The San Francisco call., 1898-12-30
TRYING TO TAKE OFF THE PILOT.

bling timidity- The strings were we'll choired, as usual, and the reeds, bar a sag from the pitch once or twice which was possibly due to the damp weather, were free and accurate. Nobody ever seems to think of experimenting the percussion instruments, which are difficult of manipulation and prodigi
 ously important. Hear @ kettledrum and the rest of the hardware go off at the wrong beat and you will think they are important. They, too, were all all in easy accord and the town had reason to be proud of 1t. A finer performance of the Wotan's Farewell and Fire Magic from Die W.alkure" has never been given here: It was strong, sonor- 'ous, Qervously poetic and unerTinglY cumulative in its dramatic spell. The Dreams" too (from the five tone poems), was beautifully done; the pia- nissimo was never ragged ahd the whole interpretation was marked by sensitive fancy. The "Albumblatt" I thought q bit oversWeetened; but the "Waldweben" from "Siegfried" was given it's full measure of mazy enchant- ment.
 In the symphony, strange to say. 1t was the slow movement that was best played. instead of the scherzo, which
 |. Of course the audience recalled the -scherzo-that is to be expected when the composer is so popularly known as a sCherzO specialist; but 1t was the adagio, which to my thinking reveals the noblest ideals of Mendelssohn, that was the. real feat. although the finale, too, was played with brilliant crash.
 |. Several times 1t has been my fortune +n T.- f,, time play supposed to. be more or less classic, only to find myself too late to appreciate 1t. Just such an experi- ence l had in the California Theater last night when Nance ONeil appeared as the antiquated Gypsy Queen in the anticipated play of Guy Mannering." " Never having read the particular TO- nance. of Walter .Scott's, from which this piece is taken, and having no key to the plot OF purpose of the dramatiza- ton, l could make. neither heads nor tails of 1t and was all at sea as to what under the sun 1t might mean. Perhaps to those familiar with the book this stage version brings happy souvenirs; for l observed a number of persons ap- plauding last nights performance; but to any one who is not familiar with the novel and not, therefore, able to read between the acts, so to say, I cannot for the life Of me see where the fun comes in. have seen more plot and dramatic action in a comic opera than were divulged at the California last might, and much more chance for se- rious acting than was offered Miss O'Neil and her associate players. The old Gypsy girl, Meg, who bathes in call cium and carries a forked stick and for ever shouts in the incantation voice, was not half so impressive as is. say. the old miser in the Bells of Bonneville, " and I could name you dozen comic operas whose subsidiary personages
 are more lifelike than those in this play. On the way out told my trou- bles to my colleague, Peter Robertson, who was extremely sympathetic. He said that the present. time was out of joint with Guy Mannering," and that he didn't blame me at all for not pre- tending to enjoy it. As for himself we'll, he was a Scotchman and knew the story by heart and had grown used to the play in the old days of the Cali fornia Theater stock company, and he thought Miss ONeil's makeup was very successful. I. too, thought it sue cessful, if intended to frighten women and children; but really couldn't see