''Freund's Musical Weekly'' was unimpressed by the concert version of the unfished work performed at
Carnegie Hall on January 4, 1895. While Lathrop's libretto was praised as "cleverly handled and most intelligently written," Damrosch's score lacked "flow of melody" and "rel[ied] totally on orchestral effects." In contrast,
The Outlook, a leading American weekly, praised it as "distinctively and essentially American," with "charming and simple melody."
The Vocalist, a New York magazine, called the finished opera "a creditable production" that was "a success in every way," hailing Damrosch's "genius." A detailed review of the score by the critic
Alfred Remy—also German-born, like Damrosch—faulted the composer for repeatedly quoting Wagner,
The Scarlet Letter containing passages from
Die Walküre, "Siegfried 's Funeral March" from
Götterdämmerung,
Tristan und Isolde, and
Albumblatt. Remy praised the libretto but described the score harshly—among Remy's words are "monotony," "impossible," "dreary," "clumsy," "unpardonable," "noisy," and "meaningless"—summarizing the opera as a "worthless imitation of Wagner" that displays a "surprising ignorance of the technique of composition." The critic for London 's
The Theatre magazine called Damrosch "a sorry imitator of Wagner," his opera lacking melody even if the orchestration was "technically perfect."
Johanna Gadski and Baron Berthald, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale in the original production, reprised the roles in New York. ==Roles==