The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-31
SALT LAKE WOMAN DISCOURSES
ON GRAND OPERA IN
NEW YORK.

NEW YORK, March 23.-Five fine
N performances in the last six days.
Is not that feast ct for any one?
will try to tell d little something
about them all.
To begin with. there was Verdi's
Requiem Mass sung in the Metropolis
tan opera house. for the last time this
season, by Nordica, Sehumann-H enik,
SaIignsc and Plancon as soIoists. as
sisted by the entire chorus and orches-
ira. This is very beautiful and impress
sive music. While not. of course. reli-
gious services, these Sunday night sa-
cred concerts are near of kin to them,
and serve. l feel sure. to keep people
from going to other less appropriate en-
tertainments- Such music as this mass
could arouse only the best of emotions.
Next Sunday one of the popular sing
ers of the Grand Opera company is 70
try an experiment along this line. He
will give a Sunday afternoon song re-
cital at popular prices, to afford, as he
says, to thousands of people an Oppor-
tunlty TO hear music at d time when
they can go. at prices they can pay, that
otherwise can be enjoyed only by their
more fortunate fellows feel no doubt
that the experiment will have the sue
cess it deserves, for it does seem a
pity that all this magnificent music Is
in frequently except by the rich. These
magnificent entertainments are given
not occasionally, but constantly. My
five were but handful of last week S
list
Then we had another recital by Jo-
seph Hoffman. His programme was a
very good one and admirably rendered;
always with wonderful technique, and
sometimes with feeling. This day he
seemed to be partial to Schumann and
t,Ira
with considerable expression. His lack
Of depth of feeling showed all the more
! plainly, however, when compared with
| the matured playing of Godowsky, but
| his audience was very enthusiastic. He
! accepted their plauditS with a sort Of
ennuied eomplaeeney.
q q q
The past week saw the presentation
! of a new opera, "Salambo," given in
/ French and sung in the star role by
/ Mile. Breval. Her acting was cold and
/ singing not at all pleasing. She even
| occasionally marred ones enjpyment
| by a slight deviation from pitch. The
scenery was the result of special eff
| fort by the management and was very
| beautiful. The costumes of Mile. Bre-
/ val were very rich. She usually wears
| gorgeous gowns, and TO their richness
| adds her French love of warmth of
color. The music is tuneful and the
/ opera scored quite a success. Not hav-
| ing seen grand opera before coming
| here and having always heard the size
| of the scenery carried by such compa-
| MES given as an excuse for their not
| coming to some of our smaller theatres,
| I really expected to see something quite
| grand. and in size rather stupendouS in
/ that line. but this expectation has NOT
| been realized. Very little attention is
paid, as a rule, to the stage settings, or
! at least, so it seems to me when L allow
my attention to wander away from the
singers Ions. enough to glance at their
surroundings.
AS a rule there is nothing better than
4 the ordinary, and I think it could easily
/ be placed on another stage. As to the
! crowd OF. chorus singers. there are sew
eral of the operas in which the chorus
| does not appear at all, or in any large
numbers. Mechanical effects are often
ludicrous. For instance, a favorite
source of amusement is the stage moon.
This appears almost instantly full be
fore your view. 1t seldom rises. It
glares like the sun Usually the rays
of moonlight appear from another di-
| rection and the moon gazes at them
undisturbed The other fight during
a bright moonlight scene, d sunset glow
rested peacefully on the housetops in
the scene.