Hy HENRIETTA M. REES.
TdERE is something thrilling
ubout the Metropolitan opera
house. The groat silk curtain
that hangs before the huge stage Is
thrilling in its size, its grace and Its
luster. It seems to promise lavish
ness before it sweeps majestically
aside to show it. Lavishness of stage
setting, of costumes and of the vocal
riches of (he world. After looking
at its heavy sumptuous folds for a
few preliminary moments, one is pre
pared to look upon that which fol
lows with an idealizing eye. The gor
geous dull gold curtain has tricked
the onlooker into the tight atmos
phere
But before the curtain is with
drawn. tho audience itself conics hi
for a share of the attention. There
ore so many people In New- York, ami
they are always everywhere. Every
lime we attended the opera, the house
seemed to be full, with the exception
of the Golden Horseshoe, which only
once held more people than empty
seats. And just below It the rows
of standees, who patiently shift from
one foot to the other until the opera
is ended.
Five times to (ho Metropolitan In
two weeks was a pretty good record,
with fine concerts pulling away on
tlie one hand and good plays on the
other.
We heard Jeriiza twice, in "Tosca"
and as Klisabeth in "Tannhattser,"
imi wo were convinced of her being
;i sterling artist. Her voice has a
lovely fvsh quality, witli sweetness
a- well ns power. She knows how
to use It, with excellent effect, and
'lie is a good actress as well as
singer. tier blonde beauty is in
striking contrast to tbs majority of
he sing, rs at. the Metropolitan. ]I»r
face is lovely hoth front view and
rrofilc. and her wealth of flaxen hair,
which falls to her knees, is an added
beauty. She is tall, but not heavy.
.She knows her roles well, and her
work throughout in hoth operas was
consistent and artistic.
Scotti was the Sharpie of the
' Tosca " performance. He has made
this role so much his own that one
thinks of Scotti not at all. only
Scarpia. We also heard Scotti de
lightfully again in "Madame Butter
fly,” as the American consul, and it
was ‘..mothing of a surprise to sec
him in American clothes, and as he"
must really look. We were the guests
of Mr. Max Smith, music critic of the
New York American, at the "Butter
fly" performance. The other singers
were Thalia Sabanieva. a Greel^prima
donna, with a light and flexible voice.
She sings artistically, but had little
personality. Neither did I’erini, as
Suzuki, although she also sang ac
ceptably. The beautiful tenor of
Higll wns heard to advantage in the
role of Pinkerton
We heard '‘I,a Forz del Destino.'
try Verdi. Wo would have known it
was Verdi had we been led in Win'1
folded. The sanie happy flow of mel
ody. the same impossible situations,
lord and ladies, soldiers, monks, '
townspeople, a gypsy, love, misunder
standings and death.
We went principally to hear Jennne
cordon, the young American girl,
who has leaped so rapidly to fame.
Her voice is one of those full, deep
contralto voices that is a constant
delight, and as the gypsy, a gay
drum 'one with a chorus of towns
people fell to liei share, which wop |
her an encore. Peralta, as the so
prano, has a pretty voice, hut she was
inclined to gild ihe lily hy occasional
forcing. An Italian man who, with
,1 few of his compatriots, stood dl
rectlj behind the rail near us, ap
plauded her almost too enthusinstlc
ally. We wondered, were they of the
claque? Both Salazar, the tenor, and
Mardones, hnritone. of the same east
with good sineers have been heard in
Omaha with other companies. .
The beauty of opera ,ar th< Metro
politan is not only confined to the
music. There is a wealth of art tit
the wonderful settings for the scenes,
which are like immense pictures in
themselves, adding to the romantic
spell and glamour of the production.
The costumes have .a share in the pic
ture, it seeming ns though even those
of the immense chorus were designed
for a certain definite place in the
color scheme. We reacted keenly to
the settings for each opera that we
saw. although 1 must admit that the
fireflies which flitted at twilight in
Madame Butterfly's garden were so
interesting they almost detracted from
the exquisite duet.
