Joseph Urban Designed Sets for 10 Metropolitan Opera Premieres

Summary: Austrian American architect, designer and illustrator Joseph Urban designed sets for 10 Metropolitan Opera premieres during his 16-year career.

Joseph Urban's debut set design for the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Gounod's Faust; Kenneth Macgowan, "The Lesson of Urban," Shadowland (November 1919), page 18: Library of Congress has determined that this item is not in copyright, via Internet Archive

Austrian American architect, costume and scenic designer and illustrator Joseph Urban designed sets for 10 Metropolitan Opera premieres during his almost 16-year career at the opera house, from November 1917 until his death in July 1933.

Joseph Urban (May 26, 1872-July 10, 1933) debuted Nov. 17, 1917, as designer in the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Faust by French Romantic Era composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893). Revivals of Urban’s designs for Faust continued through the Metropolitan Opera’s 1950-1951 season.

Urban’s almost 16-year career at the Metropolitan Opera yielded designs for 55 productions. Ten of the productions opened as Metropolitan Opera premieres.

Oberon by German Romantic composer Carl Maria von Weber (Nov. 18/19, 1786-June 5, 1826) opened as a Metropolitan Opera premiere Dec. 28, 1918. Polish film and theatre director Ryszard Ordynski (Oct. 5, 1878-Aug. 13, 1953), anglicized as Richard Ordynski, directed the new production, with Joseph as designer. The Metropolitan Opera has not revived the romantic opera since the 13th performance Jan. 6, 1921.

Don Carlo by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901) premiered Dec. 23, 1920. Viennese American stage manager Samuel Thewman (Feb. 27, 1872-March 22, 1940) directed the production. Joseph’s daughter Gretel’s debut as costume designer for Don Carlo initiated a father-daughter designing collaboration that encompassed 17 Metropolitan Opera productions.

Pelléas et Mélisande by French Impressionist composer Achille-Claude Debussy (Aug. 22, 1862-March 25, 1918) premiered March 21, 1925. Wilhelm von Wymetal’s production team included both Urbans. Russian-born French artist and designer Romain de Tirtoff (Nov. 23, 1892-April 21, 1990), known as Erté, joined the production as title role costume designer for Spanish lyric soprano Lucrezia Bori (Dec. 24, 1887-May 14, 1960).

Pelléas et Mélisande received four performances in the 1924-1925 season. The Urbans’ designs appeared in a total of 47 performances, with the last appearance in the 1948-1949 season.

Greek American stage director Konstantinos “Dino” Yannopoulos (Dec. 15, 1919-April 6, 2003) directed a revised production, which opened Nov. 27, 1953. American abstract-surrealist painter and scenic designer Horace Armistead (1918-1975) was the production’s designer. Metropolitan Opera Archives Database notes: “In revising the sets for Debussy’s opera, Armistead utilized elements from the previous production designed by Joseph Urban.”

Pelléas et Mélisande numbers among 29 productions scheduled for the 2018-2019 Metropolitan Opera season. The 2018-2019 season’s staging revives English opera and theatre director Jonathan Miller’s new production, which debuted March 23, 1955.

La Vestale by Italian opera composer and conductor Gaspare Spontini (Nov. 14, 1774-Jan. 24, 1851) premiered Nov. 12, 1925. The Urbans collaborated on Wilhelm von Wymetal’s production team. The Metropolitan Opera has not performed Spontini’s “tragédie lyrique” with a happy ending since the ninth performance Jan. 4, 1927.

Le Roi d’Ys by French composer Édouard Lalo (Jan. 27, 1823-April 22, 1892) premiered Jan. 5, 1922. The Urbans collaborated under Samuel Thewman’s direction. The Metropolitan Opera has not performed Lalo’s opera about northwestern France’s mythical capital since the premiere season's run of six performances.

Don Quichotte by French Romantic Era composer Jules Massenet (May 12, 1842-Aug. 13, 1912) premiered April 3, 1926. Samuel Thewman directed the production, with the Urbans as designers. Don Quichotte has not been performed since the ninth performance Dec. 12, 1926.

Verdi’s Luisa Miller premiered Dec. 21, 1929. Austrian music historian and stage director Ernst Lert (1883-1955) directed the production, with Joseph as designer. The Metropolitan Opera last performed Verdi’s tragic, love triangle opera during the 2017-2018 season, with a revival of the 2001-2002 season’s new production by Australian opera director Elijah Moshinsky.

Boccaccio by Austrian Romantic Era composer Franz von Suppé (April 18, 1819-May 21, 1895) premiered Jan. 2, 1931. Wilhelm von Wymetal directed the production. Lillian Gärtner Palmedo was costume designer. The premiere season’s 10 performances mark the comic opera’s only appearance in Met Opera’s repertoire.

Von Suppé’s Donna Juanita premiered Jan. 2, 1932. Hanns Niedecken-Gebhard (Sept. 4, 1889-March 7, 1954) directed the production. Lillian Gärtner Palmedo was costume designer. The Metropolitan Opera has not revived Donna Juanita since the comic opera’s premiere run of eight performances.

Elektra by German late Romantic and early modern composer Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949) premiered Dec. 3, 1932. Russian opera and theatre director Alexander Sanine (April 15, 1869-May 8, 1956) directed the production. Lillian Gartner Palmedo was costume designer. The Metropolitan Opera last performed Strauss’ revenge-themed opera during the 2017-2018 season, with a revival of the 2015-2016 season’s new production by French opera and theatre director Patrice Chéreau (Nov. 2, 1944-Oct. 7, 2013).

The takeaway for Joseph Urban’s set designs for 10 Metropolitan Opera premieres is that he collaborated with his costume designer daughter Gretel on six of the opera house’s premieres.

1916 or 1917 glass negative portrait photograph of Joseph Urban by German-American photographer Arnold Genthe (Jan. 8, 1869-Aug. 9, 1942); Genthe photograph collection, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington DC: No known restrictions on publication, via Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC) Photo, Print, Drawing

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Joseph Urban's debut set design for the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Gounod's Faust; Kenneth Macgowan, "The Lesson of Urban," Shadowland (November 1919), page 18: Library of Congress has determined that this item is not in copyright, via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/stream/shadowland01mppu#page/n175/mode/1up

1916 or 1917 glass negative portrait photograph of Joseph Urban by German-American photographer Arnold Genthe (Jan. 8, 1869-Aug. 9, 1942); Genthe photograph collection, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington DC: No known restrictions on publication, via Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC) Photo, Print, Drawing @ https://www.loc.gov/item/2018710056/

For further information:

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“Debut: Gretel Urban.” MetOpera Database > MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 76450 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Don Carlo {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/23/1920.
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“Debuts: Thomas Chalmers, Pierre Monteux, Joseph Urban.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 67050 New production Faust {294} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 11/17/1917.
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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/06/2018-2019-metropolitan-opera-season.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/03/elektra-is-march-17-2018-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Gretel Urban Designed Costumes for U.S. Turandot Premiere at Met Opera." Earth and Space News. Monday, July 30, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/07/gretel-urban-designed-costumes-for-us.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/07/joseph-urban-designed-sets-for-two.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/07/joseph-urban-designed-sets-for-14-us.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Luisa Miller Is April 14, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, April 9, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/04/luisa-miller-is-april-14-2018-met-opera.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/07/mar-lago-architect-joseph-urban-also.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Maria Jeritza Sang Title Role in U.S. Turandot Premiere at Met Opera." Earth and Space News. Monday, Aug. 6, 2018.
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Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=103720

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