The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-01-08

h.tar. the delighted ihrong last even | iur was most realistic. She eIasgoa. saItv puccinfs inspired thought tbat | here was no mere woman, brt tne sin | hodln,ent of the efeuacnsal tassiens os | the ages having no age, as "oInh p., nne as old as the world; the peIsopi,nas'Sas ,..a, ns | If the all-compeiifng ethical ihM ol hnnsan lave. the real but still divine tbat is in all of us. Tempe:a mentally strong. but not to the extent .f ns,es- s | neaa. it must domlpate and prevali U .V | fhe exclusion of Mif else as the nignese of aIf moral and hygienic laws beeause I 1t provides for the welfare e ne sens erations to come. If he actins ssemsc .Ic ! to law too much stress on the maslc nover and effect os the love potion, l trestinr it as material ratberN than | AvmhoIIc. what then7 Have not end | issa con,nentators fought and wIens- l led over this subtle di5tln"tionE
 Above alI Mime. Strakosch made ner part what all grand opera parts snoSi1 4, l be---vocal. There was ehousn n 1 camo in her singing of the Love quo ta satisfy even the most frenzied Don. | igeffiat. Would that the same could he said of Stiles. A pity that fttie | vocal art could not be added to ms rAaI gifts in voice and the temperament | tal energy which made his part Tn the I death scene dramatically powerfni: Miss Ethel Dufre Houston sang Su- I xuki in excellent manner but U W@s 1 the emphasis that she save to @ sns l pleasures and sorrows of Cho-Cho san fhat she impressed most in her art' In fier duo with chos sCho-san, she lack
 ed volume.
 A voice that was much enjoyed. being
 fuiI. round and extremely well-con-
 troiled, was that displayed by MT. Ot- teiey cranston as the Consul. MT. Ru-
 dolph Koch. as the marriage proker' was well cast.
 characteristicaIiy .flprovident in his
 staging of road attractions, booked
 usually for one night stands. In music,
 1t is more difficuIt to say someth ing
 of local impressions. It is dimcult to
 grasp the significance and detail or
 the theme. First and most abiding or
 the sensations is that the music ls
 impressionistic. Themes. more or less
 aptly illustrative of character. scene
 ana emotion. many of them of definite
 meiodic beauty. occur and recur, built
 up with commanding mastery Of
 technidue into an intricate cofltrapuntal
 web. Another effect which is very
 strong brings up the question raised
 by Mir. De Koven. "Is opera to be opera
 or is 1t to be something elseT Here
 we have a music-drama. essentially
 modern m 8DlTlL hH0 LAGdbAA0hts
 though the harmonic structure Is sane
 and not exaggerated. where, too often
 the composer has chosen to disregard
 the human voice as the most potent
 means of emotional effect and gives his
 melodies to the orch estral--and such an
 orch estrai At times. as in the beauti-
 full solo for Cho-Cho-San and the duet
 in the second act. there is real beauty
 of meiodie phrase and structure. and
 A AAr AE& to hA knA
 speak the words of the story against
 the melodic background. every vary
 ing and ever impressive. of the orches-
 tra. Of formal melody, there Is lite
 tie: and vet the work is essentially
 melodious. and also Enthusiastically
 so. For instance. as to Characteresttc
 melody: at every mention of Pinker-
 tons name. Americas national anthem
 beats out from tom-toms and pulses
 through the entire motiR. At times this illustration seems somewhat in- definite and vague. and hardly apt, but
 this impression will disappear with continued hearing.
 The orchestration Is full of detail, original effect. somewhat unexpected and peculiar use of the different inc struments and put together with much finesse At times the color seems al- most unnecessarily crude and chromo- like, as in the scene of the knowledge of the wife of Pinkerton. where tho fullest of the composers orchestra ef- feet IS reached
 Mir. Rothwel1s methods in the con- ductor's chair were straightforward and direct. His beat was uncommonly sharp, decided and angular, and his at- tention Is alertly directed at all points, seemingly, at once. It is significant that his left hand was almost constant ly used in tine performance to check and subdue. He gives the unmistak- ing authority and keen insight. His tempt are made for enchantment of the dramatic effect, to keep the blood of fife pulsing in the score; yet there was nothing subversive in them or de- structive of the musical values. The skillful and elastic modification of tenn DO is one of the touch stones of fine conducting. and in this re- spect Mir. Rothwell showed himself a master There were innumerable in- stances of it through the score. Take for instance. the approach to .he cIi- max of the prelude. This might be driven on with too obvious huFryin@ of the beat Mir. RothweIi taade an .eptible as it advanced, yet, when he arrived at the climax the beat was increased.
 Of the story the telling in prose would desecrate, and of this we have 10 intention. It is beautiful, pathetic, 1 md touches the very roots of the heart. | Encore after encore indicated the sx- irerne enjoyment of the audience. We | hank Mir. Savage For his splendid | sofnpany.
 "Brewster's Millions. wul he the At-