The Sunday Oregonian., January 19, 1908, SECTION FOUR, Page 3, Image 37

THE SUNDAY ; OREGONIAX, PORTLAND, JANTXART 19, 1903.
GRAND OPERA 'SEASON AT ITS HEIGHT IN NEW YORK
RETURN OF MME. TETRAZZINI AND FIRST APPEARANCE OF MARY GARDEN, THE AMERICAN SOPRANO, AROUSE PUBLIC INTEREST
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I EW TORK. Jan. 12. (Special corre-
pondence.) Much interest is mani
fested in tile coming of Mme.
Tetraiilnl to the Manhattan Opera
House. The prima donna arrived Satur
day and will Immediately prepare for her
debut nest Wednesday night as Violotta
In Travlata. Mme. Tetranini. who is
bettor known on the Pacific Coast than
anywhere else !n America, Is one of the
old school coloratura, sopranos to whom
pure singing represents the first con
sideration. 9uch opinions still have many
followers and to them the old Italian
operas are still sources of great delight,
but to those who have come forward
with the times which have brought about
the need of more vigor, this form of
opera is held as a sweetmeat of which a
little will go a long way.
In' old Italian opera Rossini has only
figured at the Metropolitan in the Bar
ber of Seville, which has been given a
very Interesting revival with Sime. Sem
brich. Boncl. Campanarl and Challapine
In the principal roles. The opera has
enough vitality to carry it, and of course,
the cast has much, although not every
thing, to do with its success. Don
Giovanni, although by Mozart, is clearly
In the class of old Italian opera, al
though It Is far beyond tha caliber of the
others in musical worth. A peculiar char
acteristic of both the foregoing works
is that the orchestra is dropped through
tha recitatives, which are accompanied
by x piano. As far as tradition is con-
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cerned,-It is-interesting to continue so
to give them, but they would be much
improved for present day conditions if
arranged for orchestra, throughout. This
eoundB like heresy to those who prate
about tradition, but after all, there are
good reasons to believe that we are very
far from the possibility of exactitude and
if it cannot be exact throughout, which
Is a matter "of impossibility, it may as
well conform with present conditions
throughout. .
- Other old Italian itorks which have
had frequent hearing this season Include
Ernani, II Trovatore, la Travlata, Kigo-
letto. The Masked Ball and Aida. This
brings forward an interesting feature in
the study of musical history, because all
of these operas are the works of one
man, who alone has both passed through
and helped, to create four distinct periods
In Italian opera, moaps never again
will Verdi be exploited in so thorough a
manner as during the present season,
and It Is certain that historically he has
never been heard in so interesting a
manner.
In the first period belongs Ernani.
which was written In Venice and pro
duced there in 1844, only two years after
the production of his first opera, Nabuco.
It is . today, not without interest for a
certain class of opera-goers, as has been
recently demonstrated by Mr. Hammer
stein, who has used it several times to
exploit the Italian forces In his com
pany. Rigoletto, Trhieh belongs to Verdt'a
second period, first saw light In Venice
in 1851. It shows not only a vast advance
over the earlier works, but It is In many
respects more virile than II Trovatore,
which followed. In Rome In 1853, and
La Travlata, produced in Venice about
three months . later In the same year.
Rigoletto has elements which will, no
doubt, keep it fresh for many years,
notwithstanding Its antiquated form, the
principal one being the wonderful part
which the title role affords. In this 8am
marco is at his best,, and upon special
occasions, Renand, than whom there is
no greater opera singer today visiting
America, has sung the role with startling
and brilliant effects.
"II Trovatore" and "La. Travlata" are
closely related in the minds of frequent
ers of opera.' The reason for this Is be
cause they are much alike In characteris
tics, and they appeared, as just stated,
about three months apart. If anything.
II Trovatore," the plot of which is well
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known, is the stronger of the two, al
though "La Traviata" has some extreme
ly beautiful music The orchestral ac
companiments are thin and unsatisfac
tory, and arias, duets and concerted mu
sic - are . strung together on slender
threads of recitatives which nowadays
seem to hang in the air without support.
"The Masked Ball." produced in Rome
in 1859, was the practical culmination of
this second period of Verdi. This has
had frequent presentations this season at
the Manhattan, as it contains one of the
best roles of Zenatello, who is one of the
most distinguished Italian tenors of the
day. Zenatello brings much life into his
production, and one frequently forgets
the strenuousness of today's music in the
delightful melodies in which this opera
abounds.-
The third period In Verdi's career
stands forth, not only as an important
era in his own life, but also as an era
in the history of opera. "Aida" was the
great creation of this time. Verdi re
ceived a commission from the Khedive ot
Egypt in 1868 requesting him to write a
National opera for that country. The
great Italian composer went to Cairo, and
there produced in 1871 one of the most
beautiful operas of all time; not alone as
a musical work of art, but from the the
atrical side, the atmosphere of "Aida"
has rarely. If ever, been surpassed.. To
this period also belong "La Forza del
Destlno," produced in St. Petersburg In
1862, and "Don Carlos," In Paris, 1867.
