The San Francisco call., 1906-04-15


marks Queen of Sheba" our fourth sea-
son OF Metropolitan grand opera begins
tomorrow evening. The choice seems
highly fortunate one. The work IS prac-
tically new here, having been given only
a few times at the TSvou, and then in
adequately. several years ago. My own
strongest memory of the cast, am
afraid, is Of the performing palm tree.
Still, one has heard things even of Mr..
Conried's palm. so the Tivoli may console
itself with erring in 5000 company. There
is z desert scene, you VIII remember
Assad dying. and a lone palm rocking
over him in q sand storm. Mr.. Cold
marks music is here most persuasive.
and the Tivoli sand storm, though not SO
good as ''Scotty's" in the immortal
iScotty," was. music-aided, quite con-
-NincinE. That is, until the palm tree
loomed Up. Here, not all the Goldmark
magic could save the scene. The palm
tree, perhaps IN the hands OF some stage
Tag. bobbed, ducked, tossed and wrig-
gfed like nothing in all the world but an
snfuriated feather duster.
However, in spite Of the inadequacy OF
production, the opera made a distinctly
favorable impression. Goldmsrk has here
caught the color OF the Orient, the
warmth, the glow, the impassioned
rhythrns and cadences. as has perhaps 10
other composer. and one got frequent
and grateful hint OF this in the Tivons
here, indeed. at his best, for his other
opera. Merlin" though a serious and dis
Ttnguished work, has neither the original
5ty nor splendOr Of fancy that mark the
Queen Of Sheba-" A curious attempt
has been made TO explain the falling-oT
IN the later opera Goldmark, ra,cially and
tempersmentslly, was an Oriental he
thought in the Oriental idiom and is said
70 have acquired the love Of Eastern
color from hearing the Hebrew music in
the synagogue, where his father was
cantor. It was in full obedience to his
natural instinct that The Queen OF
Sheba" was written an expression OF
himself in the most intimate sense But
Goidmzrk was not satisfied. He some
how came to believe that in indulglng
his Oriental inclinauons he was limiting
his genius He was palm that wished
10 be pine. and being essentially palm
his efforts 70 grow cones were not wholly
successful Merlin is among these. and
though a work Of admirable dignity and
nobility, il is almost wholly wanting IN
the ressOnfulness, sway and splendid.
pulsing life OF the opera we are 10 hear
tomorrow night.
Two new singers of first Importance
will add 10 the interest Of the produc-
lion tomorrow evening-Mme- Rappold,
the new American soprano, and Miss
Edyth Walker, d contralto. of whom
very fine things have been heralded.
Nine. Rappold appears as Sulamith,
Asssd's lady love. and Miss Walker as
the Queen of Sheba-
The story is not taken from the
BibIe-for explorers searching for the
libretto-but was evolved by the COM
poser himself and tinkered into operate
shape by Dr.. MosenthaL II Is mostly
about the bewitching OF one Assad, a
gentleman of the court, by the Queen
Of Sheba They meet on the queen s
+o nr7f<
Is already engaged TO Sulamith and the
queen disdainful Of her ouondam lover,
there are all sorts OF dramatic ructions.
The queen tells Solomon that she never
saw the gentleman before. Assad says
she did too And Solomon. Wlsest of
men, suspects. Then the queen tan
tslizes Assad with another glimpse Of
her lovely self Assad kisses-and tells.
Solomon exiles him to the desert, there
10 learn wisdom. and he dies IN Sula-
mith's srms-if I remember Alright
gratefully singing that Sulamith is the
only girl for him
Van RoOy is the King Solomon and
SHOULD be a right noble one. Knote
was the Assad of the Eastern cast. We
get Dippel here, the only difference.
Dippel, Of course, is-well, Dippel is
Dippel and one may hope. And of
course the people and the diamonds viii
be there tomorrow evening, as they
interest OF The Queen Of Sheba" is
handsomely sufficient warrant for the
crowd without any other attraction.
an inclined 20 think that the pro-
duction OF la Tosca" will be one of
The seasons sensations. Scott is the
Scarpis and II half that one hears OF
him here be true this years 'Tosca"
viii be unforgettable. The figure is
said 10 be tremendously individual, tre-
mendously dramatic. One good Scarpia
only. De Padova. we have had here.
But De Padova's characterization. salts
fying on the side Of its portrayal Of
passion. ferocity, lacked almost wholly
in subtilty, hnesse, class. Scotu is said
actually TO be the courtly and ferocious
butcher. And Emma Eames is Floria
Tosca. in which role she won unoobuted
triumphs-
The production is the first given here
by the Metropolitan Company, but by
the grace Of the Tivoli we are well fa-
niliarized with the opera IN fact
orchestrally, there will not be an olym-
plan much more TO expect than Mr..
Polscco gave MS last season.
Humperdinck's 'Hansel and Gretel"
is another near novelty OF the year.
This opera also was done at the TivoIi.
and prettily But II was presented only
few times and quite long ago. II IS
2 fairy opera and was originally con-
ceived for the amusement Of some small
folk Of Humperdinck's acquaintance.
Hsnsel and Gretel are children. poor,
who fall into witch's hands They
deserve IT, for they run away from
home because their mother scolds them
for idling away their time. but the
angels look after them for a while and
their own mother wit rescues them
from the witch. These are the bald
facts Of q charming story TO which
Humperdinck has fitted most fanciful