New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-26
MUSIC.
THE ITALIAN OPERA SEASON

Friday and as he has made the strongest selection
of operas possible for him, and will throw in a
matinee, with Carmen" as the attraction, Mr..
Mapeson will be only partly successful in his efforts
to escape from the aggressive rivalry that has pur-
sued him thus far.
We are still living under the old operate dispen-
saton, and, things go, Mr.. Abbey's first season.
which was ended practically ON Monday evening,
can be called brilliant An equal degree of merit
has not marked all his efforts, and of the fea-
lures of the season have scarcely been worthy Of
his proud establishment; but on the whole, he has
made heroic effort to galvanize into vitality the
decaying body of Italian opera He has shown an
honest desire to keep the promises which he made
when he asked public support for his enterprise,
and altogether his administration has displayed viz
tines which tOofrequently are absent from the mana
gers Office His stage sets have been uniformly
handsome, and some of them have shown greater
sumptuousness than have for many years
at least; his orchestra, though open to criticism
the of its composition well style of play
has done admirable work his chorus has been
| prompt, vigorous and generally tuneful; his en-
sembles have been carefully composed, and his Sc
| lection of operas has been judicious from q man
| ayers point of view. Besides these things he has
| given to New-York the strongest combination Of
women singers that the city has ever known Such
a galaxy as Mesdames Nilsson, Sembrich Trebelli,
| Scalch Fursch-Madi and Valera could not DO
| matched if the two most brilliant companies of
| Europe should be combined. Without exception
the principal women's parts in the operas
| have been brilliantly filled. Nine. Missions tragic
| power has seemed ripper and more effective than on
her first visit and what she has lost during the
decade in freshness and range of voice she has
made mp in deeper dramatic intelligence and
| breadth of action. In Nine. Sembrch have
an artist with rare combination of gfts-a
voice of lovely quality; vocal skill of
| high order; keen dramatic instincts, and thor
oughly musical nature. If the men have been less
satisfactory the reason is found at in the
pensiveness of such a woman's department. In
this enumeration of the factors with which Mr..
Abbey has won commendable degree of artistic
success the new house ought not to be forgotten.
Appreciation of its eXceences of architecture.
decoration arrangement and acoustics, has grown
steadily since opening night.
Mr. Abbey has yet thespring season before him to
prove whether or not he was too generous in his
promises touching his repertory. When he issued
his prospectus lie asserted that he would give
twenty-four operas, which he named. Up to date
he has performed fourteen, which is an average Of
change every second evening. In the
remainder of the list, however, there are
operas like IL PrOfeta, "Gli Umott,"
"Amleto," "Otellor (ROssinisD "Le Nozze
di Figaro" and Carmen" and to bring these ont in
addition to "Lucretia Borgia" Linda di Chamou-
nj" Fra DiayOlo" and Marta" will tax Mr.,
Abbeys resources severely. The greater number
of his list of given operas of the light order and
the severest work remains TO be DONE but after
such an exhibition of energy as accompanied the
production of La Gioconda" we are inclined to
think that Mr.. Abbey can fulfill his promise to the
letter. The following list shows the operas given
during the season in the order of their first per-
Torrance:
Lucia iii Lammerraoor, Roberto IL Dlayolo,
II TrOvatOre, Rigoletto,
| Puritani, II Barbera di Siyglia,
La Traviata Mehstofele
LohengTin, La Gioconda,
1t was not without significance to the impending
question concerning the future Of opera in New
York that the operas of greatest artistic worth at
tracted the most numerous audiences to see them
The nights on which "Lohengrn," Don Gio-
vanni" and "Mefistofele" were given shared their
brilliancy only with the night which marked the
elimination of the season by the production Of
brand new work, POnchiellis "GIoconda." The
profound impression made by this opera we are in
clined to look upon more indica-
ton of the popular hunger for something
now than tribute to the dramatic and
musical merits of the joint production of SlgnOri
BoIto and Ponchielli. These merits are unmistak-
able but they do not cntitle the opera to place
the first rank In the list of successful new pro-
auctions within the last few years GOconda" must
Weld precedence to Aida "MefistOfele' and
Carmen" 1t does not show its composer to be
either a melodist Of really high type, fertile
originator of musical effects Its score is full of
ingeniously applied harmonical and orchestral de-
vices but they all, or nearly all, such as have
been learned from Sig. PonchiellPs predecessors.
Sig Ponchleli is less original than Sig. BoIto, and
both owemore to Sig. Verdi's example than to their
=, -,
dramatic vigor in the play of the opera, and
quick q cooperation of the music in the
critical moments the and listeners are swept along
on such tide of excitement that they are not as
sensible rs they might be of the obviousness of the
means employed by the AM h r.. 1t is high order
of constructive skill that has put "GiOcOnda"
together and the element of contrast has seldom So
completely and so effectively been made to dominate
an art work. It makes every climax and is used
with almost tresome iteration. In the first act
La Cieca's prayer is put against background COM
posed of gambling chorus, and the tsTtano Ia wild
dance it'll the ncessant movement of a tarantele)
endsabruptly with organ pealsand plOus cantlcle;
i'm the second act within two bars AHepO La
GiOcOndd is transformed from murderous devil 10
projecting saint; in the third act Ldurds accents
of mortal woe cOmmingle with the sounds of q
serenade in the distance and the disclosure OF
the supposed murder is made III the midst OF ball;
in The fourth act the calls OF passing gond0llers
break in upon La GOcoada's solil0qules, that have
for their subject suicide murder self-sacrlhce, and
the highest of charities These devices are OF course
tissue, and are not surprised that they have
BoYto for their author Tor rather adapter nOtwIth-
standing "Mefstofele." The ideality in that opera
has been greatly overestimated. "Gioconda" ill
live valuable addition to the operate repeltory
so long as we depend upon the present Italian sys
tenn. 80,
The spectacle that opera has presented this season
has been one of extremely great interest in more
respects than one. Ii has had rs great significance
for London as for New-York, and it has been
watched quite as closely there as here and with
perhaps better knowledge of the real stake that l:
being PLAYED for. Opera in New-York has for
long time been merely weak reflection
of opera in London, The few new
operas which have been brought out
here within dozen wears have been brought out