St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-08
THE CHICAGO FESTIVAL.
Patti, Nevada, ScaIchi and Other Stars
Score a Grand Success in
Opera.
Nevada Leaves the Palmer House in Rage
and Goes Over to Mine Host
Drake.
Nights Salary of 81, 900 Was Paid
in Advance.

Special to the Globe.
CHICAGO, April 1.-THE long-talked-of
opera festival. with Patti, Nevada, Scalchi
and other luminaries of the Mapleson Opera
company, has scored a success. The vast
opera house, seating $500 persons. with
standing room for 1000 more, was crowded
to its utmost capacity last night, when Ros-
sini's "Semiramide'' was produced. The
critics, one and all, agreed in pronouncing
the affair
COMPLETE SUCCESS.
Arditi welded the baton, and in response
there were 100 musicians in the orchestra,
more than one-half of whom were Chicago
performers, while on the stage 5000 singers,
drilled especially for this occasion by the
Chicago impressario, added wonderfully
correct volume of tone to the regu-
lar Mapleson chorus. 1t pleased
Patti to be in rare good
humor and she responded to encore in which
Nine. Scalchi shared the honors, something
unusual in the ''diva." Tonight Meyerbeer's
"L' Africaine' in five acts, one of the grand
est spectacular operas extant, was presented
to an audience that filed the house from
Fursch-Madi and Dotti sustaining the prin-
cipal roles. The opera is new one here, and
the expectation was fully realized by the i'm
mense audience. In addition to the i'm
mense body of chorus singers several COM
panies of the local military organization par
ticipated, and at one time there were no less
than 600 persons on the stage in plain view
of the audience. The presentation was
nn1
by the first appearance of Cavallazzi,
the premier danseuse, leading ballet of 400
trained dancers. The daily press has kept
the details of the festival that l refrain, and
give you mere gossip. OF course the
festival would not be complete without some
trouble with the stars. Nevada, who makes
her first appearance tomorrow evening,
opened the fray by getting into
TROUBLE WITH POTTER PALMER.
She had put up at the Palmer house and was
given the room occupied by the royal Louise
on the occasion of one of her visits here.
But Miss Nevada cared not for that. She
wanted an additional room for some of her
pets and the young man in the business
Office couldn't give it to her just where she
wanted it. She demanded it, but it was Of
her and expostuated, but she was
obdurate She gave him her opinion
out of tune of him and his house She de-
manded her baggage and under the shadow
of night she went away to Mr.. BRAKES house,
where she occupied six rooms. Miss Nevada's
father, who is with her, undertook to pour
some
OIL on THE TROUBLED WATERS,
bttt oh ly in fnr I'D hot bp
her own boss in such matters. / am told by
one of the Palmer house folks that the air
was a sort Of uptamed red in the vicinity of
the corridors near Miss Nevada's room for
some minutes. Mr.. Palmer is not much in
clined to cater to the caprices of these profess
sional people, anyway, and the manner in
which Miss Ncvada's trunks were hustled
out on the sidewalk showed that the house
didn't care for the nightingale's comfort.
This is the first knock down for Miss Nevada.
It's PATHS turn next. met Col. Mapleson
at the Pacific this evening and he said in re-
lation 10
LAST NIGHTS PERFORMANCES:
''The people of Chicago have no idea what
biz thing they have done. They do every
thing, even down to a conhagratiou, on such
big scale that they accept this festival in a
immense. | do not speak of the sing ing,
for the reputation of these artists is world
wide. ] refer 10 the opera house, to the vast
audience that filed it and to the character
and appearance of the people. For my part,
paid nc attention to the music, but devoted
all my time TO looking at and wondering at
the audience. Believe me, such thing is
not possible in any other part Of the world
with which am acquainted. It is wonder
full. Here is city entirely unknown in
Europe, except perhaps as
POg X MARKET,
built practically within the last twelve years,
originates an operafseason with chorus Of
400 voices, an orchestra OF 100 pieces, and
an audience of 5000 people, and as orderly
and fsshiouably-dressed people as YOU would
find in any opera house in Europe Why,
my dear sir, in about two years from now
you Chicago people will begin to get It
through your heads what grand thing you
have done"
Glow did Madame Patti like the layoutr'
'.WeI, Madame Patti was simply
astouuded She had sung, Of course, in all
of the finest opera houses in Europe; such as
London, Paris and 81. Petersburg, but it's
positive fact that when she came on the
stage and took her first look st the audience
SHE GAsPED.
Now, that is I fact" Nine Patti's good
humor is no doubt to be attributed 10 the
fact that her salary for the night, $1,000,
vas paid before the curtain rang up on the
first act.
The critics this morning actually called
attention to several bad breaks By the queen
OF song, asserting that she hatted on sew
eral occasions, and one audacious mortal
SAYS in loaded minion that the great singer
forgot her part aud made bad mistake. l
have beard many people say to-day that
Scalchi is greater artist than Patti At all
events honors we're evenly shared betN een
them last night But why not; Patti sckuOTl-
edges 10 and 40 years. She cannot expect
10 retain her freshness and vig0r Of voice for