Marcella Sembrich Sang Met Opera's Mimì December 1902 to February 1909

Summary: Marcella Sembrich sang Met Opera's Mimì December 1902 to February 1909 in her reign of 27 performances over seven seasons as third Met Opera Mimì.

Marcella Sembrich became Met Opera's third Mimì with her appearance in the opera house's 18th performance, Dec. 15, 1902, of Puccini's La Bohème: The Sembrich @TheSembrich, via Facebook Nov. 12, 2018

Marcella Sembrich became the third Met Opera Mimì on Monday, Dec. 15, 1902, appeared as La Bohème's sweet seamstress in 27 performances over seven seasons and sang her last Mimì Monday, Feb. 1, 1909, during her last Met Opera season.

The Metropolitan Opera premiere of La Bohème had taken place Friday, Nov. 9, 1900, at Hazard's Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. Nellie Melba (May 19, 1861-Feb. 23, 1931) appeared as the New York City-based opera house's first Mimì for all 15 premiere season performances. The Australian operatic soprano, whose birth name was Helen Porter Mitchell, had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Dec. 4, 1893, in the title role in the opera house's 12th performance of Lucia di Lammermoor by Italian opera composer Gaetano Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848).

Giuseppe Cremonini sang opposite Nellie Melba as the opera house's first Rodolfo. He had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Nov. 29, 1895, as Fernando in the opera house's premiere of Donizetti's La Favorita.

Suzanne Adams (Nov. 28, 1872-Feb. 5, 1953) became Met Opera's second Mimì with two performances in the opera's second Met Opera season, 1901-1902. The American lyric coloratura soprano had made her Met Opera debut Tuesday, Nov. 8, 1898, in the title role of Juliette in the opera house's 49th performance of Roméo et Juliette by French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893).

Marcella Sembrich (Feb. 15, 1858-Jan. 11, 1935) became the third Met Opera Mimì in the opera house's 18th La Bohème performance, on Monday, Dec. 15, 1902. 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, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

In the 1902-1903 season, La Bohème received five performances: Monday, Dec. 15, 1902; Thursday, Jan. 8, 1903; Saturday, Jan. 24; Friday, Feb. 13; Saturday, March 28. Emilio De Marchi (Jan. 6, 1861-March 20, 1917) appeared in the first three and the fifth, closing performances as Marcella Sembrich's first Rodolfo and Met Opera's third Rodolfo. The Italian operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Oct. 18, 1901, as Radamès in the opera house's 62nd performance of Aida by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Carlo Dani (Oct. 1, 1873-April 15, 1944) became Marcella Sembrich's second Rodolfo and Met Opera's fourth Rodolfo with his appearance in the opera house's 21st La Bohème performance, on Friday, Feb. 13, 1903. The Italian tenor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Dec. 5, 1902, as the Duke of Mantua in the opera house's 33rd performance of Verdi's Rigoletto.

The 1903-1904 season saw three performances of Puccini's bohemian opera: Friday, Nov. 27, 1903; Saturday, Dec. 5; Monday, Dec. 21. Giuseppe Agostini (July 21, 1874-July 26, 1951) became Marcella Sembrich's third Rodolfo and the opera house's fifth Rodolfo with his appearance in Met Opera's 23rd La Bohème performance, Nov. 27. The Italian operatic tenor's appearance in the role marked his Met Opera debut.

Enrico Caruso (Feb. 25, 1873-Aug. 2, 1921) became Marcella Sembrich's fourth Rodolfo and the opera house's sixth with his appearance in the season's second performance, Friday, Dec. 5. He also sang Rodolfo in the season's third, closing performance of La Bohème. The Italian operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 23, 1903, as the Duke of Mantua in the opera house's 35th performance of Verdi's Rigoletto.

In the next season, 1904-1905, La Bohème received four performances: Friday, Dec. 16, 1904; Wednesday, Jan. 4, 1905; Tuesday, Jan. 24; Monday, Jan. 30. Marcella Sembrich sang the season's last three performances. Nellie Melba reprised Mimì in the season's first performance.

