The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-12-09
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drawing tull ana dppIeCldiiNo
audiences during the earlier weeks
had risen, with the coming of
Caruso and Mclba crescendo, until,
though the nights were sitting, great
queues of people stretched from the
amphitheater and gallery door, away
down the street for almost one hun
dred yards.
Nothing more brilliant than the per-
formances in Italian with the world
famous tenor and the great Australian
soprano could possibly be given, or so
habitues of the opera thought; and yet
when a performance OF Carmen" was
given in French. such scenes or en-.
thusiasm occurred as perhaps had
never been known in the classic
house.
And why? Well. first of ALL there
was a French tenor singing the part
of Don Jose, a NJ. Mires, who recalled
the famous Jean de ReSZke at his
best and who sang the difficult Flow
err Song" divinely. But it was not he
who brought the audience standing
to their feet, and cheering, as an op-
era audience seldom cheers.
! A new Carmen had been discovered
What performance, What a voice!
| What an actress! So cried the critics
And off they went to their offices or
to their clubs to discuss her, and tC
write their half columns of praise
| ri cfc boc haH
ded her.
Nine. Giolitti as the programme
named her, had played the part as II
inspired, and busy tongues began tC
wag. Who was she? Where did she
come from? Was she really Italian
Those who understood and spoke the
language smiled knowingly as they
asked themselves the question. Hel
Italian was good but it was not spok
en- as native would speak it.
One could not tell by her makeup
what she was. A famous critic who
had seen opera played in almost every
country in Europe, and also in Ameri
ca. and who spoke several languages
declared that she was German and his
opinion was respected.
Meanwhile the musical world, taken
by storm, did nothing else but dis
cuss the contralto, and on the night
when the second performance Of
Carmen was to be given, there was
no getting near the opera house at all
and every seat that could be booked
was sold on the day when the per-
Torrance was announced.
Ere yet the orchestra looked dowr
from the sweeping circle of the am
phitheater. and beyond, in the gloom
were rows upon rows of music-lovers
packed as tightly as it was possible
for them to be. They had come tt
pass judgment upon woman, ant
were prepared to be either cruel Oh
kind-as she deserved
Near the stage door stood a mar
whose hair was grey. His was
stern. sad face, lined and scanned, ant
cry.
Philip Adair was never known tC
smile. For whole days he was never
known to speak. He was insolent
boorish at times, and rude to the man
agement. Yet he played the violin
diyinely, and because OF that the!
forgave him.
The orchestra at the Berlin Roya
Opera is composed of fine musician:
but there was none so fine as he. HI
played with such rare distinction tina
men marveled that he had not made
name for himself and achieved an in
dependent position. Yet he was yer,
poor, and spent every penny he earned
just as fast as it came to him.
No one knew his history; none
dared enquire. They only knew tina
he had no wife or child-and it woulC
seem from hints he sometimes
dropped that he had no relations.
Behind it all there lay disma
tragedy. Of that everyone felt sure
And though he was SO rude, so intol
cradle, they were kind to him ant
pitied him.
He stood near the stage door now
watching the entrance, with his vic
lin case in his hand, and . briar pipi