The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-13

the Closing Performance Was the
Crowning Success of the Brief
Engngement-AL Large and En-
thusiastic Audience.
There is not the slightest doubt but
that Melba is the favorite par excel
lence OF st. Paul audiences They grow
enthusiastic over De Lussan and Gadski,
but it is the widest kind of enthusiasm
that greets the silver-throated woman
who last night sang the leading role In
La Boheme." La BOheme" In the
language of the libretto, IA gay life, yet
terrible one.' and 1t was sung and
pictured or, the stage Of the Metropoli-
tan last evening in manner that was
terribly realistic The romantic life OF
the Quarter Latin, the careless. happy
go-lucky existence of those struggling
children of genius who flock to gay Paris
hoping to wrest fame from her grasp,
such a life is pictured In La Boheme,
and the opera moves forward with
dash and spirit that holds the closest at
tention.
1t was splendidly staged last night.
The scene in the second act Of the Latin
Quarter showing a conflux of streets
f1anked by shops of all sorts, and the
entrance to the Cafe Momus was one OF
the best things ever put on ST. Paul
stage And the music! Well, the music
is as sprightly as the gay Partisan life
itself, dotted here and there with dainty
musical gems.
The first two acts. perhaps, do not give
the soloists much chance to show their
power, but the choruses were finely sung,
and the quartettes and duets all that one
could desire in vocal effect.
Melba made a beautiful and charming
Mimi, and, Of course, she sang the role
l1. Gould cir
In the scene in Rodolpho's PandolfinD
studio, where Rodolpho and Mimi meet
for the first time the singing and acting
of both the soprano and the tenor were
superb. They were called again and
again before the curtain. and Melba's
arms were loaded with flowers
Pandolf1ni not only sings the part OF
Rodolpho most satisfactorily, but he
makes a handsome hero, possessing
fine stage presence and an easy manner.
AS Musette De Lussan had not as good
an opportunity to show her vocal and
histrionic ability as she had Tuesday
night in Carmen" but she made de-
Hcious Musette, gay, careless. capr1cious
and free, and sang with verve.
Bensaude as Marcello, De Vries as
Schaunard, and Boudouresaue aa
Colline, the three friends that, with
Rodolpho, made the quartette, were IN ex-
cellent voice, and acted the role of the
gay Bohemian to perfection. DE VrleS
baritone is one of the best that has been
heard here
But, after all, 1t is to Melba ones
thoughts go back. In the third act when
she parts from RodolphO such a world OF
bitter sadness she expresses in her beau
tiful voice that it seems almost super
human. The song "Addio'' was superbly
rendered. 1t was at the end of this act
that the singer received a tremendous
ovation Seven times she was obliged
to come back. and bow her smiling ap
probation, and even then the audience
was hardly content.
The house was literally packed last
night. The realization that 1t was the
very last night of the company in st.
Paul seemed to impress people with the
fact that they must see 1T, come what
may, and when the curtain rose one of
the most brilliant audiences that has
ever assembled in ST. Paul theater turn
ed its expectant eyes toward the stage.
The conductor, Seppilli. kept the work
of the orchestra up to Its usual high stand
ard that has added so much to the
pleasure of the grand opera season which
has just closed in st. Paul.