The sun., 1901-12-31
CALvE IN "CiRMEN."
The Favoritc Singing Actress Returns to
the Opera Last Night.

Carmen was sung at the Metropolitan
Opera House last night II has only been
heard here twice In French since Calve
appeared as the dancing gypsy, once being
that memorable occasion when Rose Olitzka
and Thomas Salignac stirred n Saturday
night audience to the very pith Of Its emo
tional marrow Last evening Emma CelVe
not only enacted the title role, but she
celebrated also her return to New York
after an absence OF an entire season A
royal welcome was accorded her. The cast
comprised. besides Calve, FRITZ Scheff 4,
Alvarez, Declery. Bars and Scott Flon
conducted with passionate reserve.
Merimee's story has been by no means
absorbed In Bizets music The most inn
personal Of fiction artists, he has been
growing steadily in fame since his death.
Carmen and COLUMBIA" have been newly
Englished with preface by Arthur Svmon,
while the music-last rights audience
told the tale OF it's continued popularity
NietZsche, who was always searching for
some one to club Wagner with Nietzsche,
most poetic-and i,lugical. of philoso-
piers picked out Bizet as a likely opponent
Of the Bayreuth composer. He wrot" OF
the african gayety IN Carmen OF lis
nimbleness, lightness and its couitesy.
He considered its music as an antidOte 10
Wagners northern gloom, heaviness and
misty mythologies. II faut Medlterran-
User la musiuue," asserted the unfortunate
critic, whose mental malady was rapidly
approaching its climax
In sooth there IL plenty TO admire In the
Bzet score, despite its affiliations with
Gounod and Wagner. The curious thing
about the whole Wagner-Nietzsche rup-
ture IL the fact that he should have selected
Bizet as a musician OF antipodal tendencies
20 Wagner. Why not Mozartl For Ia
a.. ,.,s rax ..fs m h1l
bdisse' of that rich, oily. sen-uous quality
which Mr.. George Moore found 'n tine
writings Of Alphonse Daudetr But for
many, M IL was for Nictz-che, Bzets
music il a compound of wit, fire, grace.
lofty logic. the dance Of the stars:
the uemor Of southern light; the smooth
sea-perfection''
IL there was ever any doubt about the
physical note In Calves conception OF
Carmen" II was dissipated last night.
She has tradi'io on her side without doubt,
but her performance now reminds one
of an engraving plate from which too many
Impressions have been taken. The lines
are emphasized, even coarsened, while
the musical side has been almost skeloton-
iled Her FIRST act was largely gesture,
dction ard parbando Ia ivette cuilbert.
in the second she was the odali-qua. the
third found her a tragic termag AT and
the fourth a symbol of the hunted woman.
She still makes much Of the powder pun.
tAmhOuT, guu anu COMP. lev seasons
ago the comb PLAYED leading voice In
this extraordinary Interpretation. talve
danced the Moorish step- In act II allur-
inzly liispensing with cahtlne's and, one
il tempted 10 add -yoice,
Her voice IL a silhouette of iis former
tropical richness and she transpo-"S some
81 her numbers for hrr Z, p tones ave rather
thin and never quite ia tune But N"
astounding attractlveness of this exotic
woman. her pic,uFeeque p1ss. her vivid
coloTinf, would melt the hearts ~ r"gi-
ment of ulerciless crltics. She embraced
the entire stage as a field of operation last
night ard II vss hardly zig enough fram.
for the fasctn Aiins pOrtraf she pfes -i'"d
Caly2 was chesF,sd and tsho~errd, and
danced with the sinuoD and rhythmic irony
of a serI.n'
Fntu schen was tiny htCaTia Her
two air. we're carefully sung Aware, q
robust Jose made one fOfgiv" ~" siaiurd-
gla.s erects Of his 'oosUsAtion to- hs
iervld manner throughout He hfh ac'
Was pOweTful. Souiti sans vigorously as
ths f0TsadDT but accepted an "noorr
Always fatal in this song and uI in ths
fIbis d'lofs refrain hls ypIorfs tD th" level
~ the music The quintet NAs aHt"d 18Th
spirH by Ginl,su. ltsl-e ths clever Iupd
~ the Munich he,si"frinE"f Isiiuf
mAnoa. hiu~fnristri. Van tautefrn and
Cslys Dsalc'y sas IsHiga lhe hIUss
wss tho lsf gasi ~ tho sra-nn ii."r 'at