[Met Tour] CID:2460



Lohengrin
Academy of Music, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sat, April 19, 1884 Matinee



In Italian



Lohengrin (8)
Richard Wagner | Richard Wagner
Lohengrin
Italo Campanini

Elsa
Christine Nilsson

Ortrud
Emmy Fursch-Madi

Telramund
Giuseppe Kaschmann

King Heinrich
Franco Novara

Herald
Ludovico Contini


Conductor
Auguste Vianesi







Review 1:

Review in the Philadelphia Press:

ITALIAN OPERA.

Two Farewell Performances of Mr. Abbey's Company.

The performance was very long, lasting from 2 o'clock until nearly 6, but it was marked by many excellent features and by some serious faults. The brass throughout was raucous and out of tune, the heralds especially distinguishing themselves by their cacophonies. Nevertheless the band brought out the wonderful beauties of the ever-varying accompaniment with creditable effect. The chorus sang fairly well and the opera was magnificently mounted.

There was one essential error in Madame Nilsson's conception of the part. She forgot entirely that she was singing not Italian, but German music; not Rossini, but Wagner. The cadenzas and other ornaments which she added to the score and the liberties which she took in the time were entirely unjustifiable and detracted immensely from the effect which she should have produced. In fact the intellectual element was entirely lacking in her performance, but the feeling and pathos were sufficiently accented.

Signor Campanini has long been the ideal swan knight, and yesterday afternoon he was far more like his old best self than at any time since his return from Europe. He sang the exquisite aria, "Merce, merce, cigno gentil" with great refinement and feeling and he never ceased to show his rare skill and artistic sense in managing his voice. Madame Fursch-Madi made an immense success in the dramatic part of Ortruda. Signor Kaschmann also quite outdid himself and Signor Novara was as usual excellent.



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