Metropolitan Opera Premiered 20 Operas During Opening Season 1883-1884

Summary: New York City’s renowned Metropolitan Opera premiered 20 operas during the company’s opening season 1883-1884.

The Metropolitan Opera's opening season was staged in 1883-1884; image of Met Opera in 1885, in The American Architect and Building News, New York, Nov. 28, 1885, page 265: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

New York City’s Metropolitan Opera premiered 20 operas during the company’s opening season 1883-1884.

October 1883 served as the opening month for the first operatic season offered by Met Opera. The 1883-1884 season closed in April 1884.

Opening month October featured five premieres. The honor of first season opener was claimed by Faust. The devilish opera by French composer Charles François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893) premiered Monday, Oct. 22. The opera, with an Italian libretto instead of Gounod’s original French, received 16 performances during the 1883-1884 season. Closing night occurred Saturday, March 15, 1884.

October’s second premiere was Lucia di Lammermoor. The dramma tragico (tragic opera) by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848) received 10 performances, opening Wednesday, Oct. 24, and closing Monday, April 7.

Il Trovatore opened Friday, Oct. 26, as the season’s third premiere. The rousing opera set in 15th-century Spain by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901), which received seven performances, closed Wednesday, April 9.

October’s fourth premiere was I Puritani by Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini (Nov. 3, 1801-Sept. 23, 1835). The season offered only one performance of the English Civil War opera seria (serious opera), which premiered Monday, Oct. 29.

Mignon opened Wednesday, Oct. 31, as the season’s fifth premiere. The opéra comique (comic opera) by French composer Ambroise Thomas (Aug. 5, 1811-Feb. 12, 1896) was sung in Italian instead of the original French. Mignon, which received eight performances, closed Thursday, April 17.

Seven premieres took place in November. Verdi’s La Traviata opened Monday, Nov. 5, as the season’s sixth premiere. La Traviata received six performances, with closing night on Monday, March 31.

Lohengrin opened Wednesday, Nov. 7, as the season’s seventh premiere. The medieval German opera by German Romantic era composer-librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883), which was sung in Italian instead of the original German, received eight performances. Lohengrin closed Saturday, April 19.

La Sonnambula opened Wednesday, Nov. 14, as the season’s eighth premiere. Bellini’s received five performances, with closing night on Monday, Feb. 18.

The season’s ninth premiere, Verdi’s Rigoletto, happened Friday, Nov. 16. The melodramma in tre atti (three-act melodrama), which received three performances, closed Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24.

Robert le Diable opened Monday, Nov. 19, as the season’s 10th premiere. The grand opéra (grand opera) by German-Jewish composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (Sept. 5, 1791-May 2, 1864) was sung in Italian instead of the French original. Robert le Diable received seven performances, with closing night on Tuesday, April 15.

The season’s 11th premiere, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, opened Friday, Nov. 23. The 1883-1884 season offered nine performances of the opera buffa (comic opera) by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868). The opera’s closing night performance, Saturday, April 19, closed Met Opera’s first season.

November’s seventh premiere, Don Giovanni, on Wednesday, Nov. 28, numbered as the season’s 12th premiere. The opera lirica (lyric opera) by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791) received 12 performances. Don Giovanni closed Thursday, April 10.

Two premieres took place in December. Mefistofele opened Wednesday, Dec. 5, as the season’s 13th premiere. The devilish opera by Italian composer-librettist Arrigo Boito (Feb. 24, 1842-June 10, 1918), which received four performances, closed Tuesday, March 4.

The season’s 14th premiere, La Gioconda, opened Thursday, Dec. 20. The grande opera (grand opera) by Italian composer Amilcare Ponchielli (Aug. 31, 1834-Jan. 16, 1886) received 12 performances, with closing night on Saturday, March 29.

January 1884 featured two premieres. Martha opened Friday, Jan. 4 as the season’s 15th premiere. The opera lirica by German composer Friedrich von Flotow (April 27, 1812-Jan. 24, 1883) was presented in Italian instead of the original German. Martha received six performances, with closing night on Saturday, March 22.

Carmen opened Saturday, Jan. 5, as the season’s 16th premiere. The opéra-comique (comic opera) by French Romantic era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875) was sung in Italian instead of the French original. Carmen, which received 10 performances, closed Friday, April 4.

Two premieres took place in February. Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète opened Tuesday, Feb. 12, as the season’s 17th premiere. The grand opéra was presented in Italian instead of the French original. Le Prophète received four performances, with closing night on Friday, April 18.

