The San Francisco call., 1905-01-04
CADSKI CHAR Ms
As DOES HEINK
Shows in Soprano Field the
Same Magic Other Queen
Has as Worlds COntraltO

Last night at the Alhambra Madame
Gadsh fulfilled all the large promise
of her singing with the Metropolitan
Opera Company here three years ago.
Three years ago she represented a
splendid promise and a problem To-
/ day the promise is fulfilled and the
problem solved. Three years from now
may find Gadski another Schumann-
Heink-at the soprano end of the song
than which l can find nothing nobler
/ to say of her.
Schumann- -Heink herself, for the
gripping, human quality of the thing,
might have been at the singing of the
Franz Aus meinen grossen Schmer-
zen." The song had the same grace Of
seeming to flower into sound for the
first time for you-of coming directly
from the producer to the consumer, as
the economists would say. So also, as
singing itself, came the Die Haide ist
braun" One was rather proud of the
audience here. Gadski herself, too, did
the exQuisitely right thing. The two
songs, perhaps best sung of the whole
programme from the sheerly human
(and that is from the highesD side,
drew an admirably appreciative enthu-
siasm. Gadski, in her serene and gra-
cious fashion, repeated both, and sang
both the second time with the full de-
light of him who sings unafraid to the
understanding heart. One was glad to
be there for the charming rightness of
the whole incident.
The whole programme was compli-
ment to the audience. Schumann,
Schubert. Mozart. Franz, Beethoven,
Jensen, Weber, at their best, were the
composers represented. One finds Cad
ski this season doing altogether the de-
sirable thing. She even looks the part
as by an important something she did
not look the prima donna when she was
here before! Last night, fair, stately,
gracious and even beautiful, as she
stood there, sometimes leaning lightly
against the piano, Nine. Gadski was
just as charming to see as to hear.
1 ventured to predict that in three
years the singer might be the soprano
Schumann-H -Heink. She is not that yet,
quite. She has moments of conscious
ness Of the prima donna, a little pride
of artistry. She has not yet flung her
self wholly free of herself to plunge
into the heart OF the song, that is
! only at the flood of her impulse. But
| because she does at these moments lift
to the ninth wave of making, one
feels that Gadski may yet do for the
soprano repertoire what Schumann-
Heink has done for the contralto. She
has time. Comparatively, Gadski is
young singer. She has yet ten years in
| which to reach the song mother as we
found her last year.
| And Gadski is admirably artistic
| and entirely distinguished. Her scope
| is that of the greatest singers She is
| as surely at home in the simplicities
| of the lieder as in the heroics of the
music-drama. She sings Schubert as
| well as she sings Wagner: Aus
meinen grosSen" as well as Mozart in
the 'Nozze di Figaro Her phrase
nuance, execution" are all particular
| pleasures. I remember no one with a
more splendidly made crescendo. Vo-
cally one feels the desire for more
| power, and there is some loss of quail
| ity, in the upper notes. Even an A
| fiat came little badly last night. The
| lower range is remarkably round and
| full, and throughout there is delicious
mezza voce Very breath of the voice
was that used in the most charming
rendering of the "Nussbaum," a char
acteristic little vocal thrill that once
heard is not easily forgotten. The
'Lotosblume," "Mondnacht," and
.Widmung," were the other Schumann
| numbers.
The big aria from Der Freischutz''
led off the programme, and madame
plunged right into it as If she had
been singing half the evening. "Ich
LlGDe Dlcn represented b0clIONSQ,
| and Gadski admirably; the other
Franz song was Fur Musk: there
was one Jensen lyric, 'Murmelndes
Luftchen"; and four Schuberts,
crowned by the finest rendering of the
Erlkonig, splendidly dramatic, splen-
didly voiced, that 1t has been my luck
| to hear.
II. Selmar Meyrowitz accompanied
and accompanied like the distin-
i guished person that he is. Mr.. Mey-
| rowitz-this little history explains his
! kind of accompanying-is a conduc-
tor. For three years he has conduct
ed at Carlsfuhe. After this tour he
goes to the Royal Opera-house al
Prague. IH between times he ha:
/ been assisting Felix Mottl, conducting
"Parsifal'' with Mr.. Hertz at the Met.
ropolitan Opera-house. New York. Mr.
Meyrowitz plays that way with vivid
sympathy and perfect understanding
| of the singers requirements. Hi;
solos-he gave us some Wagner reaC
out of the scores to the piano by him
self-are also that kind of playing, or.
| chestral, but not pianistic.
Tomorrow evening there will be &
second concert given, with group o.
| American songs, Strauss, Wolf ant
Saint-Saens to the good.
Item: The audience Throughout
was handsomely enthusiastic. Yol
will understand why IL you go.
4. BLANCHE PARTINGTON.