[Met Performance] CID:14300



L'Africaine
Metropolitan Opera House, Wed, February 13, 1895


In Italian?



L'Africaine (15)
Giacomo Meyerbeer | Eug?ne Scribe
S?lika
Lillian Nordica

Vasco de Gama
Francesco Tamagno

In?s
Lucille Hill [Acts I, II]

In?s
Mathilde Bauermeister [Acts III, IV]

N?lusko
Mario Ancona

Pedro
Edouard de Reszke

Di?go
Lodovico Viviani

Alvar
Roberto Vanni

Grand Inquisitor/High Priest
Antonio De Vaschetti

Anna
Mathilde Bauermeister

Usher
Antonio Rinaldini

Dance
Maria Giuri


Conductor
Luigi Mancinelli


Director
William Parry





Translation by unknown
L'Africaine received one performance this season.

Review 1:

Review :

The role of Inez in Meyerbeer's 'L'Africaine' is not usually entrusted to a star, but it is somewhat important in the development of the story - if any one cares about that. It might be rather inexplicable, for instance, if Vasco de Gama should walk off and leave Selika to die of operatic paralysis and a poisonous tree without any reason whatever. Consequently, there were some persons in last night's audience at the Metropolitan Opera House who were anxious to know what was going to happen when, in the second act, Miss Lucille Hill fainted. She was not on the stage at the time, and consequently those who were not familiar with the opera did not know that anything was wrong when the curtain fell at the close of the duet in prison between Vasco and Selika. Miss Hill had fainted while waiting for her cue to appear. In a play this would have been a serious manner, for Vasco had not yet received his pardon. In the opera it apparently made no difference, for, in the next act, all hands were aboard the ship and bound for terra incognita. There was a long entr'acte, and then it was announced that Miss Hill was unable to proceed. Mlle. Bauermeister, however, was in the house, bearing the burden of the small role of Anna. She knows all the other roles, as a matter of course, and so she consented to be Inez for the rest of the evening. What would the Opera House do without Mlle. Bauermeister?

There is not much to be said about the performances as a whole. Its only new feature was the appearance of Signor Tamagno as Vasco de Gama. His singing seems to please a good many persons, even when he is cast for an uncongenial part, and he was applauded most enthusiastically last evening. It must be said, however, that he shines to greater advantage in parts of a heroic rather than a romantic nature. Mme. Nordica was in good voice and repeated her familiar impersonation of the Berberian Princess. Signor Ancona sang the music of Nelusko with great earnestness, and looked like a glorified shadow of Hollman, the cellist. M. Edouard de Reszke was, as usual, the Don Pedro. The pageantry of the opera presented nothing new, unless a camel and an elephant, with the swaying gait of Narragansett ponies can be regarded as novelties. There was an audience of good size present , and the performance gave great pleasure.



Search by season: 1894-95

Search by title: L'Africaine,



Met careers