Hamlet Opened Feb. 21, 1884, as 18th Opera in Met Opera's First Season

Summary: Hamlet opened Feb. 21, 1884, as the 18th opera in Met Opera's first season, 1883-1884.

Polish coloratura soprano Marcella Sembrich originated the role of Ophelia at the Metropolitan Opera with her appearance in the opera house's first season premiere of French composer Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet; The Sembrich @TheSembrich, via Facebook Feb. 24, 2020

Hamlet premiered Thursday, Feb. 21, 1884, as the 18th opera in Met Opera's opening season, 1883-1884.

The five-act grand opéra (grand opera) by French composer Ambroise Thomas (Aug. 5, 1811-Feb. 12, 1896) received three performances, sung in Italian, during Met Opera's first season. Hamlet's Thursday premiere took place at the Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio. The second performance took place Friday, Monday, March 3, at the Boston Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. The inaugural season's third and closing performance of Hamlet took place Monday, March 10, at the Metropolitan Opera House.

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

Giuseppe Kaschmann (July 14, 1850-Feb. 11, 1925) sang the title role in all three performances. The Croatian-Austrian operatic baritone, whose birth name was Josip Kašman, had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1883, as Enrico in the first season's second premiere, Lucia di Lammermoor by Italian opera composer Gaetano Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848).

Marcella Sembrich (Feb. 15, 1858-Jan. 11, 1935) sang opposite Giuseppe Kaschmann's Hamlet as Ophelia, Hamlet's fiancée and daughter of Court Chancellor Polonius. The Polish coloratura soprano had made her Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1883, in the title role in Met Opera's premiere of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

Giovanni Mirabella appeared as Claudius, Hamlet's fratricidal uncle, in all three performances. The Florentine bass had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 29, 1883, as Giorgio in I Puritani by 19th century Italian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini (Nov. 3, 1801-Sept. 23, 1835).

Sofia Scalchi (Nov. 29, 1850-Aug. 22, 1922) sang Gertrude, Hamlet's mother who casts off widowhood to marry her deceased husband's brother, 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 first season's inaugural premiere of Faust by French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893).

Nicola Stagi appeared as Laërte, Ophelia's vengeful brother, in all three performances. The Italian tenor had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 19, 1883, as Raimbaut in the opening season's 10th premiere, Robert le Diable by German Jewish opera composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (Sept. 5, 1791-May 2, 1864).

Baldassare Corsini sang the bass role of Court Chancellor Polonius, who is Ophelia's father, in all two performances. (The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database lists "unknown" for the singer of Polonius in the opera's closing performance.) He had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 31, 1883, as Laërte in the first season's fifth premiere, Giacomo Meyerbeer's Mignon.

Ludovico Contini appeared as Hamlet's friend Horatio in two performances. (The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database lists "unknown" for the singer of Horatio in the opera's closing performance.) He had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 22, 1883, as Wagner in the inaugural season's first premiere, Gounod's Faust.

Amadeo Grazzi sang the bass role of Hamlet's friend Marcellus in two performances. (The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database lists "unknown" for the singer of Marcellus in the opera's closing performance.) He had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1883, as Normanno in the first season's second premiere, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

Achille Augier sang the bass role of the Ghost of Hamlet's father in all three performances. He had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1883, as Raimondo in the premiere of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database (MetOpera Database) credits Malvina Cavalazzi (Cavallazzi) (ca. 1851/1862-1924) for "Dance." The Italian ballet dancer and teacher had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 5, 1883, in the first season's sixth premiere, La Traviata by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901). In her dance history book, Shapes of American Ballet: Teachers and Training Before Balanchine (2016), Texas Christian University (TCU) Associate Professor of Dance Jessica Zeller, titled Malvina Cavallazzi as first ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera and as first director of the newly opened (1909) Metropolitan Opera Ballet School.

MetOpera Database credits Mr. Corani (Henry De Courtney Corani, ca. 1849-May 1905) and Mr. Abbiati as the production's directors for the Hamlet's premiere. Both directors had made their Met Opera debuts Monday, Oct. 22, 1883, in the inaugural season's first premiere, Gounod's Faust.

The first season's presentation of Hamlet numbered as the second of two Ambroise Thomas operas staged in opera house's inaugural season. Mignon had premiered Wednesday, Oct. 31, 1883, as the season's fifth opera.

Hamlet numbered as the 18th opera in the lineup of 20 operas in the Metropolitan Opera's opening season, 1883-1884. Les Huguenots, by German Jewish opera composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (Sept. 5, 1791-May 2, 1864), succeeded Hamlet as the 19th premiere in Met Opera's opening season.

The takeaways for Met Opera's premiere of Hamlet are that the grand opéra (grand opera) was staged as the 18th opera in Met Opera's first season, 1883-1884, and that Polish coloratura soprano Marcella Sembrich originated the opera house's role of Ophelia.

Austrian-Croatian operatic baritone Giuseppe Kaschmann (birth name: Josip Kašman) originated the Met Opera role of Hamlet in the opera house's first season premiere of French composer Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet: Music History @today_classical, via Twitter Feb. 11, 2018

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Polish coloratura soprano Marcella Sembrich originated the role of Ophelia at the Metropolitan Opera with her appearance in the opera house's first season premiere of French composer Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet; The Sembrich @TheSembrich, via Facebook Feb. 24, 2020, @ https://www.facebook.com/TheSembrich/photos/a.481908958541300/2711668802231960/

Austrian-Croatian operatic baritone Giuseppe Kaschmann (birth name: Josip Kašman) originated the Met Opera role of Hamlet in the opera house's first season premiere of French composer Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet: Music History @today_classical, via Twitter Feb. 11, 2018, @ https://twitter.com/today_classical/status/962649973463703552

For further information:

Arakelyan, Ashot. "Giuseppe Kaschmann (Baritone) (Mali Lošinj 1847-Rome 1925)." Forgotten Opera Singers. Dec. 7, 2013.
Available @ http://forgottenoperasingers.blogspot.com/2013/12/giuseppe-kaschmann-baritone-mali-losinj.html

"Cavallazzi Malvina." Regione Emilia-Romagna > Vie en rose > Schede > Ravenna schede.
Available @ https://parita.regione.emilia-romagna.it/vie-en-rose/schede/ravenna-schede/cavallazzi-malvina

"Debut: Baldassare Corsini." 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

"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: Giovanni Mirabella, Ida Corani." 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

"Debut: Nicola Stagi." 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

"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. "Met Opera Opened Mignon Oct. 31, 1883, as Fifth First Season Premiere." Earth and Space News. Monday, Oct. 19, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/10/met-opera-opened-mignon-oct-31-1883-as.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: Hamlet.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 2030 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Hamlet {1} Music Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio: 02/21/1884.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1540

Music History @today_classical. "#Today in 1925 Death of #baritone Giuseppe #Kaschmann. #MusicHistory #classicalmusic." Twitter. Feb. 11, 2018.
Available @ https://twitter.com/today_classical/status/962649973463703552

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

Zeller, Jessica. "Ballet’s Traditionalists: Malvina Cavallazzi and Luigi Albertieri." Shapes of American Ballet Teachers and Training Before Balanchine. New York NY: Oxford University Press, 2016.