Il Trovatore Opened Oct. 26 as Third Opera in Met Opera’s First Season

Summary: Il Trovatore opened Oct. 26 as the third opera in Met Opera’s first season, 1883-1884.

Zelia Trebelli as Met Opera's first Azucena (left of Henry Abbey [upper center right], manager of Met Opera's inaugural season) is depicted in The Operatic Wars in New York by Austrian-born American cartoonist and caricaturist Joseph Ferdinand Keppler (Feb. 1, 1838-Feb. 19, 1894) in Puck, vol. 14 (Oct. 31, 1883); Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington DC: No known restrictions, via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC)

Il Trovatore premiered Oct. 26 as the third opera in Met Opera’s opening season, 1883-1884.

The dramma lirico in quattro atti (four-act lyric drama) by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901) received seven performances during Met Opera’s first season. The Friday, Oct. 26, premiere and second performance, Monday, Nov. 26, performances were staged at the Metropolitan Opera House. The third performance, Friday, Dec. 28, was held at the Boston Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. The fourth performance, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 1884, took place at the Chestnut Street Opera House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The fifth performance, Monday, Feb. 4, was offered at the Olympic Theater in St. Louis, Missouri. The sixth performance, Friday, Feb. 15, took place the Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio. Il Trovatore closed Wednesday, April 9, 1884, at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Auguste Vianesi (Nov. 2, 1837-Nov. 4, 1908) conducted Il Trovatore’s Friday premiere. The French-naturalized, northwestern Italy-born conductor held the baton for all seven performances. He had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 22, 1883, in the opening season's first premiere, Faust by French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893)

Roberto Stagno (Oct. 18, 1840-April 26, 1897) appeared in the title role as Manrico, the troubadour (trovatore) who forms a love triangle for Leonora with Count di Luna. He sang Manrico in all seven of the season’s performances of Il Trovatore. The Italian operatic tenor’s appearance in the premiere marked his Met Opera debut.

Alwina Valleria (Oct. 12, 1848-Feb. 17, 1925) appeared as Leonora, who loves Manrico the troubadour. She sang Leonora in the first six of the season’s seven performances of Il Trovatore. The American soprano’s appearance in the premiere marked her Met Opera debut.

Alwina Valleria shared the role with Emmy Fursch-Madi (1847-Sept. 21, 1894). The French operatic soprano sang Leonora in the season’s closing performance of Il Trovatore on Wednesday, April 9. She had made her Met Opera debut five months earlier, Wednesday, Nov. 7, as Ortrud in the premiere of the opening season’s seventh opera, Lohengrin by German Romantic era composer-librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883).

Giuseppe Kaschmann (July 14, 1850-Feb. 11, 1925) appeared as Count di Luna, who unsuccessfully courts Leonora. The Croatian-Austrian operatic baritone sang Count di Luna in all seven performances. He had made his Met Opera debut two days earlier, Wednesday, Oct. 24, as Enrico in the premiere of the opening season’s second opera, Lucia di Lammermoor by Italian opera composer Gaetano Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848).

Zelia Trebelli (Nov. 12, 1836-Aug. 18, 1892) appeared as Azucena, the gypsy who had raised Manrico (in reality Count di Luna’s brother) as her son. The French operatic mezzo-soprano’s performance in the premiere marked her Met Opera debut. She sang the role in five of the season’s seven performances.

Zelia Trebelli shared the role with Sofia Scalchi and Emmy Lablache. Sofia Scalchi (Nov. 29, 1850-Aug. 22, 1922) sang Azucena in the opera’s Friday, Dec. 28 performance. The Italian operatic contralto-mezzo-soprano had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 22, in the trouser role of Siebel in the premiere of the first season’s opening opera, Faust by French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893).

Emilie Deméric-Lablache (Oct. 6, 1830-?), credited as Emily Lablache, appeared as Azucena in the opera’s closing performance, Wednesday, April 9. The French contralto had made her Met Opera debut five months earlier, on Monday, Nov. 5, as Flora, in the opening season’s sixth premiere, Verdi’s La Traviata.

Achille Augier sang Ferrando, Count di Luna's officer, in all seven performances. He had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1883, as Raimondo in the opening season's second opera, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

Imogene Forti sang Leonora's confidante Ines in all seven performances. She had made her Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1883, as Alisa in the opening season's second opera, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

Amadeo Grazzi sang Manrico's henchman Ruiz in all seven performances. He had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1883, as Normanno in the opening season's second premiere, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database (MetOpera Database) indicates that the roles of the Messenger and the Gypsy were only performed in the sixth performance, Friday, Feb. 15, which was held at the Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio. Giuseppe Barberis and Francesco Rizzielli made the production's only appearances as the Messenger and the Gypsy, respectively.

Giuseppe Barberis had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 5, as Giuseppe in the inaugural season's sixth premiere, Verdi's La Traviata. Francesco Rizzielli made his Met Opera debut Feb. 12, 1884, as the Herald in the first season's 17th premiere, Le Prophète by German Jewish opera composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (Sept. 5, 1791-May 2, 1864).

