Marcella Sembrich Sang Her 13th, Last Met Opera Marie April 24, 1903

Summary: Marcella Sembrich sang her 13th, last Met Opera Marie Friday, April 24, 1903, almost 15 and two-thirds months after Fille du Régiment's Met premiere.

Marcella Sembrich created Met Opera's Marie in the opera house's Jan. 6, 1902, premiere of Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment: The Sembrich @TheSembrich, via Facebook Oct. 25, 2019

Marcella Sembrich sang her 13th and last Met Opera Marie on Friday, April 24, 1903, almost 15 and two-thirds months after creating the Donizetti role in La Fille du Régiment's Met Opera premiere.

The Metropolitan Opera premiere of La Fille du Régiment by Italian opera composer Gaetano Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848) took place Monday, Jan. 6, 1902, at the Metropolitan Opera House. The opéra-comique in due atti (comic opera in two acts) received five performances in the opera house's 1901-1902 season. The second performance (Tuesday, Jan. 21) took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The third performance (Saturday, Jan. 25) was offered in New York City at Manhattan's Freundschaft Club. The Metropolitan Opera House was the venue for the fourth (Saturday, Feb. 22) and fifth, closing (Wednesday, March 5) performances.

Philippe Flon (Feb. 21, 1861-March 1923) conducted all five of the 1901-1902 season's La Fille du Régiment performances. The Bruxelles-born composer and conductor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Nov. 23, 1900, in the opera house's 83rd performance of Les Huguenots by German Jewish opera composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (Sept. 5, 1791-May 2, 1864).

Marcella Sembrich (Feb. 15, 1858-Jan. 11, 1935) sang the title role in the premiere (Jan. 6) and again in the fourth (Feb. 22) and fifth, closing (March 5) performances. The Polish coloratura soprano had made her Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1883, in the title role in the inaugural season's second premiere, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

Marcella Sembrich shared the role with Fritzi Scheff (Aug. 30, 1879-April 8, 1954), who sang Marie in the second (Jan. 21) and third (Jan. 25) performances. The Austro-American soprano had made her Met Opera debut Friday, Feb. 14, 1902, as Musetta in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Thomas Salignac, stage name of Eustase Thomas (March 29, 1867-Nov. 6, 1943), appeared in all five performances as Tonio, a Swiss Tyrolean who joins Marie's adopted 21st French Regiment and, in the last act, receives permission from Marie's birth mother, the Marquise of Berkenfield, to marry. The French tenor and opera director had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Dec. 11, 1896, as Don José in the opera house's 90th performance of Carmen by French Romantic Era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875).

Marie Van Cauteren appeared in all five performances as the Marquise of Berkenfield, who claims to be Marie's aunt but finally admits that shame drove her to abandon her illegitimate daughter on a battlefield. The American soprano had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 26, 1894, as Mercédès in the opera house's 50th performance of Bizet's Carmen.

Charles Gilibert (Nov. 29, 1866-Oct. 11, 1910) appeared in all five performances as the 21st Regiment's Sergeant Sulpice, who remembers orphaned Marie's Berkenfield connection via a letter left with her on the battlefield. The French baritone had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Nov. 9, 1900, as Schaunard in the opera house's premiere of Puccini's La Bohème.

Eugène Dufriche (Oct. 7, 1848-?) appeared in all performances as Hortentius, the Marquise's butler. The French baritone had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Nov. 29, 1893, as Alfio in the opera company's ninth performance of Cavalleria Rusticana by Italian opera composer Pietro Mascagni (Dec. 7, 1863-Aug. 2, 1945).

The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database (MetOpera Database) credits Lodovico Viviani with the role of a Corporal in the season's premiere (Jan. 6), second (Jan. 21), fourth (Feb. 22) and fifth, closing (March 5) performances of La Fille du Régiment. The singer of the role is listed as "unknown" for the third (Jan. 25) performance. Lodovico Viviani had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Nov. 6, 1891, as the Duke of Verona in the opera house's second performance of Roméo et Juliette by French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893).

The Metropolitan Opera's first revival of La Fille du Régiment occurred in the opera house's next season. The opera received 10 performances in the 1902-1903 season. The Metropolitan Opera House was the venue for the first (Monday, Jan. 5, 1903), second (Thursday, Jan. 15), third (Friday, Jan. 30) and fourth (Saturday Feb. 7) performances. The fifth performance (Tuesday, Feb. 17) was held at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Metropolitan House was again the venue for the opera's sixth (Saturday, March 14) and seventh (Friday, March 20) performances. The eighth performance (Monday, March 23) took place at the Boston Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. The ninth performance (Tuesday, April 7) was offered at The Auditorium in Chicago, Illinois. The tenth, closing performance (Friday, April 24) was held at Duquesne Garden in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Philippe Flon reprised his conductorship for all 10 performances. Also, Marcella Sembrich, Thomas Salignac, Marie Van Cauteren, Charles Gilibert and Eugène Dufriche reprised their roles for all 10 performances.

Bernard Bégué appeared in all 10 performances as a Corporal, the role created by Lodovico Viviani. The French baritone had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 24, 1902, as the Herald in the opera company's 20th performance of Otello by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

MetOpera Database gives no production information for La Fille du Régiment's premiere season. Fernand Almanz is credited as the director for the 1902-1903 season's first performance (Jan. 5, 1903). The French stage director and manager had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 24, 1902, in the opera company's 20th performance of Verdi's Otello.

The takeaways for Marcella Sembrich's 13th and last Met Opera Marie on Friday, April 24, 1903, are that the Polish coloratura soprano had created the role almost 15 and two-thirds months earlier, on Monday, Jan. 6, 1902, in the Metropolitan Opera's premiere of Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment; that the opera's first revival took place in the next season; and that Marcella Sembrich sang Marie for 13 of the 15 performances offered over the 1901-1902/1902-1903 seasons.

Marcella Sembrich shared the role of La Fille du Régiment's Marie with Fritzi Scheff in the Donizetti opera's Met Opera premiere season, 1901-1902: Jackson Co. (MO) Historical Society @JCHSMissouri, via Twitter June 21, 2017

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Marcella Sembrich created Met Opera's Marie in the opera house's Jan. 6, 1902, premiere of Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment: The Sembrich @TheSembrich, via Facebook Oct. 25, 2019, @ https://www.facebook.com/TheSembrich/photos/a.481908958541300/2455158571216319/

Marcella Sembrich shared the role of La Fille du Régiment's Marie with Fritzi Scheff in the Donizetti opera's Met Opera premiere season, 1901-1902: Jackson Co. (MO) Historical Society @JCHSMissouri, via Twitter June 21, 2017, @ https://twitter.com/JCHSMissouri/status/877585420657115136

For further information:

Arakelyan, Ashot. "Charles Gilibert (Baritone) (Paris, France 1866 - New York, USA 1910)." Forgotten Opera Singers. June 19, 2015.
Available @ http://forgottenoperasingers.blogspot.com/2015/06/charles-gilibert-baritone-paris-france.html

"Debut: Bernard Bégué, Fernand Almanz." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 30000 Otello {20} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/24/1902.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=30000

"Debut: Fritzi Scheff, Charles Gilibert, Marcel Journet, Aristide Masiero." 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

"Debut: Jane DeVigne, Jean Martopoura, Jules Vinché, Antonio De Vaschetti, Lodovico Viviani." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 10040 Roméo et Juliette {2} Chicago, Illinois: 11/16/1891. (First Met performance of a French opera in French.).
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=10040

"Debut: Mr. Giordani, Eugène Dufriche." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 34000 Aida {94} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/21/1904 (Opening Night {20} Heinrich Conried, General Manager. Debut: Mr. Giordani, Eugène Dufriche). Metropolitan Opera House November 21, 1904 Opening Night {20} Under the Direction of Mr. Heinrich Conried.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=34000

"Debut: Philippe Flon." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 25150 Les Huguenots {83} San Francisco, California: 11/23/1900.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=25150

"Debut: Pol Plançon, Sigrid Arnoldson, Georges Mauguière, Armand Castelmary, Enrico Bevignani, Emma Calvé, Francesco Vignas, Eugène Dufriche." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 11510 Metropolitan Opera Premiere (Philémon et Baucis) New Production (Cavalleria Rusticana) Philémon et Baucis {1} Cavalleria Rusticana {9} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/29/1893. (Metropolitan Opera Premiere)(Debut: Pol Plançon, Sigrid Arnoldson, Georges Mauguière, Armand Castelmary, Enrico Bevignani, Emma Calvé, Francesco Vignas, Eugène Dufriche Review). Metropolitan Opera House November 29, 1893 Metropolitan Opera Premiere.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=11510

"Debut: Thomas Salignac." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 17720 Carmen {90} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/11/1896.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=17720

"Debut: Zélie de Lussan, Marie Van Cauteren, Maria Giuri." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 13420 Carmen {50} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/26/1894.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=13420

"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

Jackson Co. (MO) Historical Society @JCHSMissouri. "#MuseumWeek #WomenMW #musicMW For today's theme, Fritzi Scheff, opera singer, portrait from our Strauss Peyton Coll. #NationalSelfieDay." Twitter. June 21, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/JCHSMissouri/status/877585420657115136

Marriner, Derdriu. "Hulda Lashanska Made Her Only Met Opera Appearance March 17, 1918." Earth and Space News. Monday, March 22, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/03/hulda-lashanska-made-her-only-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "La Fille du Régiment Is the March 2, 2019, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, Feb. 25, 2019.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2019/02/la-fille-du-regiment-is-march-2-2019.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 Created Met Opera's Queen of Night March 30, 1900." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, March 29, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/03/marcella-sembrich-created-met-operas.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 Met Opera's Mimì December 1902 to February 1909." Earth and Space News. Monday, March 8, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/01/marcella-sembrich-sang-met-operas-mimi.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

Marriner, Derdriu. "Scotti, Sembrich, Caruso, Homer Sang Last Rigoletto Together April 1905." Earth and Space News. Monday, April 5, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/04/scotti-sembrich-caruso-homer-sang-last.html

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere La Fille du Régiment." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 28510 Metropolitan Opera Premiere (La Fille du Régiment) La Fille du Régiment {1} Cavalleria Rusticana {68} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/6/1902.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=28510

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. "Happy National Opera Day from The Sembrich! Here’s a shot of Madame Sembrich in her portrayal of Marie in tye lesson scene from Donizetti’s 'La fille du régiment!' #worldoperaday #opera #TheSembrich #lakegeorge #boltonlanding #saratoga #glensfalls #music #operasingersofinstagram #supportthearts." Facebook. Oct. 25, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/TheSembrich/photos/a.481908958541300/2455158571216319/