The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-09
At St. Paul Theaters


very large audience that was assem-
pied In the Peoples church last night
TO hear an orchestra and a great
singer.
Ihat audience saw very tall, very
SUN and most impassive man emerge
suddenly from the mass of musicians,
give his baton a precise little flourish
and-perhaps they judged then.
IL they did they knew more about
the value of first appearances at the
enu OF the concert than at the begin
n1ng- For Mr.. Duss' baton, precise
though 1t appears to be in every move
ment' IS remarkable inspiration, APP
parently to the sixty musicians who
follow it, They follow it as one man.
with all the verve a great musician is
aDie TO put into his single instrument.
In the broken orchestration they fol-
low 1t in choirs, each compact, elastic
and remarkably rich in tone qualities.
IN the occasional solo that same baton
commands the best that the soloist has
10 o1er, and that offering deserves the
superlative.
1t is not often that so obviously a
tasnlonable audience as that which at
tended last nights concert permits it
sell 10 De sWayed so easily by even a
symphony orchestra. 1t was, appar-
entity en- rapport with the mood of the
conductor and his players, and that
The Duss orchestra possesses a
remarkably fine choir of strings, and
there was hardly number played last
night that did not permit this choir to
reveal its capabilities.
The great orchestral number on the
programme was the Vorspiel from
Pars1fal." Intensely dramatic, the
great German composer has obtained,
as usual, some remarkable effects with
broken orchestration. The finale was
tremendous outburst, skillfully con-
trolled, inspired and intensified by the
always stiff baton. The exquisite pre-
iude to the third act of Massenet's
Herodiade" was beautifully played,
ana the madness and badness and
gladness of Hallen's "Rhapsodie Nor
Weglenne" burst forth with an aban-
don that suggested the baton of Gre
atore rather than that of a Duss
Enjoyment was also obtained from
the opening march, 'Pomp and Cir
cumstance,' by Eigar; from the some
what spectacular Tschaikowsky over
ture, 1872" from the two Delibes'
numbers, Slavic Folk Song" and the
| dance OF the automatOnS from Com
| pelia Ballet The orchestra also play
| ed one of the conductors compositions,
| an 1ntermeZZo, "Life's Voyage" and
| Goldmark's "Das Heimchen am Herd
A number of encores enlarged the orig
| mai programme.
| The orchestra boasts a remarkably
nne solo Violfnist, Nathan Frankie, who
| draws from his instrument a wonder
| fully fine tone. The bits of solo work
which fell to him were hardly salts
! Tying to the audience, but they We're
forced to content themselves with the
! little that he played
| Had there been no orchestra present
last night, Nordica would have sufficed.
! Inc great soprano was in fine voice
! and apparently in excellent spirits.
| That most appealing quality which, for
| want of a better word. we call mag
! netism, is hers in marked degree, and
1t was strongly in evidence last night.
Perhaps it was an acknowledgment
! to the very large audience that was
present to greet her, perhaps it was,
| as the conductor intimated, merely in
response to request that she substi-
tuted the not particularly attractive
numbers on the programme for two
which never fail to delight a Nordica
audience. She sang, therefore, instead
| of the aria from ErkePs "Lasios," the
Elizabeth aria from "Tannhauser," and,
| instead of the polonaise from ''Mignon,' -
the tremendous finale from Tristan
| and Isolde
Her golden voice was never more
| golden, her superb art never more
superb, but, alas, for the latter num-
Der the orchestra was not sufficiently
tempered. Instead of weaving back
ground, it was the singers rival and
! occasionally it triumphed. But Nordi-
| ca sang some encoreS and for these
she had an accompanies pianist
who was all sympathy, all comprehen-
sion. So in Griegs floating melody, 'In
a Boat" in the Strauss "Serenade,'
| and in her final song, Were My Song
| With Wings Provided" in which she
sang the original French words, not
the translation, the audience was able
to enjoy the voice without any distrac-
ton, and it was with a sigh of genu-
inc regret that they saw the brilliant
diva vanish from the stage
| With the concert last evening the
musical season was formally opened
/ in St Paul Considered from every
standpoint, 1t could not have had q
| more suspicious opening.
"a Chinese Honeymoon will close
| its engagement at the Metropolitan
Sunday evening. The usual matinee
will be given tomorrow afternoon.
The sale of seats opened yesterday
morning for Joseph Jefferson's engage
ment at the Metropolitan, beginning
next Monday evening and continuing
for three nights and Wednesday matt
| nee. Kip Van Wrinkle" will be the
bill Monday night and Wednesday
| matinee; THE Rivals" will be pre-
scented Tuesday and Wednesday nights
The latter half of next week, Angus
tin Days comedy, "a Country Girl
will be the bill at the Metropolitan.
Tomorrow matinee and evening
performance will close the engagement
of Rose Melville in isis Hopkins" al
| the Grand.
| Next weeks attraction at the Grand
will be melodrama entitled, Queen
| of the Highway
The usual ladies' matinee will be
given at the Star this afternoon. The
bill offered by the Jolly Grass Widows
| company should prove an attraction to
| the fair sex.
! S~~~sN~-~>.~.~-~-~~~.e~