The San Francisco call., 1896-05-15
AMATEURS SING ERNANL
Good Performance of Verdi's
Work by the Ziliani
Society.
A Barytone Who Covers Himself
With Glory-All the Princi.
pals Applauded

Friends ana admirers of the Ziliani
Musical Society almost filed the Bush
street Theater last night and their enthu-
siasm brimmed over in the shape of ap-
plause, encores, and such quantities of
flowers that at the end of the second act
the tenor, exhausted with lifting them
over the footlights, and seeing no room to
stow away any more. began throwing them
on one another, like load of hay. till re-
called to the fitness of things by the clap
ping and laughter of the audience.
The opera was Verdi's "Ernani,' no light
task for amateurs TO execute, but the So
ciety covered itself with glory by the per-
formance. In the first place, every one of
the soloists had voice, not microscopic
voice, but a good resonant organ, that
could be heard in the remotest parts OF the
theater as clearly as before the footlights.
Another commendabIe trait in the per-
formers was that they all pronounced well
and sang pleasingly. AS for the acting,
| the singers threw themselves into il with
ardor which was not dampened by the
| fact that, with the exception of the tenor
and the barytone, the principals were new
to stage work. The bass was so happily
oblivious to everything but his role that
| at the end OF one act he sang on heroic
| ally, right under the descending curtain.
Another moment and he would have been
| crushed before the agoniZed eyes of the
| spectators ii the tenor, with great pres
ence of mind, had not warned him of his
danger and snatched him from his i'm
| pending doom.
ALI the principals We're good, but the
barytone, Alfred A. Borlini, was a posi-
| tive revelation. As every one knows, Verdi
has been kinder to the barytone than most
other composers, and in "Ernani' Don
Carlos has a part which makes him more
OF the hero than is the tenor. Alfred Bor-
lini both sang and acted the dramatic
! lines of Don Carlos in a manner which
showed him to be unusually gifted in the
direction OF the grand opera stage. His
voice Is warm, resonant and dramatic
and he uses it admirably. In the last
scene with Elvira, in Don Silva's castle
his singing Is particularly passionate, and
his scene in the catacombs brought down
the house and had to be eated.
| DR.. d. a. Hodgehead, the Ernani, has
never done so well in local opera rs be did
| last night. His acting has gained in
breadth and ease and he produces his
| voice with fuller effect. The weakest spot
In his performance was his duet with Ell
vlra, in the third act the same duet was
also the most vulnerable spot in the LADY,
performance, for Ernani grew hoarse and
Elvira wandered off the key. This was
only one mishap, however. AS whole
the role OF Ernani was well acted and sung
| last night.
| Mrs. Elizabeth Mowry as Elvira showed
| herself TO be the possessor of powerful
dramatic soprano voice, stronger in the
upper than in the lower registers, but an
uncommonly fine voice for all that, and,
| barring the little slip above mentioned,
! she used 1t effectively and well.
I. Lafrancnl was a good Don Silva. 1t
was his hrst appearance on any stage, and
he was evidently slightly nervous His
/ voice showed good training, however, and
he sang the popular "Infelice" excellently.
| The chorus shone more, perhaps, in the
| some months ago, though it did very good
/ work last night. Professor F. Ziliani con-
Quoted well aud the whole singing went
off as smoothly as if professionals had been
the performers.
! The following ladies and gentlemen
| composed the chorus: Mrs. Z. Bolla,
Miss A. Cavalli, Miss B. Coppage, Miss NJ.
! Cline, Miss A. NJ. Frey, Miss n. Hurd
Miss Elma Lavezzari, Miss Linda Lavez-
zari, Miss Marie Lavezzari, Miss D. Lea,
Miss Ethel Lyndhurst, Miss Nj. Mitchell
Mrs. d. Moore, Miss K. Dalton, Miss V.
Rappin, Miss G.. Sollman, Mrs. T. Taylor,
| Miss C. Vincent, Mrs A Wilson, Miss
| May Wright; Messrs. F. Baumgartener,
| w. f. Harnett, E. Bottini, r. Kaufman,
b. Boranda, c. Rieveley, T. Boreiko. A.
| May, c. COLUMBIA, B. G. Rosenburg, II. H
Davis, Mr.. Schlessinger, II. Edwards. The.
odore Soilman, Z. l.. Filmer, NJ Tromboni
Phil Gibeau. Charles Wilson, A. Graham
! Carlo Ziliani.