The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-04-16

On next Monday Mile Belocca appears in
Rossini's "Barbiere" to open the short season
of opera which Mr.. Maurice Strakosch is
to give us. The other day that gentle
man detailed, through the medium of an IN
terview, very high belief in the attractive
powers of the young Russian artistic, and
from it we may conclude that his promise is
confined to the ''star' system, which
he defends on its only defensible grounds.
They may be reduced to Without
star no combination will draw. On the
other hand it leaves MS the disagreeable pos
sibility of getting star, but no support
worthy the name. Indeed, wherever
the ''star'' system has prevailed
whether in drama or operar-the re-
suit has generally been a star rendered
nebulous by surrounding stardust. The
winter season through which we have passed
has given MS a ''star' or two of the first
magnitude that scarcely anything could dimi
but what shifts Of poverty have the man.
ayers been put to in attempting to fill
round of even o week or two. 1t means
limited repertoire and merciless use OF the
scissors on the few operas possible in excis-
ing parts in which the chief singer
does not appear. This kind of butchery is
dreadful to contemplate, and can only be
borne when we think how much worse it,
would be to hear the hating satellites MUIR
der the music that has been mercifully cut
AWAY Our bric-a-brac season has seen too
much Of this work which it would be mis-
homer to call opera, and brilliant, melodious
and beautiful as Mile. Belocca may be-
we fear that the pleasure derivable from
hearing her will form very nearly the sum
total Of what is to be expected. We have
Just had Titiens under similar conditions,
and, as she was too great an artist to be
sighted, the public went to hear her and to
wish that she had not been left SO severely
alone 1t is too late in the day to argue that
opera cannot be given profitably in New
York with cast in which the leading singer
shall only be the brightest in galaxy Of
stars. New York is willing to support
that and will be contented with no less.
Mr. Strakosch, indeed, is lavish in his
promises Of what he will give us in the fall.
Mr. Mapleson is also preparing company,
and thus mutually spurred on we may look
forward to really brilliant fall season.
The troupe Mr. Strakosch is about to give
us is not such as they have in the great cities
of Europe, where every singer has a part
which he or she can sing with the perfection
of art, and where even the smallest parts are
sung with o thorough knowledge of the
meaning Of the music which we do not seq
here in any of our troupes. To use q the
atrical illustration, these troupes are like
the companies which played Scion Shingle,
Rip Van Wrinkle, Colonel Sellers and Bard
we'll Slote. All depended on the skill and
grace of one or at most two actors.
The others were merely lay figures
put on to keep up the plot and pre-
sent the tableaux. The singing troupes
we have had have really been operatiC
concert troupes and not first class opera
companies. We may be glad enough to well
come them in this shape-for an operatic
concert troupe is much better than nothing
but let us have them as what they are and
not as what they are not. For the present,
therefore, we must accept the coming fort
night of operate concert, and in wishing
Mile. Belocca success still hope that the
entire work of carrying each nights enter
tainment shall not be lett upon heS
cl.orlJa~o