New-York tribune., 1910-01-30
MUSIC
4 Neso Orfeo at the Metro
politdn.

1t did not need the coming of Nine Marie
Delna to make repetition of Gluck's
"Orfeo'' gladstone occasion at the Metro
poltan Opera House yesterday afternoon.
The old opera had accomplished a miracle
in compelling appreciation FER its beautiful
eloquence in spite of taste which seemed
to have been turned far away from every
element in it which has made it's revival
one of the most gratifying and hope In
spring incidents of the operatic season.
None OF the patrons of the opera house
can have thought that 1t was necessary
to try to gild the refined gold of Nine.
Homer's impersonation of its titular char
acter: yet IL was an artistic delight OF a
high order to witness the performance OF
Mime. Delua. There ought not 10 be
comparison where there was so much that
was admirable on both sides; yet COM
parison is unavoidable and it is a matter
of congratulation for the sake of the opera
and the public that it can be made without
offence on either side. Each of the artists
contributed an element which helped to
round out the charm of the creation of the
poet and composer, To Nine. Homer be-
lonsed the advantage OF youthfulness of
grace and loveliness of figure; to Nine.
Delna of ripeness and elocuence OF must
cal expression and variety and dignity OF
pose and pantomime in one or two of the
climacteric scenes. especially In the meet
ing of the mythical minstrel and Euridice in
the Elysian field. To Mime. Homer must be
accorded the palm of superior continency
and perfection Of musical style In the sing
ing of "Che faro" IL for no other reason
than because she avoided the temptation TO
indulge in a cheap and tawdry variant IN
10 ,.~I,, 4, ,s-l.
Nine. Viardot Garcia succumbed. TO the
great grief of Berlioz. when the opera was
revived under his direction in Paris The
dramatic effect of the work benefited also
from the substitution of a briefer conclusion
of the first act than that provided by the
Interpolation of an air. "Oh. quail lotta. de-
lirio extremo." in place of the 'Dtvinites du
Styx," which. as was pointed out In the
second review of the work in this journal.
is both dramatically and nusically tncon-
sistent. For Nine. Homers Interpolation
Signor Toscanini was directly responsible.
On it's face it seemed admirable because OF
a parallelism between the situations in
''Orfeo" and the opera of "Alceste," from
which the fine dramatic air was borrowed.
And yet there was teXtually. dramatically
and musicalIy an incongruity. The brief
air. or arioso. which Nine. Delna uses is
taken from Echo ct Narcisse," GIucks last
opera It's sentiment is one of those nom
committal expressions which serve in any
moment of tragic perplexity in the old fash
toned lyric drama; yet it gave contradic-
tion TO previous utterances In its words. and
made an effective ending
As for the rest Nine. Delnas beautifully
poised head. her mobile face Cthe very
front of Crpheus as he might have been
chiselled by an antique SCULPTOR. her noble
voice, her eloquent poses and movements,
her nobly conceived and sT;perlly preserved
ideal of the character made up a. represen-
tation which stirred the audience 10 its
inmost depths And the old opera Won an
other triumph. 70 which not q little vas
contributed in the estimation Of the ju-
Cicious by the exquisite singing OF the air
"E quest asilo" by Miss Gluck-a perform
ance wholly as admirable as Sisnor Tos-
Canini's performance of the music of the
blessed shades which preceded it. as serene
ly. lovely and reposeful of the picture
which it enriched H. z. K