Publisher's Synopsis
From the Introductory:
The Castle Square Opera Company celebrates, with to-night's production of " Aida," its five-hundredth performance of "Opera in English " at the American Theatre. The enterprise has been conspicuously successful since the date of its inception, on Christmas Day, 1897. No other undertaking has accomplished more for the formation of a musical public, one that can be depended upon to support good music whenever offered. The influence exerted by two years of these popular presentations toward the growth of a musical taste in this community can scarcely be overestimated. Opera in English unquestionably tends toward a broader appreciation of this department of music on the part of the people.
For the first time in the history of the lyric stage in this country, standard masterpieces of light and grand opera have been sung by capable and invariably conscientious principals, supported by a superb chorus, and given the material aids of beautiful and entirely new scenic equipments, correct accessories, and appropriate costumes - the whole at common-sense prices.
The repertoire has been wonderfully varied, and the Castle Square Opera Company has made the transition from operas like the "Mikado" to "Lohengrin" with an altogether surprising facility. Many of the works might be regarded in the light of novelties, owing to their infrequent presentation in English, notable instances being " Lohengrin," "Romeo and Juliet," "Aida," "Lurline," "La Gioconda," "The Merry Wives of Windsor," "Barber of Seville," and "La Boheme," the latter opera being given its first production in the vernacular in America.
The enlarged scope of the policy to be pursued during the coming year has been indicated by the brilliantly successful production of "Die Meistersinger." During the year the company will give representations of equally important compositions, such as "Tannhauser," "The Flying Dutchman," "Der Freischutz," "Ernani," "Star of the North," "Son and Stranger," and "La Tarantella," none of which have previously been given at the American Theatre.
This series of performances naturally necessitated an augmented company, and to comply with this demand the management not only retained the services of the established favorites of last season's organization, but increased the forces by a group of new singers of international repute.
The increased volume of the subscriptions for this season emphasizes the feasibility of the management's plan to establish at the American Theatre a permanent home for Opera in English. The Castle Square Opera Company, with its branches in Chicago and St. Louis, the largest operatic company in the world, has gained a larger clientele than any other established musical organization, and has, by painstaking endeavor, won the regard of patrons of opera, not only in New York, but throughout America.