With Enrico Caruso singing the season's first three performances, he overlapped with Marcella Sembrich on the second and third dates. Andreas Dippel (Nov. 30, 1866-May 12, 1932) became Marcella Sembrich's fifth Rodolfo and Met Opera's seventh with his appearance in the opera house's 29th La Bohème performance, on Monday, Jan. 30, 1905. The German-born operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Nov. 26, 1890, in the title role in the opera house's United States premiere of Asrael by Italian Jewish opera composer Alberto Franchetti (Sept. 18, 1860-Aug. 4, 1942).

In the 1905-1906 season, La Bohème received seven performances: Monday, Dec. 18, 1905; Wednesday, Jan. 10, 1906; Saturday, Jan. 20; Tuesday, Jan. 23; Saturday, Feb. 3; Thursday, Feb. 22; Thursday, March 29. Marcella Sembrich appeared in the first, second, fourth and fifth performances. Her four performances matched with four of Enrico Caruso's six performances.

In the next season, 1906-1907, Met Opera offered 15 performances of La Bohème. Marcella Sembrich appeared in the first (Wednesday, Nov. 28, 1906), second (Monday, Dec. 17), sixth (Saturday, Feb. 9, 1907) and eighth (Thursday, March 7) performances. Four of Enrico Caruso's 11 performances overlapped with Marcella Sembrich's four.

In the 1907-1908 season, Met Opera staged 12 performances of La Bohème. Marcella Sembrich sang in the second (Wednesday, Nov. 27, 1907), third (Thursday, Dec. 5) and fourth (Saturday, Dec. 14) performances. Alessandro Bonci (Feb. 10, 1870-Aug. 9, 1940) became Marcella Sembrich's sixth Rodolfo with his appearance in the opera house's 53rd La Bohème performance, Nov. 27. Met Opera's eighth Rodolfo continued the role in the third and fourth performances with Marcella Sembrich. The Italian lyric tenor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Nov. 22, 1907, as the Duke of Mantua in the opera house's 52nd performance of Verdi's Rigoletto.

In the next season, 1908-1909, which was Marcella Sembrich's last Met Opera season, the Metropolitan Opera presented 11 La Bohème performances. Marcella Sembrich's last five Met Opera Mimì appearances occurred in the first (Tuesday, Nov. 17, 1908), third (Thursday, Nov. 26), fourth (Friday, Dec. 11), fifth (Wednesday, Dec. 30) and sixth (Monday, Feb. 1, 1909) performances.

Marcella Sembrich sang with her fourth and sixth Rodolfos in her final season as Met Opera's third Mimì. Enrico Caruso's appearance on Nov. 17 marked his last appearance as Marcella Sembrich's fourth Rodolfo. Sixth Rodolfo Alessandro Bonci sang in Marcella Sembrich's last four Mimì performances.

The takeaways for Marcella Sembrich as the third Met Opera Mimì are that the Polish coloratura soprano sang the role in 27 performances over seven seasons and that her six Rodolfos included Italian tenor Enrico Caruso as number four.

Enrico Caruso added Rodolfo to his Met Opera portfolio via his Dec. 5, 1903, appearance opposite Marcella Sembrich's Mimì in the opera house's 24th performance of Puccini's La Bohème: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Nov. 23, 2015

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Marcella Sembrich became Met Opera's third Mimì with her appearance in the opera house's 18th performance, Dec. 15, 1902, of Puccini's La Bohème: The Sembrich @TheSembrich, via Facebook Nov. 12, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/TheSembrich/photos/p.1903604146371767/1903604146371767/

Enrico Caruso added Rodolfo to his Met Opera portfolio via his Dec. 5, 1903, appearance opposite Marcella Sembrich's Mimì in the opera house's 24th performance of Puccini's La Bohème: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Nov. 23, 2015, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10156359896275533/10156359896315533/

For further information:

Arakelyan, Ashot. "Carlo Dani (Tenor) (Firenze 1873 - ?)." Forgotten Opera Singers. Nov. 26, 2011.
Available @ http://forgottenoperasingers.blogspot.com/2011/11/carlo-dani-tenor-firenze-1873.html

Arakelyan, Ashot. "Emilio De Marchi (Tenor) (Voghera 1861 – Milan 1917)." Forgotten Opera Singers. March 30, 2015.
Available @ https://forgottenoperasingers.blogspot.com/2015/03/emilio-de-marchi-tenor-voghera-1861.html