But there is nothing which the
scenic art'st cannot do, no optical cf
feet he cannot achieve, and he is at
his best at the Metropolitan.
The "Tannhauser” production
brought Matzenauer as Venus, Carl
Toucher, ns Tannhauser. and the big
base, Paul Bender, who has made
quite an unusual impression this year,
as T-andymf Hermann. The entire
production was well done, the sing
ing splendid, and the stage effects
truly remarkable.
AA'e hadn’t heard Rosa Ponselle. but
we went to the Sunday evening con
cert and heard her there, with tpany
other op: ratio stars, and Benno
Moiselvltch as assisting atrlst. The
Sunday evening concert is n glorified
miscellaneous program, with tlie or
chestra on the s age and various
stars appearing in one aria. AVe liked
Rosa Ponselle very much. She sang
exquisitely, and we felt that she had
excellent stage presence. Had cp
ceires been allowed, she would have
! %: several. Benno Moiselvltch
confirmed the impression lie made in
his Omaha recital recently, by his
fine work in a Tschaikowskv con
certo.
The orchestra of the Metropolitan,
and the quiet, unobtrusive yet ali im- \
portant conductors, had a share in
the thrill of satisfaction one gets j
when it is all over, especially when
the orchestra, and conductors are of
such merit as this greatest of opera
houses maintains.
AA'e did not hear the German opera
company at the Manhattan, although
Mr. Smith assured us we had missed
some interesting singing, especially
among the men of the casts.
AVe went to the Theater Guild pro
duotion of “Peer Oynt.” and final!?/
attached the Grieg music to its or!
g.nal association of ideas.
The St. Olaf Lutheran choir will
\ =i' Omaha April 13. The St. Oiaf
• -Lcilr is unique among musical or
ganizations devoted to choral singing
During the crosscountry tour two
seasons ago, it was a series of srnsa
ins. City after city paid its tribute
of applause and enthusiasm to
Dr. F. Melius Christiansen and his
. holr. H. K. Krehhlel in,the New
York Tribune said "We shall enjoy
no such choral treat till the chorus
comes to us again.” Cither critics
who are reserved to a degree write
with the greatest enthusiasm of this
wonderful unaccompanied singing.
Those who heard the concert given
by lhis organization in Omaha two
veers ago do not need to he lold of ,
the treat that is in store. The con
cert will be presented at the City
auditorium Sunday afternoon April li
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St. Olaf’s Lutheran Choir Soon Will
Be Heard in Concert in Omaha
at 3 o’clock. Tickets may be secured
at the Auditorium or at any of the
Lutheran churches in the city, It* v.
R. l.Tvilden, 2708 Caldwell street, is
the local chairman.
The program which Paderewski
will play in Omaha Tuesday night.
March 20, is an unusually brilliant
end interesting one and might bo
called typical of his present-day
appearances, containing as it docs his
1 well-beloved Appasaionata Sonata of
Beethoven, one of the greatest of ail
Schumann works, and other num
bers by masters so indelibly identified
With the career of th»* great pianist.
The nroKram in full is as follows:
Variation* Serieusea, opus 04 . Mendelssohn
Fantasia, opus 17 . . .Schumann
(Dunhaus fantastlsch massig durchaua
.-n»MK)*< h langsam getragor,. >
Sonatr. ypua &7 ... . Beethov*n
i (Allegro nasal Anduiit. con moto Allegro
!.1,1 non troppo Presto.)
