Met Opera Opened Rigoletto Nov. 16, 1883, as Ninth First Season Opera

Summary: Met Opera opened Rigoletto Friday, Nov. 16, 1883, as the ninth premiere in the opera house's first season, 1883-1884.

Grace Goldini, stage name of American soprano Grace Golden, made her Met Opera debut Friday, Nov. 16, 1883, in Verdi's Rigoletto, two days after her 16th birthday; portrait of Grace Golden in The Marie Burroughs Art Portfolio of Stage Celebrities (1894): Public Domain, via Internet Archive

Met Opera opened Rigoletto Friday, Nov. 16, 1883, as the inaugural season's ninth of 20 premieres and as the third of three first season Verdi operas.

The three-act opera (opera in tre atti) by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901) received three performances, sung in Italian, in the Metropolitan Opera's inaugural season, 1883-1884. The Metropolitan Opera House was the venue for the premiere, Friday, Nov. 16, 1883, as well as the season's second performance, Friday, Nov. 30, and the third, closing performance, Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24.

Auguste Vianesi (Nov. 2, 1837-Nov. 4, 1908) conducted all three of the season's performances of Rigoletto. The French-naturalized, northwestern Italy-born conductor had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 22, 1883, in the season's inaugural premiere, Faust by French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893).

Luigi Guadagnini (died 1902) sang the title role of Rigoletto, the Duke of Mantua's jester, in the premiere performance. The Italian baritone's appearance in Rigoletto' premiere, Friday, Nov. 16, 1883, marked his Met Opera debut.

Luigi Guadagnini shared the title role with Giuseppe Del Puente, who sang Rigoletto in the second (Friday, Nov. 30) and third, closing (Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24) performances. The Italian baritone had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 22, 1883, as Valentin in the season's inaugural premiere, Gounod's Faust.

Marcella Sembrich (Feb. 15, 1858-Jan. 11, 1935) appeared in all three performances as Gilda, Rigoletto's daughter, who voluntarily substitutes her murder for the intended stabbing of the seduction-addicted Duke of Mantua. The Polish coloratura soprano had made her Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1883, in the title role in the first season's second premiere, Lucia di Lammermoor by Italian opera composer Gaetano Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848).

Roberto Stagno (Oct. 18, 1840-April 26, 1897) sang the duplicitous, womanizing Duke of Mantua in all three performances. The Italian operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Oct. 26, 1883, in the title role, Manrico, in the season's third premiere, Verdi's Il Trovatore.

Sofia Scalchi (Nov. 29, 1850-Aug. 22, 1922) sang Maddalena, assassin Sparafucile's sister, who is besotted with the faithless Duke of Mantua, in all three performances. The Italian operatic contralto-mezzosoprano had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 22, 1883, in the trouser role of Siebel in the inaugural season's first premiere, Gounod's Faust.

Franco Novara (1859-Jan. 7, 1899) appeared in all three performances as Sparafucile, an assassin who fatally stabs Gilda as a proxy for his intended victim, the Duke of Mantua. English bass Francis Naish, whose stage name was Franco Novara, had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 22, 1883, as Méphistophélès in the season's inaugural premiere, Gounod's Faust.

Achille Augier appeared in all three performances as Monterone, who curses the Duke of Mantua for seducing his daughter and curses Rigoletto for cruel mockeries. He had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1883, as Raimondo in the 1883-1884 season's second premiere, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

Amadeo Grazzi appeared in all three performances as Borsa, in whom the Duke of Mantua confides his desire for an unknown beauty whom he has seen in church. Amadeo Grazzi had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1883, as Normanno in the season's second premiere, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

Ludovico Contini sang, in all three performances, Marullo, who turns fatal attention upon Rigoletto with his false gossip of the jester's secret lover. He had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 22, 1883, as Wagner in the first season's first premiere, Gounod's Faust.

Baldassare Corsini appeared in all three performances as Count Ceprano, whose wife is one of the lascivious Duke of Mantua's targets. He had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 22, 1883, as Wagner in the season's inaugural premiere, Gounod's Faust.

Miss Genetti (no first name given) appeared in all three performances as Countess Ceprano, who is the Duke of Mantua's list of intended conquests. Miss Genetti's premiere performance Friday, Nov. 16, marked her Met Opera debut. Her appearance in the third, closing performance Christmas Eve marked her last Met Opera performance.