Arakelyan, Ashot. "Giuseppe Agostini (Tenor) (Verona 1870 - Abdington 1951)." Forgotten Opera Singers. Jan. 9, 2012.
Available @ http://forgottenoperasingers.blogspot.com/2012/01/giuseppe-agostini-tenor-verona-1870.html

"Debut: Alessandro Bonci." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 40030 Rigoletto {52} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/22/1907.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=40030

"Debut: Andreas Dippel, Marie Jahn, Marie Ritter-Götze, Bruno Lurgenstein, Peter Mastorff, Miss Leontine, Miss Francioli, Fanny Lengyelffy, Miss Polednik, E. S. Freisinger." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 9150 United States Premiere Asrael {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/26/1890. (United States Premiere) (Opening Night {8} Edmund C. Stanton, General Manager.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=9150

"Debut: Carlo Dani." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 30100 Rigoletto {33} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/5/1902.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=30100

"Debut: Emilio de Marchi." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 27640 Aida {62} Buffalo, New York: 10/18/1901.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=27640

"Debut: Giuseppe Cremonini." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 15590 Metropolitan Opera Premiere La Favorita {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/29/1895.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=15590

"Debut: Nellie Melba, N. Mastrobuono." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 11550 Lucia di Lammermoor {12} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/4/1893.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=11550

"Debuts: Albert Saléza, Suzanne Adams, Henri Albers, Marthe Djella, Herman Devries, Theodore Meux." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 19260 Roméo et Juliette {49} Chicago, Illinois: 11/8/1898.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=19260

"Debuts: Enrico Caruso, Ellen Förnsen, Arturo Vigna, Karl Schroeder, Baruch & Co." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 32000 New production Rigoletto {35} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/23/1903. (Opening Night {19} Heinrich Conried, General Manager.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=32000

"Debuts: Giuseppe Agostini, Arcangelo Rossi." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 32020 La Bohème {23} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/27/1903.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=32020

"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

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Marriner, Derdriu. "Ernani Opened Jan. 28, 1903, as Eighth Verdi Opera at Met Opera." Earth and Space News. Monday, March 1, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/01/ernani-opened-jan-28-1903-as-eighth.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Manru Opened Feb. 14, 1902, as First Polish Opera Staged at Met Opera." Earth and Space News. Monday, Feb. 22, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/02/manru-opened-feb-14-1902-as-first.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Marcella Sembrich Made Last Met Opera Appearance Feb. 6, 1909." Earth and Space News. Monday, Feb. 15, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/02/marcella-sembrich-made-last-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Marcella Sembrich Sang Mozart's Susanna as Last Met Role Feb. 4, 1909." Earth and Space News. Monday, Feb. 8, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/01/marcella-sembrich-sang-mozarts-susanna.html

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Enrico Caruso during his debut season as Rodolfo in Puccini's La Bohème. bit.ly/1Y0eXzg Photo by Herman Mishkin, courtesy of the Met Opera Archives. -- at The Metropolitan Opera." Facebook. Nov. 23, 2015.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10156359896275533/10156359896315533/

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere La Bohème." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 25000 Metropolitan Opera Premiere La Bohème {1} Lucia di Lammermoor: Mad Scene. Los Angeles, California: 11/9/1900.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=25000

Owen, H. (Henry) Goddard. A Recollection of Marcella Sembrich. First edition. Bolton Landing NY: Marcella Sembrich Memorial Association: Jan. 1, 1950.

Owen, H. (Henry) Goddard; and Philip Lieson Miller. A Recollection of Marcella Sembrich, With a New Introduction. Da Capo Press Series in Architecture and Decorative Art. New York NY: Da Capo Press, April 21, 1982.

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. "Sembrich sang with the Metropolitan Opera from its opening in 1883, continuing until her retirement from the operatic stage in 1909. She was praised for her interpretations of roles in operas by Mozart, Puccini, and Donizetti. Giacomo Puccini even stated, 'You are the Mimi.' This photo shows one of Mme. Sembrich’s portrayals of the ailing seamstress Mimi in “'La Bohème.' #TheSembrich #opera #metopera #laboheme #classicalmusic #classicalsinger #upstateNY #lakegeorge #MondaysWithMadameSembrich See Less." Facebook. Nov. 12, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/TheSembrich/photos/p.1903604146371767/1903604146371767/