The Washington times., 1902-07-05
At FREEDOMS GATE"
4 GREAT SUCCESS
Opera by Local Musicians
Well Presented,
FIRST TIME AT GLEN ECHO
Well Staged-Costumes and Scenery
Fitting Setting for Excellent Music
and Good Voices Selected fqr the
Cast-Writer Praised.

An original opera. composed and stag
ed by Prof. Emil Mori of this city. re-
ceived its initial presentation last night
at Glen Echo 1t was enthusiastically
welcomed by typical holiday audience.
The attendance included, however,
sufficient number of musicians to give its
Judgment musical significance and its
hearty approval would seem, therefore.
to insure a successful patronage dur
ing the eight days for which it is
scheduled. The cast proved to be fully
adequate, the chorus numbers were well
done. while the mounting of the opera
excited the most general applause.
Prof. Morris work is entitled AT Free
dom's Gate" and deals with the love
affairs of n Cuban senorita just before
the intervention Of the United tSates in
the islands struggle for freedom. This
brief statement will suggest the nature
of the stage settings and costumes-a
wealth of tropical plants, cacti which
reach high into the flies, block houses
manned by Cuban insurrectos, and the
uniforms of both Spanish and Cuban
armies interspersed with characteristic
Antillian dresses and the mantilla OF old
Spain.
In this respect the performance OF
last night excited much surprise. Special
presentations of this sort are so fire.
Guently done with an insufficient supply
of costumes and scenery that little else
is expected. But Prof. Mori and his as
sistants have oonscientiously mounted
AT Freedoms Gate" as though for u
seasons tour, and the effect of the music
was thus not only unhampered by bad
scenery. but distinctly heightened by
the most tasteful and rich stage set
tings,
The Musical Setting. =
Musically. the work is entitled to the
most serious consideration. It is dis
tinctly romantic composition. con-
ceived on high plane and written
with a most thorough knowledge of
composition and orchestration. Prof.
Mori is an American of Italian ex-
traction. His work reflects both ma
tionalities clearly. 1t is at times rather
bold and marked by a dramatic strength
which opposes 1t distinctly to music of
the Italian school up to the time OF
Mascagni. But it IS also Itaiian-as
much so. perhaps. as "Cavaleria." There
are half dozen fine lyrics. The har-
mony of the chorus numbers suggests
Palestrina. And the separate parts of
the work are connected with all the
artificiality of DOnizetti or Ardito.
IL has already been said that the cast
was quite adequate to the requirements
of the score. This is practically mani
fest from glance at the program. Mrs.
Ivy Herriot Shade was the Mercedes the
heroine. Mr.. Harry Stevens sang the
tenor role, Jose. Mr.. Alley Terry and
Mr.. R. Emmett Lewis had the secondary
male roles OF Gonzales and jackson.
the latter q newspaper correspondent.
The others with name parts were Amelia,
Ophelia Hart; Sofa. Evelyn Forsythe;
turnkey, E. 3. Dufhries; turkeys wife,
Earle Dickinson first insurgent, r. L.
wilkins; second insurgent. G. F. Jen-
kins; scout C. r. Ogden; a Spanish
captain, F. William Ernst; a Spanish
colonel, N. F. Keyes; an american en-
sign. ]. w Painter
The chorus included thirty persons. all
possessed CT good voices and well
trained for their work A special or
chcstrs Of about twenty pieces assisted
in the presentation. in the direction
of the work, Prof Nori had the assist
ance cf Mr.. de Ford and Mr. saItomau
as Stage director