Imogene Forti sang Gilda's nurse Giovanna in all three performances. Imogene Forti had made her Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1883, as Alisa in the season's second premiere, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

Grace Goldini (Nov. 14, 1867-Aug. 14, 1903), stage name of American soprano Grace Isabella Golden, sang the trouser role of the Page who unsuccessfully tries to deliver a message from the Duchess of Mantua to the amorously-occupied Duke of Mantua. Grace Goldini's premiere appearance as the Page marked her Met Opera debut, which occurred two days after her 16th birthday.

Rigoletto numbered as the third of three Verdi operas staged in Met Opera's first season. Il Trovatore had premiered Friday, Oct. 26, as the opera house's first Verdi opera and as the first season's third opera. La Traviata had opened Monday, Nov. 5, as the second Verdi opera and as the first season's sixth premiere.

Robert le Diable, by German Jewish opera composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (Sept. 5, 1791-May 2, 1864), succeeded Rigoletto as the 10th first season premiere. Robert le Diable premiered Monday, Nov. 19, 1883.

The takeaways for Met Opera's premiere of I Puritani are that the opera seria in tre atti (three-act serious opera) was staged as the fourth opera in Met Opera's inaugural season, 1883-1884; that the happy-ending opera received only one performance; and that I Puritani occurred as the first of two Bellini operas staged in the opera house's opening season.

Marcella Sembrich originated the role of Verdi's Gilda at the Metropolitan Opera with her appearances in the opera house's inaugural season performances of Rigoletto: The Sembrich @TheSembrich, via Facebook March 9, 2016

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Grace Goldini, stage name of American soprano Grace Golden, made her Met Opera debut Friday, Nov. 16, 1883, in Verdi's Rigoletto, two days after her 16th birthday; portrait of Grace Golden in The Marie Burroughs Art Portfolio of Stage Celebrities (1894): Public Domain, via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/marieburroughsar00chic/page/n102/mode/1up

Marcella Sembrich originated the role of Verdi's Gilda at the Metropolitan Opera with her appearances in the opera house's inaugural season performances of Rigoletto: The Sembrich @TheSembrich, via Facebook March 9, 2016, @ @ https://www.facebook.com/TheSembrich/photos/a.481908958541300/975713902494134/

For further information:

"1867 Birth of American soprano Grace Golden, [Goldini, Mme or Mlle]." Today's Date in Classical Music History > November 14.
Available @ http://cdexchang.blogspot.com/2011/11/november-14-today-in-classical-music.html

"Debut: Luigi Guadagnini, Miss Genetti, Grace Goldini." 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

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

"Grace Golden." Find a Grave > Find a Grave Memorial 11884. Aug. 26, 2000.
Available @ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11884/grace-golden#source

The Marie Burroughs Art Portfolio of Stage Celebrities. A Collection of Photographs of the Leaders of Dramatic and Lyric Art. Chicago : A.N. Marquis & Company, 1894.
Available via HathiTrust @ https://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101073370700
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/marieburroughsar00chic/

Marriner, Derdriu. "Il Trovatore Opened Oct. 26 as Third Opera in Met Opera’s First Season." Earth and Space News. Monday, Oct. 5, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/10/il-trovatore-opened-oct-26-as-third.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera Opened La Traviata Nov. 5, 1883, as Sixth First Season Opera." Earth and Space News. Monday, Oct. 26, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/10/met-opera-opened-la-traviata-nov-5-1883.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

The Metropolitan Opera Guild @metropolitanoperaguild. "Verdi's RIGOLETTO had its Met premiere on this day in 1883! Catch it at the Met this season starting in January! #TodayInOpera." Facebook. Nov. 16, 2016.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/metropolitanoperaguild/photos/a.10150144873997754/10154780549082754/

"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

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

The Sembrich @TheSembrich. "Happy #Halloween from #TheSembrich! Want to know one of the the perks of being an #opera singer?! You get to wear a costume at work!📷: Madame Sembrich as Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto with The Metropolitan Opera." Facebook. Oct. 31, 2020.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/TheSembrich/photos/a.481908958541300/3362780470454120/

The Sembrich @TheSembrich. "On March 9, 1884, Marcella Sembrich performed in a Grand Sunday Night Concert at the Boston Theatre. Included in the program was the famous quartet from Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi. Sembrich sang the role of Gilda along with Zelia Trebelli, Italo Campanini and Giuseppe Kaschmann. Hear Sembrich perform the role in this version, opposite renowned tenor Enrico Caruso.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my0DLg4AJsM." Facebook. March 9, 2016.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/TheSembrich/photos/a.481908958541300/975713902494134/