Mr. Corani (Henry De Courtney Corani, ca. 1849-May 1905) and Mr. Abbiati headed the production team as the opera’s directors. All members of the production team had made their Met Opera debuts Monday, Oct. 22, 1883, in the opening season's first premiere, Gounod's Faust.

The production’s sets were designed by Charles Fox, Jr., William Schaeffer, Gaspar Maeder (ca. 1840-Jan. 18, 1892) and Mr. Thompson. Costumes were designed by Henry Dazian (May 3, 1854-May 4, 1937) and D. Ascoli. Henry partnered in Dazian’s, the theatrical goods and costumers’ supply emporium that his father, Wolf Dazian (1818-Jan. 10, 1902) had founded in 1842.

Il Trovatore numbered as the first of three Verdi operas staged in Met Opera's first season. La Traviata premiered Monday, Nov. 5, as the second Verdi opera and as the first season's sixth opera. Rigoletto opened Friday, Nov. 16, as the third Verdi opera and as the first season's ninth opera.

I Puritani, by 19th century Italian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini (Nov. 3, 1801-Sept. 23, 1835), succeeded Il Trovatore as the fourth first season premiere. I Puritani premiered Monday, Oct. 29, 1883.

The takeaways for Il Trovatore opening Oct. 26 as the third opera in Met Opera’s first season are that the impassioned tragedy by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi received seven performances; and that Il Trovatore numbered as the first of three Verdi operas staged in the Metropolitan Opera's inaugural season.

Zelia Trebelli's origination of the role of Azucena in 1883 in Met Opera's premiere of Verdi's Il Trovatore revisited the French mezzo-soprano's opera debut in 1859, as Azucena, at Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain; 1876 portrait of Zelia Trebelli as Azucena at Kungliga Operan (Royal Swedish Opera), Stockholm: Swedish Performing Arts Agency, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Zelia Trebelli as Met Opera's first Azucena (left of Henry Abbey [upper center right], manager of Met Opera's inaugural season) is depicted in The Operatic Wars in New York by Austrian-born American cartoonist and caricaturist Joseph Ferdinand Keppler (Feb. 1, 1838-Feb. 19, 1894) in Puck, vol. 14 (Oct. 31, 1883); Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington DC: No known restrictions, via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC) @ https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2012645537/

Zelia Trebelli's origination of the role of Azucena in 1883 in Met Opera's premiere of Verdi's Il Trovatore revisited the French mezzo-soprano's opera debut in 1859, as Azucena, at Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain; 1876 portrait of Zelia Trebelli as Azucena at Kungliga Operan (Royal Swedish Opera), Stockholm: Swedish Performing Arts Agency, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zelia_Trebelli,_rollportr%C3%A4tt_-_SMV_-_H8_139.tif

For further information:

"Debut: Emily Lablache, Giuseppe Barberis, Malvina Cavalazzi." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID:1080 Metropolitan Opera Premiere La Traviata {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/5/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1080

"Debut: Emmy Fursch-Madi." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1090 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Lohengrin {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/7/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1020

"Debut: Francesco Rizzielli." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1940 Metropolitan Opera Premiere e Prophète {1} Music Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio: 02/12/1884.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1940

"Debut: Roberto Stagno, Alwina Valleria, Zelia Trebelli." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1020 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Il Trovatore {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/26/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1020

"Debuts: Italo Campanini, Christine Nilsson, Franco Novara, Giuseppe Del Puente, Sofia Scalchi, Louise Lablache, Ludovico Contini, Auguste Vianesi, Mr. Corani, Mr. Abbiati, Charles Fox, Jr., William Schaeffer, Gaspar Maeder, Mr. Thompson, D. Ascoli, Henry Dazian." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID:1000 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Faust {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/22/1883. Metropolitan Opera Premiere Opening Night {1}.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1000

"Debuts: Marcella Sembrich, Giuseppe Kaschmann, Achille Augier, Amadeo Grazzi, Imogene Forti, Vincenzo Fornaris." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1010 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Lucia di Lammermoor {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/24/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1010

Marriner, Derdriu. “Il Trovatore Is Feb. 3, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Jan. 29, 2018. Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/01/il-trovatore-is-feb-3-2018-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Metropolitan Opera Premiered 20 Operas During Opening Season 1883-1884." Earth and Space News. Monday, Sept. 14, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/10/metropolitan-opera-premiered-20-operas.html

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Il Trovatore.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1020 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Il Trovatore {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/26/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1020

Rous, Samuel Holland. The Victrola Book of the Opera: Stories of One Hundred and Twenty Operas With Seven-Hundred Illustrations and Descriptions of Twelve-Hundred Victor Opera Records. Fourth revised edition. Camden NJ: Victor Talking Machine Company, 1917.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/victrolabookofop00vict