The San Francisco call., 1898-04-01
MARY LOUISE CLARY, Who May Soon Be Heard Here

being entirely unknown to fame. The success of their opera was so instanta- neous and startling that great critics journeyed from as far away as Paris to see ''The Princess of the Inn,'' although 1t was in an uncouth tongue that they did not understand. Last year the work was produced at other Belgian theaters, always with the same success; finally 1t was translated into French, and was pro- duced at Ghent on the 10th inst. Its re- ception was even more rapturous than when it was played in Flemish. Le Men estrel says of 1t: "The first performance, last Friday, was a series of acclama- tions for the work, and of ovations for the composer, who himself directed the orchestra, and l swear that this enthus- iasm was spontaneous, and was we'll merited; for the rest you know how cold and skeptical the Belgians are especially in judging the work of a compatriot The admiration was unanimousi An! for how many years has the opera been expected which would fulfill all aspirations, which would be at once scholarly and emotional. l believe that at last we have found 1t. The subject is simple and half, but it Is human without vulgarity and above all 1t is very musical. It represents the eter- nal struggle between good and evil. be- tween sensual and ideal love- It is a little the history of Carmen transported to other scenes, but with a higher aim. and Is more truly lyric"
 Paris, which sent us Anna He,d ,s shocked to the very marrow at an oper etta that has been quite popular in Amer lea and England. The piece that has made Paris blush, but which is packinp the Athenee Comique every night. is the
 deisha." It has only just been adapted and the critics are about equally divided between horror and admiration The se rious critic of Le Figaro speaks of "the prodigous indecency' of the "Geisha S but he condones 1t on account of the air of unreality given by the Japanese setting lie further remarks: Tt Is fortunate that thls piece imported from prudish England depicts Japanese manners, for if 1t passed on the European continent even the crit ics least enslaved by cant would be nuz zled to designate the place of action. and the heroine's occupation. Fortunately it IS the A1ngllsh who send us the 'Geisha, TOT 1T a French author had drawn such pictures and had depicted English society women in such place as the teahouse of the thousand Delights, we should cer- tafnly have heard a wall of anguish from the other side of the channel. declaring that we were audaciously attributing to chaste Albion the vices of decadent Baby iOi- <AlloSeiHeI tle cTlClcS are having joyous time getting back at 'perfide AL bion,' which has so often accused French works of laxity in morals. Paris has not for long time held up its hands, and so loudly cried "shockingr'
 Lyric art has lost a friend in Alphonse Boavret, director of the Lyric Theater. Paris, who shot himself on the Moulineaux railroad, by firing four times at his brain. eXneCted fr whose cheerful. smiling countenance was one of the sights of Parisian promenades, It was when he became executor for the Countess de Caen that Alphonse Bouyret. In managing the estate, had charge of the little theater in the Galerie vivienne. At first he played little vaudevilles there. and then one fine day he thought he would transform the theater into a small opera-house, where he could revive the cast-off works of the Opera Comiuue, The success of his little house was re- markable, and the services he rendered to French art were very real In his hours of ease Bouvret a song writer and poet, he also founded the Journal des Ar tistes.
 At Christiana young Swedish pupil of Massenet, Gaston Borch, has offered the public little opera in one act entitled "Silvio," which is sequel to Mascagni's S "Cayallerla RuStlcana. Sllvio, who is the son of Lola and Turriddu, falls in love with Graziella. the daughter of Lola and Alf1o. The young man feels that he ought to avenge the murder of his father, killed as all opera-goers know, by Alfio. and something enormously tragic naturally results. Silvio kills Alf1o, and Grazella. learning their parentage, becomes mad This sanguinary tragedy was very we'll received by the public, and Gaston Borch was called four times before the curtain
 The Paris Grand Opera is talking of re- viving Gluck's "Armida" next season, and