Earth and Space News: Met Opera Staged Thomas's Hamlet Feb. 21, 1884, as First Hamlet Opera

Summary: Met Opera staged Thomas's Hamlet Feb. 21, 1884, as its first Hamlet opera, albeit with an ending that differs from Shakespeare's play.

Marie Van Zandt's one performance Tuesday, April 5, 1892, as Ophélie in Met Opera's sixth performance of Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet marked the American operatic soprano's last Met Opera performance; 1886 oil on canvas portrait of Marie Van Zandt by Russian painter Valentin Alexandrovich Serov (Russian: Валенти́н Алекса́ндрович Серо́в; Jan. 19, 1865-Dec. 5, 1911): Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Met Opera staged Thomas's Hamlet Feb. 21, 1884, as its first Hamlet opera, which, however, has an ending that diverges dramatically from Shakespeare's play.

French composer Ambroise Thomas (Aug. 5, 1811-Feb. 12, 1896) set Hamlet, the 19th of his 20 operas, to a French libretto by French librettist Michel Carré (Oct. 20, 1821-June 27, 1872) and French librettist and playwright Paul Jules Barbier (March 8, 1825-Jan. 16, 1901). The libretto was based upon Hamlet, Prince de Danemark, a five-act play by French playwright-writers Alexandre Dumas père (July 24, 1802-Dec. 5, 1870) and Paul Meurice (Feb. 5, 1818-Dec. 11, 1905) that premiered Wednesday, Dec. 15, 1847, at Théâtre Historique, 72 rue du Temple, in the ninth Parisian arrondissement (9e arrondissement de Paris), on the Seine's right bank (rive droite de la Seine).

Dumas and Meurice wrote their play as a variant adaptation of The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, by Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare (bapt. April 26, 1564-April 23, 1616). Dumas and Meurice's play reduces the body count to King Claudius and, having Hamlet survive, proclaims him as Denmark's new king.

Thomas's Hamlet received its first premiere Monday, March 9, 1868, at Salle Le Peletier. Located at 12 de la rue Le Peletier, in the ninth Parisian arrondissement, Salle Le Peletier was Paris Opera's home from Aug. 19, 1821, until its destruction by fire on Oct. 28, 1873.

The Metropolitan Opera premiere of Thomas's Hamlet took place Thursday, Feb. 21, 1884, as the 18th of 20 operas in the opera company's inaugural season, 1883-1884. The opera was sung in Italian instead of in the original French.

Hamlet received three performances in the 1883-1884 season. The premiere was held at the Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio, during the season's tour. The second performance occurred Friday, Monday, March 3, at the Boston Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. The third, closing performance was offered Monday, March 10, at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Auguste Vianesi was Hamlet's conductor. 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).

Mr. Corani (Henry De Courtney Corani, ca. 1849-May 1905) and Mr. Abbiati were Hamlet's directors. Both directors had made their Met Opera debuts Monday, Oct. 22, 1883, alongside conductor Auguste Vianesi, in Gounod's Faust.

Croatian-Austrian operatic baritone Giuseppe Kaschmann, Polish coloratura soprano Marcella Sembrich, Florentine bass Giovanni Mirabella and Italian operatic mezzo-soprano Sofia Scalchi created the respective roles of Hamlet, Ophélie, Claudius and Gertrude in the opera's Met Opera premiere season. Giuseppe Kaschmann (July 14, 1850-Feb. 11, 1925) had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1883, as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor by Italian opera composer Gaetano Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848). Marcella Sembrich (Feb. 15, 1858-Jan. 11, 1935) had made her Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1883, in the title role, alongisde Giuseppe Kaschmann in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. Giovanni Mirabella 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) had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 22, 1883, in the trouser role of Siebel, alongside conductor Auguste Vianesi, in Gounod's Faust.

After Hamlet's premiere, the opera was not performed for seven seasons (1884-1885 through 1890-1891). Hamlet reappeared for three performances, all held at the Metropolitan Opera House, in the 1891-1892 season. The first through third, closing performances took place Wednesday, Feb. 10, 1892; Saturday, Feb. 20; and Tuesday, April 5. In the opera's second Met Opera season, the original French libretto was sung, according to an unsigned New York Times review in The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database (MetOpera Database).

