The San Francisco call., 1897-01-18
HAS COME TO SEE
AND TO SING
Mime. Nordica, the Prima
Donna, Has Arrived in
the City.
She May Make a Short Trip
North After Her En-.
gagement Here.
Americans Are Herd TO Please, She
Says, for They Always Have
the Best.

Charming, fascinating, vivacious, ap-
parently unwearied after her long jour
ney overland, Nine. Lillian Nordica smil-
1ngly stepped from her carriage last night
and repaired to her apartments at the
Palace, where she was instantly besieged
by an army of reporters. She expressed
herself as delighted with her trip. having
travelled by way of Denver. Salt Lake and
Omaha.
"Oh, en- joyed it so much l' she said.
"The scenery was beautiful, and L passed
almost all my time at the car window
"Yes, l made two appearances IN CHI
cago and was the only soloist. l expect
to make a third on my return trip, assisted
by my own company.
my, favorite roller Isolde, in Tristan
and Isolde. 1t is a very arduous role,
and requires, one might say, years OF
study and hard work"
When asked how Chicago audiences
compared with those of New York she
SAID: II think the audiences in Chicago
are most discriminating in fact all Amer
lean audiences are very difficult to please.
You see they have the very best that can
be had, and [ do not think they are very
hospita bic to newcomers.
''Yes, they are harder TO please than
foreign audiences, and do not show their
pleasure so quickly. Americans are very
quick to make up their minds as TO what
they like and what they don't like. For
eigners take more time in judging and
give the artistes little more chance for
their lives, she said, laughingly. Here
we are apt to Judge in one performance,
and if it does not please we have not much
use for it."
Madame was asked if ''stage fright" ever
claimed her for it's own.
"Stage fright! Oh, horrors, always! 1t
just made me shiver to think OF it as we
were coming here. OF course in opera one
does not become so nervous; there are
more distractions. There are the demons
fiddling away below and the head devil
waving his baton, but in concert-oh
Every hand goes up so, and every head
bobs this way and that way, and, well, L
don't think one ever really gets over it
stage fright l mean"
Nine. Nordica would not speak directly
concerning tie Metropolitan Opera house
affair, but incidentally observed that she
thought it was unfair that "ope man or
woman should receive four or five times
as much as his running mate so to
speak"
II think" she aiG, "for any one artist
in company to take upon himself to dis
tribute roles or to say who shall do one
muneraton should be controlled more by
the managers and less by the artists, and
then there would be better understand
ing all around"
Nine. Nordica does not expect to sing
in any other part of this State, although
she expressed hope that arrangements
might be perfected regarding a northern
trip which she intended to take after her
engagement in this City, but about which
she appeared rather dubious.
The beginning of March will see the fair
American prima donna fulfilling two
months engagement at the Opera-house
in Paris, after which she will sing in Lon
don at the Covent Garden Theater.
The other members of the company
arriving last night were Nine. Scalchi, the
famous contralto, who is in splendid voice !;
Barron Bertha1G, tenor; ]. c. Dempsey,
basso; and Isidore Luckstone, pianist and
conductor of the orchestra of fifty.