Los Angeles herald., 1905-10-25
PAY TRIBUTE TO
NONDROUS VOICE
EAMES THRILLS LARGE AUDI
ENCE
Great Song Bird and Her Superb
Company of Artists Win Hearts
of Los Angeles Music
Lovers

Angeles last night at the Simpson au-
ditorium to an audience that packed the
place. And Los Angeles, which had
waited long and many years for the
chance to hear this great songbird, took
her to it's heart at once and said that
she was worth the weary wait. It's
one hope now is that she will return,
and right soon.
Nine. Eames came with her small but
superb company as the second number
in the Philharmonic course. Manager
Behymer will have to be up and doing
if he sets standard such as this so
early in the season, to retain the av-
erage.
Nine. Eames is one of the really great
singers of the world. She, Melba
Schumann-H Heink, Calve, Sembrich and
a few others are without peers. In
judging them one has no basis of COM
parison save themselves; and in a
measure one is not enough like the
other 20 permit of interchange of opin-
ion. If this latter be permissible, how
ever, one might say that while they
are on a par of greatness Melba has
the sweetness, Calve the fire, Sembrich
the lovableness while Eames has the
coldness and art austerity, leaving to
good, jovial Schumann-H Heink that rare
quality of "hominess' that Is so de-
lightful
There can be little question as to the
extreme greatness of Eames' voice; 1t
is magnificent, superbly trained and eX-
cellently used Perhaps the nasal quail
tiles are a bit too strong; that is some
what a matter of opinion. But every
note rings true, is confidently taken and
grandly given; the volume is immense
and there is little effort shown in the
tonal production.
There is however, that lack of
warmth that makes one wonder if she
has absorbed from the cold marble in
which her husband, the great sculptor
works. some of it's chill. Grand and
fascinating as her vocal efforts are, and
delightful as her concert demeanor is,
one does long, sometimes, for a bit Of
spontaneity and a shade of ruddiness
instead of the cold whiteness, delicate
as the tracings of winter on window
pane. but making one rub ones hands.
The selections of Mime. Eames COW
cred wide variety, and her generosity
with encores stretched her numbers to
almost double the scheduled list. Her
first notes were heard In Wagner's
great "Dich Thuere Halle" (Tann-
hauser), and it's difficult passages she
negotiated with superb art and splen-
did confidence. A bright waltz song,
and for a second encore, Gods in
His Heaven" were her responses to
the outbursts of applause. Later she
gave a Dvorak number, a "chanson
d. amour with cello obligato, and
Henschel's Spring" with a couple
more cncores. Her final number was
taken with M. Gogorza the baritone,
it being Faure's "CrucifiX." Even af-
ter this an encore was freely and
smilingly given. In every number
Nine. Eames aroused the greatest ap-
plause and her replies were gracious
in the extreme. Her singing alone was
a treat.
Company of Artists
But Eames showed her true great
ness in another way than by her vo-
calizatons alone; she surrounded her
self with a company of artists fully
her equals in their several parts. Not
in a long time has a better baritone
been here than Gorgoza-not even
ArchambauIt of glorious memory, last
spring. This great Latin has a mag
nifcent voice-barring a throaty pas
sage now and then, perfect one. His
first number was the prologue from
81 Pagliacci," and splendidly he gave
it. The hackneyed "Toreadore" was
really justified as an encore by the
way he sang it. Later he shone In
a group of English and French songs,
and especially in the final duets.
Joseph Hollmann, the 'cellist, looked
as if he had stepped out of an ancient
picture, with his shock of white hair
and his funny ways The crowd took
to him at once, and he amply repaid
it's love. His mastery of his instru-
ment is complete; only Elsa Ruegger
compares with him today. His COM
positions are as fine as his playing,
and he is away above anything heard
here of late. If one may do so, 1t is
no more than just to him to say that
he even outshone every one else In
the superb quality of his performance,
and his wonderful skill on his chosen
instrument. Truly he made the legend
that a human soul inhabits the cello,
and that it sings on girls heart
etri, ys seem real indeed. He, too, In
an encore rose to his best. The en-
trancing Schumann "Traumerei'' w9s
his final number and nothing in music
is finer or was ever better done.
And to complete the quartet. Am
herst Webber, the pianist, deserves a
special notice; he won the right from
the audience itself, which-ar unprece-
dented thing-demanded an encore
from him as well.
ATgin all, the concert was a musical
landmark. 1t will be long ere Los
Angeles has one as thoroughly and
completely good.
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