Auguste Vianesi returned for the second season's conductorship. Theodore Habelmann was the second season's director.

Jean Lassalle (Dec. 14, 1847-Sep. 7, 1909) sang the second season's title role. The French baritone had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Jan. 15, 1892, as Nélusko in the opera company's ninth performance as L'Africaine by German Jewish opera composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (Sept. 5, 1791-May 2, 1864).

Margaret Reid sang Ophélie in the second season's first two performances. The Indianapolis-born American soprano made her Met Opera debut in the season's first Hamlet performance. Her second performance marked her last Met Opera performance.

Margaret Reid shared the role with Marie van Zandt (Oct. 8, 1858 or Oct. 9, 1861-Dec. 31, 1919), whose portrayal of Ophélie in the season's third, closing Hamlet performance marked her last Met Opera performance. The American operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Friday, Nov. 13, 1891, in the title role of Amina in the opera company's ninth performance of La Sonnambula by 19th-century Italian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini (Nov. 3, 1801-Sept. 23, 1835).

Edouard (Édouard) de Reszke (Dec. 22, 1853-May 25, 1917) sang the second season's Claudius. The Polish bass had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 9, 1891, as King Heinrich in the opera company's 65th performance of Lohengrin by German Romantic era composer and librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883).

Giulia Ravogli sang the second season's Gertrude. Her portrayal in the second season's third, closing Hamlet performance marked her last Met Opera performance. The Italian mezzo-soprano had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 9, 1891, as Ortrud, alongside Edouard de Reszke, in Wagner's Lohengrin.

Thomas's Hamlet skipped the next season, 1892-1893. The opera reappeared, for one performance, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 1893, as a new production, at the Metropolitan Opera House, in the 1893-1894 season.

Armand Castelmary (Aug. 16, 1834-Feb. 10, 1897) was the new Hamlet production's director. The French operatic bass and stage manager had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 27, 1893, in the opera company's 50th performance of Gounod's Faust.

Enrico Bevignani (Sept. 29, 1841-Aug. 29, 1903) was the new Hamlet production's conductor. The Italian conductor and composer had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Nov. 29, 1893, in the opera company's premiere of Gounod's Philémon et Baucis.

Jean Lassalle sang the new production's Hamlet as his first reprisal of the role.

Nellie Melba (May 19, 1861-Feb. 23, 1931) sang the new production's Ophélie. The Australian operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Dec. 4, 1893, in the title role in the opera company's 12th performance of Lucia di Lammermoor by Italian opera composer Gaetano Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848).

Pol Plançon (June 12, 1851-Aug. 11, 1914) sang the new Hamlet production's Claudius. The French operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Nov. 29, 1893, as Jupiter in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Gounod's Philémon et Baucis.

Consuelo Domenech (Oct. 5, 1866-?) sang the new Hamlet production's Gertrude. The French mezzo-soprano's portrayal in the new production marked her Met Opera debut.

The opera was not performed in the succeeding season, 1894-1895. Thomas's Hamlet returned to the Metropolitan Opera House in the 1895-1896 season for one performance, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 1895.

Enrico Bevignani returned to the podium in the 1895-1896 season for his first reprisal.

William Parry directed the season's solitary Hamlet performance. He had made his MetOpera debut Thursday, March 15, 1894, in the opera company's 13th performance of Meyerbeer's L'Africaine.

Giuseppe Kaschmann sang Hamlet as his first reprisal of the title role.

Emma Calvé (Aug. 15, 1858-Jan. 6, 1942) sang Ophélie in the 1895-1896 solitary Hamlet performance. The French operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Wednesday, Nov. 29, 1893, as Santuzza in the opera company's ninth performance of Cavalleria Rusticana y Italian opera composer Pietro Mascagni (Dec. 7, 1863-Aug. 2, 1945).

Pol Plançon sang Claudius as his first reprisal of the role.