Nocturne, opus 37, No. 2: Mazurka H
flat minor. Op. 24. No. * .Chopin
Vais*. Opus 4.'. Scherao C sharp
minor . . .Chopin
Au bord d'une source; Etude de con
cert F minor; Hungarian Rhap
sody . . .;.Liszt
On next Friday evening:. March 23,
ihe Tuesday Musical club will pre
sent Fritz KreUler, the world-famous
vjoliniat, in recital at th* Auditorium'
at 8:15 o’clock. Mr. Kreigler la/said
I to have penetrated and mastered
every technical secret of his instru
ment, drawing from it a tone of
manifold and lustrous beauty. The
public *ale of seats will open Monday
morning at the box office at the Au
ditorium. Kreisler’s program will be:
[Sonata, C Minor .Grieg
i Allegro molto appassionato
Allegretto espreaaiva alia romar.n.
Allegro nnlmato.
Concorto No. 1, O minor.Bruch
Prclud#—All-gro modwraio.
Adagio—Allegro enargb o.
“Lotus I.ami" Cyril Scott
"Caronado du Poljchinelk" Kreifler
“Farewell to Cu.-hullai ".Londonderry Air
(Transcribed by Krtlwl*-?. >
Two nkelchea from Soh"hor«*ad/'
Hill ky Korsakoff
i. Clianxon Arab**
Dapae Oriental
(Transcribe.] by Kreislcr>
carl Lam won, accompanist
The Fortnightly Musicnl club is
rapidly g> (ting its plana in shape for
the Nebraska Composers' program,
which the « lub will present *p the
time of the State Music Teachers' as
sociation. on the afternoon of April ;
3. Invitations have been issuer! to
Carl Steckelberg, Howard Kirkpat
rick. Thurlow I.leurance, Wilber'
t'henowith. Hazel Ivinscella and Stu
art Hoppin, composers of Lincoln;
Jean Boyd. Fremont: Paul Ileuter,
Seward; J. A. Parks, York, and Mrs.
C. O. Carlson of Crete. Many of these
out-of-town composers have already
expressed a willingness to appearand
many of them will bring singers or
instrumentalists to Interpret their 1
compositions. Mrs. J. Ft. Cain, rhair
man of the committee, is sparing no
effort for the success of the concert.
Thirty members of the Omaha
Musicians’ association under the di
rection of Harry Silverman, director
of the Strand theater orchestra, will
donate their services fqr a concert to I
be given Wednesday morning, March j
-I. at the Franklin school, in the in-|
terest of the music memory contest, j
because one little girl, the daughter ,
of Mr. Dow my of the percussion in- j
struments became so interested In the I
music memory contest that she could '
not ke<p still. Hhe surprise'! her,
father by coming home and telling
him many intei < sting things about
music. II" carried tlie news to the
orchestra and the men of the orches
tra decided to assist the little girl
and others like her in this practical
manner.
In co operation with the music ]
memory contest, Mrs. Leo A. Hoff
man of the music department of the
Omaha Woman's club, will sponsor
the following program at Sehmoller
Ac Mueller auditorium on Thursday.
March 22, at 7:30 p. m. This program
is given for the benefit of the parents
and children of the schools near the
central part of the city, such as Cen
tral, Long, Lake, Howard Kennedy,
Farnam. Comfnlus, Castelar and
others, that they may keep In touch
with the work of the pupils:
Cxc-erpt* from Haydn's. Schuborl'a and
Beethoven « Symphonies.
Henry Cox Symphony Orchentr*
T.ulla by ..Bra hm*
"Hattie Hymn of the Republic..
Central High School mixed quar’et
Alleen ^'li 1 !e* Marjory Jone* Herbert
Weeterfield, Kenneth Seeley; Mr*. Pitt*
director.
“Ave Maria . Bach-Oounod
Beitha Coffey-A**jnann.
"Indian lament” .Dvorak
"To ;t Wild Rose" . .MarDotall
"Rondino" Beethoven
Jean t'ndeland-Kyan.
"Volja Boatman ’ .... Husaian Polk Sonf
Kenneth Seeley.
"Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes'
Mil-aaret Spaldtnf-Sturife*
"Sw.riir J»o*- Swe»t Chariot’—Central,
High School Male quartet, Herbert Wea
terfleld, Hubert William*, Howard El
liott, Kenneth Seeley.
The personnel of the orrh^fctr* is tt> i
follows.
Violins—Ches'er Wilson, Ernest Nordlne. i
sr . Harry Brsder, Alvin Poole, Mrs LI 1 - i
l*an Faber. T P., Clark, Elmer Hutton.
f,arl Lamp#, E. C:hrlatene*»n. Rangval Ol
son.
vi"las — Emil Hoffman, J. 8. Pugn*r,'
M ill M*t»h**rington.
Cello*—Franz Auer, M Garnet.
Biases — Bonar Btevenren, George ?.foon
Flutes—Pet *»r Christman. Carl Bolough
Clarinets—Emil Krause. Jamei Hansen.
Oboe—Hugo Nordlne
Bassoon—tv'aMace Wheeler.
Harp—-Mary Loom*.
Trumpet*—A K. Htevensen. Harry Him
m *»r.
Horns—P. A H^rkie. John Taff
Trombone**—Frank Henry. Jin»? Peter
Jamison.
Percussion—8 If. Downey.
Th* following program will be played:
“Pf.rnp and rir''umitin,-e". Elgar
’'WHliant Tell." overture.Rossini j
“To a Wild Rose'". Ma^Dovei!
♦ String*. Harp and Woodwind)
(Harplat, Mrs. Mary Loomis.)
•'Amaryllla'* ... .. ...Ghyei
"Cnflnlatied Symphony" .Schubert 1
" Ave Maria" Gounod i
“Song of tho Volga Boatmen".Cady!
“Waltzing Doll" . ^.Poldlrtoj
Mis* McCune. supervisor of music. 1
wishes tho public to know that the i
visit of the Minneapolis Symphony
orchestra on April 25 Is in no way
connected with the study or finals of
the Music Memory contest. The or
chestra I* booked at the Brandois by
the Universal Concert Bureau, Inc.,
New York, Ralph 4 McFayden, man
ager
Neither the Board of Education nor
Mr. McCrory, the assistant superin
tendent, has any active part In the
matter, but Miss McCune and Mr.
McCrory have made It possible for
the public school children to attend
the matin*-* performance.
Calvary Raptlst church will ded.
cate Its new organ Thursday eveni;^,
March 29- Hugo Goodwin, organist,
now of Carleton college Minnesota,
formerly of Chicago, will play the
dedication program. The new organ
la a thre«y-manual instrument, which
is said to be equipped with many va
rieties of stops. Tickets be oi>
(Turn to P«c# N'fnr. f olomn Thr*+ )
ADVEBTISFWENT.
ADVKKTISFVIFNT.
Don't let child stay
bilious, constipated
MOTHER, MOVE CHILD’S BOWELS
WITH “CHLIFORKM FIG SYRUP”
Even Cross, Feverish, Sick Children Love its Taste
and it Never Fails to Empty Little Bowels
A teaspoonful of "California Fig
Syrup" now will quickly start liver
and bowel action and in a few hours
you have a well, playful child again.
Mothers can rest easy after giving
"California Fig Syrup" because it nev
er fails to work the sour bile and
constipation poison right out of the
little stomach and bowels w y.hou’
cramping or overacting.
Tell your druggist you want oniy
the genuine "California Kig Syrup '
which has directions for babies and
children cf ail ages printed on bottie.
Mother, you muset say •'’California.
Refuse any imitation
1 _
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traditional beverage o/many generations
In the days of the Coffee House, coffee was a drink of the
few. The Coffee Ho use was the meeting place of the intel
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Coffee is the foundation of ever)) meal. It has become as
essential as bread or butter. There is no econom)) in poor coffee.
There is a foresight of real econom)) in buying the best.
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DAXT0N AND GALLAGHER [0.
® ffcmsirj in Omaha
