New-York tribune., 1908-01-16
MUSIC.
MANHATTAN OPERA HOUSE.
The Advent of Tetrazzini.

and abnormal conditions the metropolis can sup
! port two opera houses, and support them gen
erously, even magnihcently. Whether or not me
support would remain after the extraordinary han
| become the ordinary and the abnormal the norma
! is another question. When Mr. Hamnersteih
opened the season he said that the old reperlory
operas could be performed with proht Unless
| there was a Caruso in the cast SO far as they
were concerned, therefore. they received no cum
! sideration from him; the experiment at his mouse
discover II New Yorks operagoers were
sufficiently interested in new works. chiefly French
| well performed. to support them Last night ne
must have changed his mind. or II not at ieas.
altered the formula to include the name OF
! Tetrazzini with or to that OF the anII4fe
! tenor at the rival establishment.
| The new singer received ovation whlch must
have been thrilling her as her recent TIL
umphs in London 1t is long since anything lih7
IL seen in New York and doubtful IL anything
quite like it here the first appear
ance of singer. This is to be interpreted as
meaning that has ever sung so well mere or
deserved such plaudits were shoWered On
the newcomer; the intended ts only thaI
there never before happened to be so fortunate
conjunction Of circumstances Many artists. pos
sessed of incomparably finer qualities with voices
of Iovelier quality equal brilliancy and more nm
ished STYLE have been gladly welcomed here; put
frenetically within the memory of the pres
generation. They-tho Missions and Gersters
md Sembrichs-came in their youthful prime. while
Sfgnorina Tetrazzin comes after a career covering
nearly dozen years: comes to the Ansio-odA'n
people like an ascending rocket and makes more
scintillant explosion than did any of her preoeces-
sors. It is all most inexplcab1e. and we shan az
tempt to discuss the phenomenon after the account
OF last nights performance has been set down
An unexampIed curiosity touching the new singer
had been created by the reports of her Lonooh
success The public hocked into the Manhattan
Opera House public had hocked oe1ore
since the fire laws were enacted and filed away for
reference after the next catastrophe shall make
the public hercely indignant and pubic ofllclals
conscious of duty neglected Many of those who
left their seats after the first act never got OacA
10 them for the second. for all asles were mac
cessible. Scores of persons crowded the stairs
This in the democratic part of Mr. Hamn1erstelh
theatre In the other parts was gathered the host
brilliant audience by far that the house has yet
contained. +rera were no vacant chairs in the
boxes no vacant stalls on the floor Excited eN-
pectation sat on every face Signorina IetrA1zlhl
aupeared. A disappointing figure with 'Ioet
disappointing walk and manner that saVored VI
or,-tbi,e b,,+ distinction. The opera was La
Trsviata- - one long ago set aside for the parrel
organ repetory. Grievously Disappointing were he'
voice and vocal manner. Connoisseurs iooheu tn''
each others faces with quizzfcal amazement- Ihen
came the drinking song and expressions Desdn 'o
cbsnpa After the "Ah fors luz and It's brilliant
cabaIetta the audience went wild with excltenlen''
It seemed as if the glad shoutinss "oulo never
cease A dozen times the curtain went up 10 per
NIT tha lady to bow her thanks-alone, repeateoIy
ritb rassi the tenor with Mr.. Hammerstein. with
sIgnor Campanini. whom an opening In the seen
arv had shown in the act of embracing ana KISS
ing his sister-in-law, and then again anu sun
again.
,,5 what caused this extraordinary demonstra-
80 Not the singers voice. That has charms
1, sa,,e in the volume and brilliancy of its upper
register II is specially noteworthy NoI INC
technical execution Of the ford music aohe, lot
+ha present generation, with memories of Patti
Nilsson C1erster and Sembrich in the role conla
o,.14 many more finished performances Not the
person of the singer. for that was In Grass contra
diction of the ideal picture of the heroine Ihe
secret law in the combination Of beautiful singing
as such. and acting. Not acting IN the sense OF
attitude motion and facial expression. although
these we're all admirable but in the dramatic fee-
ing which imbued the snging-the dramatic color
which shifted with Kaleidoscope sw1ttness from
nlrase to phrase filing II with the blood OF the
1,o,- The voice weak and pallid in its lower
register had a dozen shades Of meaning neverthe-
less and as 1t scared upward 1t took on rength
and glitter though it lost in emotional force as II
gained in sensual charm
Judged by such standards this public is IA
,,irfar with Nine Tetrazzini's is neither q voice
of consistent beauty throughout its several rather
sbarply marked registers, nor an organ consum-
r1ately educated. in the strict sense There were
notes whose true pitch was reached only when the
singer put added force into their utterance' ana
there was something left to be desired in her ad-
,usfr7ent of vocal values when sustaining part OF
a dialogue or trio. But in spite of these obvious
flaws in her art the newcomer made genuinely
fine impression and IT is likely that her star will
be in the ascendant for some time TO come
Everything about the phenomenal career OF
Tetrazzini during the last three months is be-
v,iIdertng When Signorina Tetrazzini was singing
at the TivoH. in San Francisco, pleasant reports
about her voice and art reached New York. some
hv nrblic ways, more by private. Mr. Conried was
moved by them to seek her out and engage her
for his company at the Metropolitan Opera House;
t,T+ even then he had idea that she was to
enter the rank his first singers. for in the operas
- NJ nor repertory he had Nine. Sembrich. Nothing
c.rnA of the engagement for reasons which might
oy7cern the lovers of opera house ttte-tatte, but
,7obodv else Mr. Conred still insists that the con-
tract which was signed has till the END or this sea-
con 10 run Then Mr. Tammerstein took up the
go Intending that she should be the first light
-aro of his first company Nothing came of
+bs+ Guest either. and both managers viewed tue
i+,o .io, with perfect complacency. for the lady
had rIunsad into the European operate jungle ana
+~,., M sign Nothing could have been more
s+ar+I,,g than the great shout OF acclaim which
vent nm in London IN the closing weeks OF the
+-,~ season when she appeared in la
---ax,iata' and Lucia Gi Lammermoor. very
sffgs-ant were the first triumphs Of Nilsson IN
paris Gerster in Berlin. sembrich in Dresden ana
Nro,ba in BRUSSELS and London In these cases the
ia-s we're at the very outset Of their artistic
,r.a-e while the newcomer has waited eIeVeh
- for . truly metropolitan recognition though
49, has Sung frequently in the principal cities OF
south America Mexico. Italy and Germany
what docs II all mean? Is appreciation of good
ie5ne confined to London? The question must
re risen in many minds and also the query
,ba+ter the audience at the Manhattan last night
- - +,,ins the case of Luisa Tetrazzini or that
- - onaragoers and newspaper critics OF Lon
a. The good people Of San Francisco VINO
raisad her with many pretty words "nen she
sanz AZ their Tivou three years ago, without
living that they were entertaining the most
rarfH neg