Eugenia Mantelli (1860- 3 March 1926) sang Gertrude. The Italian mezzo-soprano had made her Met Opera debut Friday, Nov. 23, 1894, as Amneris in the opera company's ninth performance of Aida by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Met Opera's roster for the next season, 1896-1897, included one performance of Thomas's Hamlet. The solitary performance on New Year's Day, Friday, Jan. 1, 1897, marked Enrico Bevignani's second reprisal as conductor. William Parry directed the opera company's ninth performance of Thomas's Hamlet.

Jean Lassalle sang the title role on New Year's Day. His portrayal marked his second and last reprisal of Hamlet.

Clémentine De Vere sang Ophélie to Jean Lassalle's Hamlet. The French-American soprano's New Year's Day portrayal marked her Met Opera debut.

Pol Plançon sang Claudius in the New Year's Day performance. His portrayal marked his second and last reprisal of Claudius.

Félia Litvinne, born Françoise-Jeanne Schütz (Oct. 11, 1860-Oct. 12, 1936), sang the ninth performance's Gertrude. The Russian-born, French-based dramatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Wednesday, Nov. 25, 1896, as Valentine in the opera company's 61st performance of Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots.

After Hamlet's New Years' Day performance, the opera underwent a lengthy absence of 112 seasons (1897-1898 through 2008-2009) from Met Opera's performance rosters. A new production's eight performances in the 2009-2020 ended the 113 years two and one-half months of silence that Thomas's Hamlet had endured at Met Opera and also favored an alternative, more Shakespeare-attuned ending of Hamlet's death.

The takeaways for Met Opera's staging Thomas's Hamlet Feb. 21, 1884, as the opera company's first Hamlet opera are that Alexandre Dumas père and Paul Meurice's libretto diverges from Shakespeare's play in having Hamlet survive and become king; that the opera has a scattered performance history at Met Opera, with nine performances distributed over almost 13 years and then an absence of 113 years two and one-half months; that Giuseppe Kaschmann, Marcella Sembrich, Giovanni Mirabella and Sofia Scalchi created Met Opera's Hamlet, Ophélie, Claudius and Gertrude, respectively; that Nellie Melba sang Ophélie in Met Opera's seventh performance of Thomas's Hamlet; and that the opera's most recent production, launched in the 2009-2010 season, substitutes an alternative ending, with Hamlet's death, for the libretto's original ending, with Hamlet's survival as the new King of Denmark.

Jean Lassalle became Met Opera's second Hamlet in the 1891-1892 season and made his first and second reprisals in seasons 1893-1894 and 1896-1897, respectively: portrait of Jean Lassalle in The Marie Burroughs Art Portfolio of Stage Celebrities (1894): Public Domain, via Internet Archive

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

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The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "After an absence of more than a century, Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet returned to the Met stage in 2010, with Simon Keenlyside starring in the title role. Read what the celebrated baritone had to say about taking on a character with such a 'host of moods and colors' and see his performance in tonight’s free Nightly Met Opera Stream, available starting at 7:30PM ET until tomorrow, November 26, at 6:30PM ET. Access the stream on metopera.org and on all Met Opera on Demand apps. Enhance your viewing experience with curated supplementary content—including Playbills, articles, and more—at metopera.org/FamilyDrama and access the stream on metopera.org and on all Met Opera on Demand apps." Facebook. Nov. 25, 2020.
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The Sembrich @TheSembrich.is at The Sembrich. "On February 21st, 1884, Mme. Sembrich performed the role of Ophelia in Hamlet in The Metropolitan Opera premiere at the Cincinnati Music Hall. A review in a Cincinnati newspaper hailed that she, 'gave proof of how beautifully she can take a low note, and how very comprehensive is her range of voice.' We are excited to share all of the beautiful performances that we have scheduled for our upcoming 2020 season! Please stay tuned for updates in the coming weeks! #TheSembrich #Opera #History #Music #BoltonLanding #LakeGeorge #Cincinnati #MetOpera." Facebook. Feb. 24, 2020.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/TheSembrich/posts/2711668802231960/

Earth and Space News

Monday, November 8, 2021

Met Opera Staged Thomas's Hamlet Feb. 21, 1884, as First Hamlet Opera

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