National Republican., 1883-07-16
A MANAGERS CAMPAIGN.
Mr., Abbey's Plans for tho Coming Opera
Season.
Engagements in Europe Tor italian Opera
-The Irving Tour, &c.

Prime donne soprani, Nine. Christine Nilsson.
Nine. Marcella Sembrich Nine. Alwina
Valleria, and Nine. Fursch- Madi. There is
also Mile. Imogene Forti, young Milanese,
whose excellence of voice and musical merits
are at present known only to the maestri and
agents of Milan and in a few of the Italian
opera houses in which she has sung. This
rising artistic, who is understood TO vocalize
with extreme duency, will assume some
Of the secondary soprano roles. The con-
tralti include the two greatest in the
world, Nine. Scalch and Nine. Ire
belli, besides Nine. Lablache a sterling
artistic already known in America, and her
gifted daughter Mile. Louise Lablache,
whose recent appearance mt a musicale given
by Sig. and Mme Arditi L spoke of at the
time in these columns in the terms which it
so fully morited. Mile. Lablaches voice has
the astonishing compass of three octaves (C
in alto to CC); she shares the dramatic in
stincts of her family, possesses singularly
pure intonation, and has been admirably
trained. The tenori, headed by Campanini
also includes Roberto Stagno, who was born
in Palermo of noble Sicilian parents, made
his debut at Lisbon in "Saflo," with Borghi-
Manic, and was Immediately engaged for
London, where he sang two consecutive
seasons with Mario Tamburini, and Grisi
Since then he has sung at the Liceo, BARGE
Iona; the Real Madrid; in st. Petersburg,
Moscow, Naples, Rome, Venice Seville,
Malaga, Cadiz, Valencia, Valladolid
Buenos Ayres, Montevideo, and many cities
in Italy. The other tenors in the company
are Amadeo Grazzi and Vincenzo Forneri
The barytones are Del Puente, who needs no
introduction to the American public and
Giuseppe Kaschmann. The latter is young,
handsome well educated, and a native of
Austria, and has sung in opera in Turin Mi
Ian, Rome, Trieste, Bologna, Naples, Madrid,
Barcelona, and Lisbon, with ever-increasing
success, He is D chevalier and court singer
to his majesty the King of Portugal. The
second bartoni and bassi include Luigi
Guadagnini, Ludovico Contini, and Baldas-
sare Corsini. The first bassi are Novara and
Maini; the conductors are M. Auguste Via
nesi and Cleofante Campanini, who alter
tornate; the chorus master is +. dc Rialp;
the maitre du ballet Sig. Danesi and the
of conductor Mr.. Abbey has been par
ticularly fortunate; nobody could be bet
ter than Vianesi-a hard worker, q disci-
plinarian, and u man who throws himself into
his task heart ana soul. He will be invalu-
able. Vianesi is a small, dark, ,wiry man, full
of nervous power; he speaks English per-
fectly-for twelve years he was with Gye here
i'll London-and German and French, as we'll
as his native Italian. OF late years he has
conducted at St. Petersburg and Barcelona
Nobody is better acquainted than Viancsi
with the personnel OF the orchestras of Eu-
ropean opera houses, and from these he is
skimming the cream to take to America his
baton will wave over an orchestra of seventy
five musicians, and there will be besides mill
tary band of twenty men.
Nh. Abbey will open the season at the Me-
tropolitan opera house with Faust" cast as
follows: Margherita, Nine. Nilsson Siebel,
Nine. Scalchi Marta, Nine. Lablache Faust,
nint. atn ot,l Nn1n
tine, Del Puente. "Lucia" will next be
given for the entree of Mmc Sembrich, who
will appear in con junction with Campanini
and Kaschman debut. Then will come
Roberto" with Nine. Fursch- Madi as Alice
Nine. Valleria as the Princess, and Signori,
Stagno and Maini (their debuts) "Othello"
will also be given, with Nine. Nilsson, who
will likewise appear in Don Giovanni" the
"Nozzedf Figaro" Lohengrin," "The HUI
guenots," and I'll Trovatore." The Swedish
prima donna will be heard in "Mignon," in
conjunction with Mines. Valleria and Trebell
and in "Mefstofele" with Trebelli, Cam
panini, and Maini, and she will create
in America the role of tho heroine
in La Goconda." 1t is probable that
"Lakme" will be brought out with
Nine. Sembrich, who will likewise sustain
the leading roles in La Traviata" "Rigo-
letto,' Puritani," " II Barbiere," " La Son
nambula," and Hamlet" where her Ophelia
supplied by Campanini who now assumes q
role heretofore allotted to barytone-an in
teresting experiment. Beside these casts,
"Marta," lie Prophets " and Linda" will
be given, with Valleria and Scalchi, and
Carmen with Nine. Trebelli Nine. Val
lerias voice has much improved since she was
last in America there is moro body TO il, and
it has grown more dramatic. She is firm
tavorite in London, and was commanded"
together with Nine. Patti TO appear at the
last state concert at buckingham palace
where she had great success. Nine. Patti
and Sig Nicolini sent word that they were ill
and could not attend. This concurrence
shows the estrongsympathyt that exists between
them or, rather, it dictates that as Nine.
Patti was really suffering from hoarseness and
could not sing there was no use for Sig. Nico-
lini to attempt to keep his engagement with
out her. No Patti, no Nicolini. To return
to Nine. Nalleria, she will sail for America in
the Scrvia on Oct 13, her departure being
delayed by numerous engagements that end
with the Leeds festival.
The great monetary success of the season
depends, of course, upon the two chief prime
donne, Nine. Nilsson and Nine Sembrch
who are, from the very nature of things
operate, the stars of this singularly complete
organization. That Nine. Nilsson will draw
the same crowds that made her recent concert
tour u continuous ovation, there can be no
doubt whatever Mr.. Abbey has found her
very obliging about the arrangement of the
repertoire, For example, she willingly re-
signed the role of Ophela one of her most
poetic creations. to Nine Sembrich, to whose
high soprano it is peculiarly adapted. Mme
Nilsson's voice having grown dramatic, her
choice of roles is governed by that fact, and
one consequence of this has been to facilitate
the preparation of the repertoire and make an
equable division between herself and Nine
Sembrch, whose brilliant vOcalization will de-
light the public in LA Traviata," Lucia"
and other operas in which Nine Patti had
of lato yoars-and until the debut of this
remarkable eXecutant-held without a formid-
able competitor
Mr., Abbey will say nothing concerning the
ghost of "the opposition punctilious as is
his wont in all matters of professional eti-
quette. As regards his one year lease of the
Metropolitan Opera house, lac says that he did
not care to take it for longer term. If he
makes success, the directors will want him
TO stay on; if he doesn't make a success he
will not want to remain; so that, in either
event, "all right" As is characteristic of
him, Mr.. Abbey is cool and temperate in his
views, and, like "a good general is always pre-
pared for defeat; his next season looks as
promising, however, rs il will be crowded.
He will manage four theaters and two com
binations--that is TO say, he will have tho
Metropolitan Opera house, the Grand Opera
house on Eighth avenue, the Park thea
ter in Boston, and the London Lyceum
for an American season here, beside direct
ing the fortunes of the Italian oDera