Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-30
'BRAvOS" FOR
CALvE' s VOICE
MEN CHEER, WOMEN APPLAUD
SONGSTRESS
In One Aria the Singer Has Frogged
Throat, but Entire Program Is
Most Satisfying to Large
Audience

Scintillatingly brilliant, glowing with
warmth and color, filled with gracious
ness and happy abundance-these are
| the expressions generally used about
| the magnificent concert given at Simp-
son auditorium last night by Calve and
her excellent company. 1t was Los
Angeles introduction to her as a con-
| the little coterie surrounding her, and
| in every respect, Los Angeles pro-
nounced the affair excellent.
Calve in concert is surprise. II
was supposed-and to a degree 1t still
holds good-that. divested of the pomp
and glitter of the footlights and what
there is behing them, she would be
| found lacking. So much ferVor and
| fire dwell in her nature and her voice
that one could hardly conceive how she
could, in the cold proximity and mod
ernity of the platform, retain her hold
on those who loved her In such roles
as Carmen" and "Aida." 1t certainly
was test for any singer to submit
to, and that Calve met it and sue
ceeded shows better than aught else
her splendid qualities and abilities.
| The Calve Carmen" Is as standard
as is Webster's dictionary 1t is a
known quality, absolute. She is the
| apotheosis of the character. How
could then even the Habanera of
Carmen be transplanted? Would the
fire and voluptuousness Of the part be
| lost? Could we realize the superb part
without these things?
| We had this same aria last night
on the concert stage. 1t was divested
of all trappings and given in the full
glare of modernity, and yet 1t aroused
staid men to shouts of "bravo!' and
| women to screams of applause. With
| the supple voluptuousness all there,
foc anf hi n M
inshed, we had the Calve Carmen in
| evening clothes, and we pronounced it
good-by far the best thing of that
wonderful evening. The question was
answered, and the attempt of Nine.
Calve agreed not to have been in vain.
| OF course, while this one number
the last, by the way-was the test and
| focus of the whole, 1t was not all by
any means. One of Calves desires in
taking the concert stage was to vary
her work and to show her versatility.
She ranged last night from this great
est treat to love songs in her native
tongue and, with one exception, she did
them all superbly. In her David num-
ber, "Perle de Brezil." coloratura
aria of splendid possibilities and excess
sive demands on her voice. she lost
herself. She had "a frog In her throat"
and this croak so interfered with her
work that she had to slur part of the
| trills and cut the rest. This was a
great disappointment. but In some ways
to some-it was ompensed-though
others thought she "out-Pattied Patti"
| by her renditions of "Suwanee River"
and Comm Thro' the Rye" In fact,
none was bashful in recalls, and Calve
was exceedingly generous In her re-
sponses, as were all her company.
| First place in that company goes to
the basso, Bouxmann, whose lyric quail
titles are as delightful as they are in
frequently met. His selections were a
treat. Mile. Vermorel, a sweet girl. is
violinist of excellence and skill;
Won Norden, a tenor of exceptional
qualities, and M. Fleury fiutist, and
M. Decreus. pianist. deserve more than
passing note.
But, of course, the concert was a
Calve affair and hers were the real
trlumphs. 1t has been some years
since she visited here. and then it was
In opera. Los Angeles would wish
that she might soon come again, in
either or both ways. Certainly the
overcrowded house and the splendid
quality of her audience and reception
ought to prove encouraging enough to
demand a repetition at no distant date