The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-25
The OPERA SEASON BEGINS.
IERDrS "OTEILO" 81 Nc ron THE
FIRST NIGHTS OFFERING.
Great Crowd and a Brilliant One AT the
Metropolitan - NINE. Eames. and
sle>srs. Alvarez and SCOTT Heard. and
the Last Named Bore or the HOn.rs,

Opera House under the direction of Maurice
Grau began last night with a performance
Of Nerdi's -Otello." The season will con-
'nue for seventeen weeks There will be
performances on Mondays, Wednesdays
Fridays. Saturday afternoons and Saturday
evenings. How many extra entertainments
Will he offered no one can predict at this
time. There will he one this week. Mr..
Grau's great and good friend. the public
Will not lie permitted to moan in empty dis
content. A casual onlooker must have
seen last night that it had death"ss long
ing for opera. New York has the first might
habit in its worst form. but II Is never at
other times in such frohing state of hys-
terra "a il j. on the first night of the opera
In the crowd that jammed the corridors
last evening were high-hred women, with
blood descended from earliest colonists;
men whose fathers names are written ON
the pages of their country's history; men
whose little fingers operate the electric
keys Of the worlds finances; men who are
called "robber barons" by thos" who hate
them and railroad magnates" by those
who merely envy them young bucks of
the social lei; who drink more and dance
less than they ought to; half-weaned boys
with downlcsS upper lips, vacant eyes and
falsetto voices, -hrilling their punv COM
meuts on hing- above their ken; sap-headed
limitations of them, spending whole weeks
salaries ON cheap and unmistakah'e copies
~ their garments; swell gamblers and
other sporty" men, with satin waistcuats
and glittering wat chfobs; women of society
namer,s, bent under their weight of costly
gowns and cleaning haublcs; horsey men,
vet r, eling with the slang of the Horse
Sho" fool girls, come to indulge in spas
modic Worship Of the tenor; half-crazet
women reporters, terrified lest Vanderbilt
or an Aston might escape their count wine
hucksters. tout,. gorfied loaiers, with in
comes from heaven knows where all in
that motley mob which constitutes the
American equivalent of tout Paris, all New
York.
over them, a. they wrestled through
III" Hobbies, foatrd the calm gaze Of Max
HirsCh, symbol of undisturbed authority,
ign Of the management that still lived.
\ few detectives luitered in the corridors
hut there was not much for them 10 do.
The house was packed. There was not a
seat TO be had The subscription for
Monday night is the largest, and those who
went a, the last moment had to enter into
heavy negotiations with the spectators.
Inside the air was heavy and oppressive.
Under he first gallery, where the -standees-
assemble, loaded To the lips with steutorian
braves" il was deadly. The audience
that part which had eeats-was late; il
always is. The occupants of the boxes
came still later. flushed from dinners not
sparing of vinous accompaniment. II was
after O'Clock before the house settled
down to consider the performance. which
had been going on for an hour to running
fire Of Gathering doors, rafting pro-
grammes, bizzlng conversation and en-
cited comment on the gowns Of well-known
women OF the sacred smart set
The inner brotherhood OF the musical
uucried whethar the presentation Of "Otello"
a. frst-ngLt opera betokencd a change
Of heart on the - Of Mr.. Grau. Time
was when either aust" or Romeo ct Ju-
bette must be sung on the opening night.
Had the lmprcsario grown more serious?
The inner brotherhood smiled II recol-
IeCied that the company did not contain a
famous representative of either FdUsi or
Ror.oo The principal tenor was one Of
robust voice and met hOds and he had
achieved his largest succe-, a. The lyric
Moor when tn" opera waS brought forward
last January for the first time since the sea-
ION of lSyl-g5
Furthermore "Otelo" provides a good
world royOlNe~ east or west. must appear
az the first Performance Of the season, and
who generally gets any other precedence
she asks for IN IA" course of winter.
star blIytOuo als II required for IdgO and
a. the small part of EmIhd calls for ca
pabl" Coutralto, the Che>Sboard on which
the manager works ont the game of opera
shows u good combination. An opera with
tour star parts, and the tenor's his hest il
a good card for the beginning when YOU
haN" no sentimental lyric tenor. no poet
of romance in a word, no Jean de Reszke
IN tine company.
Il Is az "a" period H. operate history
when "OU.ilo" must be critically considered,
II has come to stay. 1t l. one 6f the noblest
creations of a genius, which ripencd like
The Lourishlng grain with the flight Of
suns The glorious golden harvest Of
Verbs career came in the fulness of his
wears. ana after the turbulent sprngtime
II -Nabuco" and it, kin. and the scething
summer Of I'll Trovatore" and "TraviataT
IN the rcposeful autumn he give ~ those
three splendid masterpieces, Al Ia, "Otello'
and -Fal-taff
Of these the first has surely the most
tecundity Of melody, and its opportunities
for sentimental love scenes make il the
favorit. with the public. But "Otello"
overtops it in comp!exity Of detail. IN no
te.cy of desperate passion, ia genuine
tragic expression aud in its wonders of
dramatic tone painting. A. for -Fals'an,"
that marvellous mosai" " uu-ical depiction,
in which every phrase seems big with
meaning, when shall "" ever hear that
again. Bur 80 far a. -Oteilo" j. concerned.
the plaudits Of those who were vi-iblv
moved hy the strenuonS methods of the
tenor last night served to make II seem
To have attained a new popularity.
Albert Alvarez, formerly leading tenor
of the Grand Opera in Paris, j. no stranger
here He has " late been one AT the Grand
opera, where lean de Roszke, the qupndam
darling Of New York, now sings in his place
\ fair exchange j. no robbery. Nr Al
Vare1 j. wonderfully bad Fdus', Mr. de
Reszke j. thoroughly depressing Ofclo
A. the Moor in Nerdi's opera Nr Alvarez
has a congcnjal part He is always hap
piest when no sings most loudly. He is
always pictorially most satisfying when he
reveals the contours Of physical mas-ivc-
ness and the action of vigorous muse les
The Roman gladiator Of -Mc-saline." ole
mental, brutal, passionate to tho verge of
madness ever dNellS in him.
His vocal delivery, never polished, never
suited 10 rehrod uttorance. Is well adapted
to The fierce utterancc Of Oioiio. Only in the
love scene Of the first act docs tins tenor
fail For the rest his Oicho il a mag
uatic virilc and Influential Improvisation.
His Interpretation has moments Of afec-
ting greatness and want of considerat ion
of artistic details j. forgotten IN he pre- - ne"
uf a real dramatic force. Mr.. Scotti was