The record-union., 1899-03-31
ADJUSTMENTS.

|
ADJUSTMENTS.
About 600 people all told attended
upon the production Of Carmen" last
night at the Clunie Opera-house by the
Ellis Grand Opera Company, with De
Lussan, the mezzo-soprano; Honnard,
tenor; Gadski, soprano, and Bensaude,
| basso, in the lead, with the support
of Van Cauterren, soprano; Mattfeld
mezzo- soprano; Stehmann, baritone;
Viviani, basso, and Del Sol, tenor. The
opera was admirably staged and was
given with the full, strong, splendidly
trained chorus, the ballet, and the New
York Symphony Orchestra of fifty
two pieces, with Sepelli director.
De Lussan won instant success and
had more curtain calls than fall to the
lot of most artists, but in these Gadskl
and Bonnard equally shared. Indeed
Madame Gadski was a great favorite
Her strong. clear, impressive and we'll
nigh perfect soprano was a treat to
hear. It is only on rare occasions that in
this community such a noble voice Is
heard in opera. We can we'll under
stand why the New York critics pro-
nounce her the coming Wagnerian So
prano.
! OF De Lussan it Isl to be said in what
| is necessarily a hasty review of her
work, that while she is a foremost
musical artist unquestionably, she IS a
greater actress than singer. She mas
| the equipment of youth, beauty,
splendid figure, and the witchery OF
! eve. motion and facial expression,
which fit the ideal Carmen-the cruel
est. most heartless and wicked OF
! coouettes. Her Interpretation OF the
role was assailed in San Francisco on
the ground that she makes 1t TOO
broad; that she swaggers through tue
part; that her idea of the character
strips it of the softer sentiment that
belongs to it, and that should kindie
something of sympathy for the gypsy
who was loyal 10 her tribe.
/ Rut it is to be said in defense of De
Lussan that her Carmen justifles itseiI
and defends the artist. She paints the
| character as the text warrants, neither
| oyercoloring it, nor reducing 1t 10 lne
level of the tough" as one sarcastic
critic has seen fit to denominate IT,
Vocally Mile de Lussan is mezzo-
soprano admirably suited to the oper-
attic stage Her voice is of fine quallty,
has a rich resonance and fullness, anu
| is managed with accurate compreneh-
sion of its capacity and the demands
of the score Her vocal resource Is
ample, though clearly last evening she
spared her voice all she dared, but she
missed no opportunity for dramatic Ell
| fects in vocahzation. Evidently ner
hest work is done where she has the
most emotion to express.
TTnuuestionably she is a fine dramatic
singer. one quite equal to demands
for those higher grades of singing
| and acting which require close ad-
herence to the passionate creations.
| AS a, dramatic figure she is every men
an artist; she knows her person ana
its charms, the extent and limits OF
her personal magnetism or power, the
measure of her passionate capacity,
and the power of her action eomDlned
with her vocal expression to commdnu
admiration and inspire enthusiasm LOT
her work. There is only one faint sug-
eestion about her work that is as
| agreeable. namely, that she does not
as vet sink self wholly; the impression
cannot be avoided that she is acting.
On the other hand, Gadski, with very
little dramatic work cut out for ner IN
| Carmen" with ease became the
Michaela of the opera Her lndivlou-
ality was completely swallowed up III
the character. She was nothing eise'
suggested nothing else but the pure,
| earnest. loving and devoted friend
who was bent upon holy mission, that
of rescuing Jose from the wlles OF
"* , the guilty creature,
Who by Internal arts doth sever
From his country, from his duty
Him I loved-and shall love ever
I may tremble at her beauty,
But her power affrights me not.
| Nevertheless this is not saying ny
| comparison that De Lussan Is not
dramatic artist of superior characler'
or that she is not the most artfui, las
cinating and witching Carmen eVei
sung or played before this puphc-eA-
cepting none.
Bonnard's splendid tenor was de-
light. It's robust quality, its eyenhess
of tone and effective quality. the deptn
Of feeling with which it was delivered
made dt eloquent and invested 1t Win
| infinite sentiment. BenSuade stoou
next in prominence among the leauers.
His Is a sonorous, finely cuillValeu
basso. of good volume and quality, ana
| it was handled Win the Shl11 VI Liz az
complished artist.
The chorus was large, thoroughly
trained and sang with earnestness IL
not with enthusiasm, and was falthful'
| if rather formal and suggestive OF the
drill master The orchestral work OF the
New York Symphony organization was
a delight; as nearly flawless as any
| thing in that line we have had here.
None of its work was roughly done;
none of it was sighted 1t is a finely
| balanced body of capable musicians,
whose work is precise and careful
It is to be regretted that the effort to
! fill the house and thus give encourage
ment to. other great organizations to
come here with high class entertain
neIhts failed. But there are reasons for
the failure quite excusing it. Had 1t
been known early in the operate season
in San Francisco that the Ellis Com
pany would come here, fully 300 Sac
ramentanE, at no small expense, who
went to San Francisco to hear the opera
troupe, would in all probability nave
awaited its arrival here. But fully that
number Of music lovers who can be de-
pended upon to sustain musical enter
tainhnents here expended what they
deemed the limit of means in visiting
lc.-