Hamlet opened Thursday, Feb. 21, as the season’s 18th premiere. The grand opéra by French composer Ambroise Thomas was sung in Italian instead of the French original. Hamlet received three performances, with closing night on Monday, March 10.

March welcomed one premiere. Les Huguenots opened March 19 as the season’s 19th premiere. Meyerbeer’s spectacular grand opéra was sung in Italian instead of the French original. Les Huguenots, which received three performances, closed Monday, April 7. The illness of Swedish bel canto soprano Christine Nilsson (Aug. 20, 1843-Nov. 20, 1921), in the role of Valentine, restricted the opera’s closing night performance to the first act.

One premiere opened in the 1883-1884 season’s closing month for only one performance. Gounod’s Shakespearean opera, Roméo et Juliette, premiered Wednesday, April 16.

The takeaways for Metropolitan Opera’s premiering of 20 operas during opening season 1883-1884 are that the season opened Oct. 22, 1883, with Gounod’s Faust and closed April 19, 1884, with Rossini’s Le Barbiere di Siviglia; that November claimed the most premieres with seven openings; and that Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi and German Jewish composer Giacomo Meyerbeer tied as the opening season’s most represented composer with three operatic contributions each.

Metropolitan Opera’s opening night by American painter Charles Courtney Curran (Feb. 13, 1861-Nov. 9, 1942): The Metropolitan Opera @Met Opera, via Facebook Oct. 22, 2018

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

The Metropolitan Opera's opening season was staged in 1883-1884; image of Met Opera in 1885, in The American Architect and Building News, New York, Nov. 28, 1885, page 265: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Metropolitan_Opera_House_American_Architect_&_Building_News_Nov._28,_1885_p.265.jpg

Metropolitan Opera’s opening night by American painter Charles Courtney Curran (Feb. 13, 1861-Nov. 9, 1942): The Metropolitan Opera @Met Opera, via Facebook Oct. 22, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10161173142685533/

For further information:

"1883-1884." MetOpera Database.
Available @ http://69.18.170.204/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/gisrch31.r?Term=1883-84&limit=3000&xBranch=ALL&xmtype=&xsdate=&xedate=&theterm=1883-84&xhome=http://69.18.170.204/archives/bibpro.htm&xhomepath=http://69.18.170.204/archiv&x=0

Marriner, Derdriu. "2017-2018 Metropolitan Opera Season Schedules 26 Productions." Earth and Space News. Monday, June 19, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/06/2017-2018-metropolitan-opera-season_19.html

The Metropolitan Opera @Met Opera. "Today marks the 135th anniversary of the opening of the Metropolitan Opera, which occurred at the “old Met” on 39th Street and Broadway on October 22, 1883, with a performance of Gounod’s Faust (seen below in a painting by Charles Courtney Curran). Image courtesy of the Met Archives." Facebook. Oct. 22, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10161173142685533/

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Carmen.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1560 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Carmen {1} Metropolitan Opera House: o1/5/1884.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1560

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Don Giovanni.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1240 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Don Giovanni {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/28/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1240

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Faust.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1000 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Faust {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/22/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1000

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Hamlet.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 2030 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Hamlet {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/21/1884.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=2030

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere: I Puritani.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1040 Metropolitan Opera Premiere I Puritani {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/29/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1040

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1200 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Il Barbiere di Siviglia {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/23/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1200

"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

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere: La Gioconda.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1390 Metropolitan Opera Premiere La Gioconda {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/20/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1390

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere: La Sonnambula.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1140 Metropolitan Opera Premiere La Sonnambula {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/14/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1140

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere: La Traviata.” 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

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Le Prophète.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1940 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Le Prophète {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/12/1884.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1940

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Les Huguenots.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 2250 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Les Huguenots {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/19/1884. Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=2250

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Lohengrin.” 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=1090

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Lucia di Lammermoor.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1010 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Lucia di Lammermoor {1} etropolitan Opera House: 10/24/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1010

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Martha.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1540 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Martha {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/4/1884.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1540

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Mefistofele.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1290 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Mefistofele {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/5/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1290

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Mignon.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1050 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Mignon {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/31/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1050

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Rigoletto.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1150 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Rigoletto {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/16/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1150

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Robert le Diable.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1180 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Robert le Diable {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/19/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1180

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Roméo et Juliette.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 2430 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Roméo et Juliette {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/16/1884.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=2430

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