovanni" spoiled by
serious fatting. which drew attention at from
the Closing scene Nine. ANDRE e''' did her
best work of the evening, dramatically and
unsteady. but again married some charming pian-
issimo phrases by the old fault Of tune. AS whole.
the not artisticay rendered, and was only
good in isolated parts. here and there.
hetic quality aud not unpleasant in tone.
but he uses what the French call the
He locates his breathing points injadlcoSasy and is
faulty In phrasing. but he has good execution
when he exerts himself; His tones are mostly of
mezzoforte they have no telling carrying
quality. and as a result all his diminuendo
eueCt.
In the first act his small share of tho
brindsi feebly rendered and. perhaps from
trepdation, was untrue The opening of the second
act is the tenors opportunity, but sgnor Runcio
made nothing of the romanza. the climax failing OF
all It's musical possibilities. In the third act
the duo with violetta not altogether satistac-
tory, though it well done In parts. and
both the tenor and prima donna came near accom-
plshing popular success in its rendition. But an
unlocked for and inexplicable something. always
marring their success when 1t seemed at hand-a
false note. badly phrased passage or some other
radical fault-robbed them Of the fruits OF q dozen
good points already scored.
Signor Galassis voice and methods were OF the
excellence as were observed in his roles last
season. and his rentrte andlhis singing warmly
applaudcd throughout. His duo with Violetta and
his "Di Provenza" were the successes OF the even
ing and the latter heartily encorcd.
From all this II will be seen that the opera
not brilliant success. The first impression
reading impartial critquc may suggest that the
performance utter failure, but such conclu-
sion would be unjust to the troupe. 1t was not
failure. and the faults here mentioned are those
found when highly critical standard is adopted in
Judging the work of last evening" From pop
ular standpoint the opera above medi-
ocrity but fell below the expectations of
those who heard Her Majcsty's Opera Com
pany last season and who read the announcements
made in connection with the present troupe. 1t IVES
An unfinished and rather inartistc performance but
the future programmes iuay be more satisfactory.
FIFTH AVENUE THEATRE--"LE PETIT FAUST"
Mmrguerte.' Mile paola Marie