New-York tribune., 1910-01-12
MUSIC
era DiaUolo" at The NeIC
Theatre.

When Mr.. Hammerstein gave his first
season OF opera at the Manhattan Opera
House there were. no doubt, many sincere
lovers OF the lyric drama who put high
appreciation on his revival Of Auber's
Fra Diavolo." II was delightful awak-
ening of old memories which, indeed. had
lad nothing to do with what is popularly
called grand opera"-meaning opera given
IN foreign language and at one OF the
accredited homes" OF opera for twenty
years OF course. the public had not been
obliged to get along without Fra Dia-
volo' in the interval for 1t had been sung
in the vernacuIar and had become quite
as completely Anglicised as FTotow's Mar
tha." which it is much easier to think OF
as an English than as an italian opera. and
cannot even be conceived of In German.
though that is the language in which 1t was
originally composed Mr.. Hammerstein. with
sisnor Bonci, Miss Pinkert, Mr.. Gilbert
and other excellent people. gave per-
forn1ance OF Aubers masterpiece the like
of which had not been heard since il
formed a part OF the reperrory of the
old Academy of Music company. but
last night il was surpassed at The New
Theatre in many respects. In the first place
1t was much more beautifully staged; and
In the next it's French spirit was more
faithfully preserved Some question might
be raised as to whether or not the opera
might not have been more enjoyable IL the
Vernacuiar had been used The humor OF
English people who speak bad French and
when they drop into their own language
speak worse English may provoke laugh
ter (as ii did last night. but would 1t not
have been better il the Milford and MiIady
had confined their linguistic peculiarities TO
the language which was supposedly foreign
to them and spoken English without a
foreign accent? OF course, this could not
be with French people in the English char
acters, but we have polyglot a company
OF singers at the Metropolitan Opera House
that last Saturday We heard Die Wal
ktire' with five American singers twisting
their tongues very successfully around the
German consonants and gutturaIs. Why
did II not occur to the management TO per-
NIT us to hear two Americans wrestling
with the French OF English tourists and
dropping into at least tourists English
when the book called for 1t? In this re-
spect the point OF view has undergone a
change between Auber's day and ours, and
between Paris and New York.
And yet it might have been a pity 20
lose such amusing impersonations as Mile
Maubourg's Pamela and NJ Devaux's My
lord The lady's voice indicates that she
properly belongs to the operetta stage. but
she acts with intelligence and charm: and
the gentleman is at least mildly amusing
10 those whose expectations have not been
raised by such performances as those OF
NJ. Gilbert at the Manhattan Opera House
four years ago and Mr.. Edward Seguin
twenty-four thereabouts. These are sub
ordinate characters. however, lifted into
prominence for the nonce by an unavoid
able retrospect First in the admiration OF
last nights listeners was Mr.. Clement. a
dashing representative of the brigand
dramatically, and a most ingratiating one
musically-an artist whose finished style
can scarcely be too much admired Miss
Alten put OF many OF the clogs which
nationality placed upon her and was de-
lishtfully vivacious in both song and action.
while Mr.. