Kathleen Howard Sang Amneris With Enrico Caruso in Verdi Festival

Summary: American mezzo-soprano Kathleen Howard sang Amneris with Enrico Caruso in the Verdi Festival presented by Metropolitan Opera Thursday, April 3, 1919.

Kathleen Howard's Amneris, "Amneris As I Used to Dress It," in European productions of Aida by Giuseppe Verdi; K. Howard, Confessions of an Opera Singer (1918), page 126: Public Domain, via Project Gutenberg

American mezzo-soprano Kathleen Howard sang Amneris with Enrico Caruso in the Verdi Festival that took place Thursday, April 3, 1919, and that marked her only singing of the role at the Metropolitan Opera.

Kathleen Howard (July 27, 1884-April 15, 1956) made her Metropolitan Opera debut Tuesday, Nov. 14, 1916, as the Nurse in the opera house's 27th performance of Boris Godunov by Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (March 21, 1839-March 28, 1881). Her debut occurred at New York City's Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).

Training in France and Germany and roles in European operatic productions preceded Kathleen Howard's Met Opera career. Her European repertoire had included the role of Amneris in Aida by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

In her autobiography, Confessions of an Opera Singer (1918), she considered her "beautiful wardrobe" as factoring in her operatic successes in Europe. She specified outfits designed by Parisian costumer Marie Muelle for her roles as Giuseppe Verdi's Amneris and Camille Saint-Saëns's Dalila as ". . . very French of that period of the Comique; pale pinks and greens and everything in long wigs" (Chapter XVI, page 172). Nevertheless, after a few seasons her increasing knowledge of historical costumes caused her to feel ". . . not . . . at all Egyptian in pink crêpe de Chine, nor Syrian in pale green."

Through hours of research in the Louvre's Egyptian collection with her brother, sculptor Cecil de Blaquiere Howard (April 2, 1888-Sept. 5, 1956), they discovered a bronze statue of a princess that dated to the correct period. Marie Muelle then transformed Cecil's statue-inspired designs into an historically accurate costume. Kathleen made jewelry and reconfigured a black wig with 100 braided strands for her role as Amneris. Her before and after photos, titled "Amneris As I Used to Dress It" (page 126) and "Amneris As I Now Dress It" (page 134), respectively, illustrated the development of her "sense of costuming" (page 173).

Kathleen Howard's Met Opera portfolio of complete opera performances, however, did not include Aida's Egyptian princess. Instead, her appearance in a selection from Aida in the Metropolitan Opera's Verdi Festival Thursday, April 3, 1919, afforded Kathleen Howard her only opportunity to sing Amneris at the Metropolitan Opera. The Verdi Festival took place approximately two years four and two-thirds months after her Met Opera debut and nine years nine days before her last Met Opera appearance, Thursday, April 12, 1928.

Aida's Act III numbered as the fourth, closing vignette of the Verdi Festival. The program opened with Il Trovatore's Act IV. La Forza del Destino's Act II scene 2 and Act III Ballet were offered as the festival's second and third selections.

Roberto Moranzoni (Oct. 5, 1880-Dec. 14, 1959) conducted Aida's Act III. The Italian conductor had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 12, 1917, in the opera house's 225th performance of Aida.

Richard Ordynski (Oct. 5, 1878-Aug. 13, 1953) directed the production. The Polish film and theatre director had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, March 8, 1917, in the opera house's world premiere of The Canterbury Pilgrims by American composer Henry Louis Reginald De Koven (April 3, 1859-Jan. 16, 1920).

The sets for Act III were designed by Mario Sala and Angelo Parravicini (1868-1925). Maison Chiappa was credited for costume designs. The set and costume designers had made their Met Opera debuts Monday, Nov. 16, 1908, in the opera house's 24th performance of Aida.

Enrico Caruso (Feb. 25, 1873-Aug. 2, 1921) sang opposite Kathleen Howard's Amneris as Radamès. 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.

Claudia Muzio (Feb. 7, 1889-May 24, 1936) sang the title role of the captive Ethiopian princess opposite Caruso's Radamès and Howard's Amneris. The Italian operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Dec. 4, 1916, in the title role in the opera house’s 119th performance of Tosca by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Giuseppe De Luca (Dec. 25, 1876-Aug. 26, 1950) sang Amonasro, King of Ethiopia. The Italian baritone had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Nov. 25, 1915, in the title role of Figaro in the opera house's 84th performance of Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868).

Giulio Rossi sang Ramfis, High Priest of God Ptah. He had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 16, 1908, as the King of Egypt in the opera house's 24th performance of Aida.

The closing of the Verdi Festival's fourth and last operatic selection, Aida's Act III, marked Kathleen Howard's only appearance as Amneris in the opera house. Nevertheless, she shared her solitary Amneris performance with esteemed opera performers: Enrico Caruso, Claudia Muzio and Giuseppe De Luca.

The takeaways for Kathleen Howard's singing Amneris with Enrico Caruso in the Verdi Festival staged Thursday, April 3, 1919, at the Metropolitan Opera are that, prior to her Met Opera career, the American mezzo-soprano had sung Amneris in European stagings of Aida; and that Kathleen Howard's sole Amneris impersonation, although occurring as a selection rather than in a complete opera performance, took place in association with Met Opera superstars, Enrico Caruso, Claudia Muzio and Giuseppe De Luca.

Kathleen Howard's Amneris, "Amneris As I Now Dress It," in European productions of Aida by Giuseppe Verdi; K. Howard, Confessions of an Opera Singer (1918), page 134: Public Domain, via Project Gutenberg

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Kathleen Howard's Amneris, "Amneris As I Used to Dress It," in European productions of Aida by Giuseppe Verdi; K. Howard, Confessions of an Opera Singer (1918), page 126: Public Domain, via Project Gutenberg @ https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32980/32980-h/images/ill_126.jpg; via Project Gutenberg @ https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32980/32980-h/32980-h.htm#page_126; via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/confessionsofope00howarich/page/n136/mode/1up

Kathleen Howard's Amneris, "Amneris As I Now Dress It," in European productions of Aida by Giuseppe Verdi; K. Howard, Confessions of an Opera Singer (1918), page 134: Public Domain, via Project Gutenberg @ https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32980/32980-h/images/ill_134.jpg; via Project Gutenberg @ https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32980/32980-h/32980-h.htm#page_126; via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/confessionsofope00howarich/page/n146/mode/1up

For further information:

"Debut: Kathleen Howard." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 64010 Boris Godunov {27} Academy of Music, New York, Brooklyn: 11/14/1916.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=64010

"Debut: Lodovico Nepoti, Adolfo Hohenstein." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 46340 United States Premiere Germania {1} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 01/22/1910.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=46340

"Debuts: Emmy Destinn, Giulio Rossi, Angelo Badà, Lenora Sparkes, Gina Torriani, Arturo Toscanini, Mario Sala, Angels [sic: Angelo Parravicini]." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 42010 New Production Aida {126} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/16/1908.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=64010

"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 De Luca, Giacomo Damacco, Pompilio Malatesta." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 61120 Il Barbiere di Siviglia {84} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/25/1915.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=61120

"Debuts: José Mardones, Roberto Moranzoni." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 67000 Aida {225} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/12/1917. Opening Night {33} Giulio Gatti-Casazza, General Manager.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=67000

"Debuts: Richard Ordynski, Homer F. Emens, Hildreth Meière." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 65390 World Premiere The Canterbury Pilgrims {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/8/1917.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=65390

Howard, Kathleen. Confessions of an Opera Singer. New York NY: Alfred A. Knopf, MCMXVIII (1918).
Available from University of California Libraries via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/confessionsofope00howarich
Available via Project Gutenberg @ https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32980/32980-h/32980-h.htm#page_076

Marriner, Derdriu. "Aida Is the April 15, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, April 10, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/04/aida-is-april-15-2017-metropolitan.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Aida Is the May 4, 2019, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, April 29, 2019.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2019/04/aida-is-may-4-2019-metropolitan-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Kathleen Howard Began, Ended Met Opera Career as Boris Godunov's Nurse." Earth and Space News. Monday, June 21, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/06/kathleen-howard-began-ended-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Kathleen Howard Sang Boris Godunov With Adamo Didur and Fyodor Chaliapin." Earth and Space News. Monday, June 28, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/06/kathleen-howard-sang-boris-godunov-with.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

"Verdi Festival." MetOpera Database > [Met Concert/Gala] CID: 71710 Verdi Festival. Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 04/3/1919.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=71710