The San Francisco call., 1909-01-27
TWO OPERAS GIVE
FEAST OF MUSIC
"CavaIIeria Rusticana" and
'PagIiacci" Superbly Sung
at the Central
By Walter Anthony

Lambardi's singers almost made you
forget they were singing last night in
Pietro Mascagnis dramatic story set to
pulsating music, "Cavalleria Rusticana,e
at the Central theater They almost
made you forget they were acting in
Ruggerio LeoncavalIo's ecstacy. "Pag-
liacci" A more concise and effective
melodrama voicing the primitive has
not been seen in this city than the pro-
duction which Cell Campoli as SantuzZa,
A. Giana as Lola. Eugene Battain as
Turiddo and Angelo Antola as Alto pre-
sented last night to another large audi
ence in the Mascagni prize song. The
last half of the entertainment was finer
vocally, in spots, but lacked the unity
of dramatic progress which the new
the ''Nerismo"-school demands of its
singing actors. "Pagliacci' may have
had finer vocal moments than "Cavalle-
ria," but it was not the Tremendous
success that the opera with the inter
mezzo was.
To get rid of personalities at once
Cell Campoi, dramatic soprano. was
Santuzza. She did not appear in "Pag-
liacci." Her deserted, despairing San
tuzza was much finer bit of work than
her Leonora of Sunday night in III
Trovatore" She was vocally splendid
There were no taxing measures to wear
her high notes, and she gave a vivid
presentation of the abandoned and un-
happy Sicilian girl. Signorina Giana
was as unhappy vocally as ever, but her
acting was far above that of most
Lolas. She entered singing from off
stage at such variance with the key
that there was doubt if she would ever
find the harmonic curve, but after her
entrance things went smoother. and
that was the only tonal fault to be
found.
Eugenio Battain as the tenor, Turid-
do, met expectations. He would have
been recalled at many periods in Cav
alleria" but for the fact that Jacchia.
the director, temperamentally opposed
any delay in the hurry and sweep of
MascagnIs lyric tragedy. Battain in
"Cavalleria" was passionate, remorse-
ful and finally full of the fear of death.
He abandoned his sweetheart San
tuzza with splendidly outrageous
scorn, and made love to Altos wife
with every appropriate quality save
discretion He was gay. airy, finical
and confident until Santuzza's story in
Altos ears stopped the liason and
brought about the tragedy which left
Turiddo and SantuzZa dead as the cur
tain fell with the chromatic descent of
Mascagnfs tragic orchestration.
Battain's voice is high. clear and
telling. 1t is easily the best tenor in
the company He reminds one of
Agostini. but there is more dramatic
fervor in his phrases, though perhaps
it is achieved, as it seems to me, at
the expense Of his naturally beautiful
organ. His tones have a silvery quail
ity and the power to move deeply. His
acting is excellent. The last scene
of ''Pagliacci," after he has killed his
faithless wife and Silvio, was full of
= T.,
well as that Of our old friend Angelo
Antola's, showed TO better advantage
than in "Cavalleria." Antola display
ed a sinister, clownish and mocking
temper even in the prologue, which for
acting, was not to be exceiled Only
Salassa and Ptmazzoni do 1t with big
ger tone. Antola was splendidly well
coined. though 1 did not think he made
good his listeners expectations in the
Mascagni opera. He more than made
up in the Leoncavallo tragedy, where
he was vocally superb.
Ardizoni Tosi's Media was unremark-
able. 1t lacked spirit, but it was fairly
acceptable. We can not expect a cast
Of Antolas. Battains. Ferrabinis and
Campolis every night for a dollarl
Jacchia's orchestra was encored three
times for it's playing of the intermezzo,
and disclosed, mainly, a wise balance
OF tone and few lapses in rhythms,
which when they happened, were main
/ ly innocuous and harmless.
The chorus shone particularly in the
Mascagni part of the program.
No one who likes good music can
afford to assume a superior attitude
toward the presentations of Lambardi's s
excellent company at the Central this
week. They are more than worth the
price of admission, and it is a pity
TO miss any of them. The company this
year is fully as good as any he has
heretofore brought us, and the enter
prise is worth all the announcements
that San Francisco seems at this writ
ing disposed TO give 1t. Last nights
audience was enthusiastic and inteIli-
gent.
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