While there is no reason to accuse
Verdi of being Influenced by Berlioz and
Wagner, two powerful forces at this time,
it was but natural that, with or without
his knowledge, he should assim.-ate some
of their methods, and the new Italian
school had its birth, not with. Mascagnl,
Leoncavallo or Puccini, but .with Verdt,
who in his fourth period represents the
renaissance of Italian opera. During
this time "Othello," produced in 1887, and
"Falstaff," in 1893, stand as a new gospel
which found willing disciples among all
the Italians who followed. "Othello,"
rarely seen in America, will be given yet
this season at the Manhattan.
While on the subject of the older opera,
"Don Giovanni" should come In for more
than a passing notice, especially as It
offers one of the most superb roles for
Renaud, and far beyond its relation to
present-day conditions and artists, it is
regarded as one of the greatest achieve
ments in opera. Taking into, considera
tion that it had its first production In
1787, It Is nothing short of remarkable,
and were the piano accoteipanlment elim
inated, and a well-written orchestral one
substituted, "Don Giovanni" would not
show years as far as the musical part of
the work is concerned. Byron has told
his version of the Spanish nobleman
whose sole pursuit In life is women of all
classes and of varying degrees of at
tractiveness. His different escapades are
set forth with no small amount of humor,
and while Don Giovanni is the central
figure, the opera requires great artists In
every part. This work has been given
several times at the Manhattan, each
time presenting Renaud in the title role.
Nothing more exquisitely polished or fas
cinating can be conceived than his per-
formance, and keen Interest will be
aroused when "Don Giovanni" will be
produced at the Metropolitan with Scotti
In the title role and Mahler conducting.
Renaud has been one of the most
valuable assets at the Manhattan this
season, as he is one of the most ver
satile artiste on any stage. To say
nothing of his work In Offenbach's
Contes d'Hoffmann, where he plays
three parts as diametrically opposed
to each other as Is possible to realize,
his Mephletopheles in The Damnation
of Faust, by Berlioz, Is one of the most
powerful characterizations ever offered.
Renaud is a familiar figure In Paris,
where he has been the leading baxltone
for the last few years, and his pres
ence in America puts art upon a
higher . plane, particularly when be Is
eurrounded by such artists as Dal
mores and Mary Garden, as he usually
Is since these belong to the French
section of the Manhattan forces.
The production of Louise was far In
excess of all anticipation, and the pub
lic seems to have taken the work with
all the eerlousness which it deserves.
The story already told In these columns
shows that as the laws of France for
bid marriage without the consent of
parents, there was no alternative for
the young pair except to follow the
course-which they did. In telling the
story .Carpentier sets forth the etreet
life of Paris, the homely life of the
laboring man and the workroom of the
dressmaking establishment where
Louise Is employed.
Not only are these pictures faithfully
painted, but the characters who people
them are well drawn and show an an
alytical mind both unusual and unex
pected. The music reveals the hand of
a master; it is neither cloying nor ag
gressively dissonant, and the orches
tration shows tremendous mastery of
technic, as also a wider understanding
of the mission of each Instrument in
the color scheme which la related to
sound and emotion. There is not one
moment when Interest lags; the music
carriee the action with a grip and the
action flows smoothly and logically,
eliminating the unreal and superficial
effects which frequently mar opera.
Mary Garden was superb and impres
sive In the role of Louise, and she had
much for which to be thankful in the
admirable support received from three
of the most sterling, artists in the Man.
hattan company. These were Dal
mores. who not only impersonated, but
actually seemed to live the part of
Julien; Mme. Bressler-Cianoli as the
mother, and Gillbert as the father of
Louise. Of these, the most poignant,
the most vital was Gillbert, who is one
of the greatest artists on the operatic
stage. Mme. Bressler-Gianoli, too,
gave a picture as telling in effect as It
was remarkable in its drawing, and
vocally she maintained her established
position as a great artist. Dalmores,
the Impetuous lover, in whom tender
ness Is the dominant note, sang with
great beauty and opulence of tone.
Enough cannot be said of bis work,
either ae singer or as actor, because
to give him mere credit for what he
does would be to drop into extrava
gances of expression. Miss Garden
fully demonstrates her beautiful art,
an art which stood for all that the word
implies in Paris where the spirit stands
for almost everything. She showed
traces of her recent illness on the first
night, but later she came into her
own and sang with great beauty of
tone and with great dramatic power.
There is no doubt that Louise will b
one of the great successes of the sea
eon if not a lasting favorite In New
York. No one can fail to realize the
superiority of the production which in
stage setting is one of the most splen
did achievements of -the Manhattan
opera stage managers.
EMILIB FRANCES BAUER.
Capture 1000 Motorists.
LONDON, Jan. 11. Superintendent W.
J. Marks of the Surrey constabulary has
been promoted to take charge of the new
petty sessional division at Woking.
During the four and a half years he
has had charge of the "Kingston district
he has captured about 1000 motorists for
exceeding the speed limit and driving to
the public danger, and in the majority of
cases fines were Imposed. He took up
his new duties at Woking at the begin
ning of the new year.
104.0