The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-12-31
l. IN
The Favorfte 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 Olit2ka
and Thomas S~alignac stirred a Saturday
night audience 10 the very pith Of Its emo
tional marrow Last evening Emma Calv6
not only enacted the title Iole. 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
Alvarez, Declery. Bars and Scott Flon
conducted with passionate reserve.
Merimee's story has been by no means
absorbed in Bizet's 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 a preface by Arthur Symon.
while the nlusic-last night audience
told the tale Of its continued popularity.
Nietzsche. who was always searching for
some one 10 club Wagner with; Nietzsohe,
most poetic-and illogicai-of philoso-
pliers. picked out Bizet AZ a likely opponent
Of the Bayreuth COMPOSER. He wrote or
the African gayety Ia Carmen OF IT'S
nimbleness. lightness and it's courtesy.
He considered lis music as an antidote TO
Wagner's northern gloom, heaviness and
misty mythologies. IL faut Medlterran-
User la musiuue," asserted the unfortunate
critic, whose mental malady was rapidly
approaching tia climax.
IN sooth there il plenty TO admire in the
Bizet score, despite its affiliations with
Gounod and Wagner. The curious thing
about the whole Wagner -Nietzsche rup-
ture liz the fact that he should have selected
Bizet as a musician OF antipodal tendencies
20 Wagner. Why not Mozart For Ia
there not In Carmen a SAVIOR of ia bouihd-
bdisse' OF that rich, oily, sensuous quality
which Mr.. George Moore found in tine
writings Of Alphonse Daudett But Tor
music is q 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 IL was dissipated last night.
She has tradition 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
ara emphasized. even coarsened, while
the musical side has been almost skelc'on-
izad Her first act was largely gesture,
diction aud parbendo b Ia Sve'te HJ!,b''it
in the second she war the odali-qu", the
third found her a tragic termag ant and
the fourth a symbol 81 the hunted woman.
She still makes much OF the powder pun,
tamhour, gun and comb. A few seasons
ago the comb PLAYED lesding voice In
this extraordinary Interpretation talva
danced the Moorish steps In Act II alluI-
inzly tiisp.nsing With cahtane's and, one
10 tempted to add -voice,
Her voice IL a silhouette 81 It's former
tropical richness and she transpo-os some
81 her numbers for her T., p tones are rather
hin and never quite IN tuue But the
astounding attractiveness 81 this exotic
woman, her picturesque pose, her vivid
colohns, would melt the hearts ~ n regi-
nent ~ uerciless ~critics. She embraced
the entire stage a. q field Of operation last
night and II Vss hardly big enough frame
for The fascinating pOrtrat she pr"sent"d.
Calva va. chearad and ~l@fowepd, and
danced with the u and rhythmic irony
81 a %sert-,nt.
FniEi Sclef was q tiny NIcdSid Her
two air we're carefully SUM Aware, a
robust Jose, made one forgive the stained
glass arec,s Of his v0c,lila'ion to- hls
ier vid manner throughout He nth sci
VAS powerful. scutii sans vigorously as
the fOreadOr but aorept@i an encore
Always fatal In this song aud 30 a. the
fdbis d'hofs refrain bic voice fell 10 IA" level
81 the musir. The quintet vac Anted With
spin, nv Gihb,u. lt.i-s The clever Dutd
~ the Munich 'Mslsi"rsing"T p"iiut
names ~nau-rn~lstsf. Van ,aureIrn and
talys Dsole'y "a /1Eiga The house
was the lafgasi ~ the -.asun tiHr fHI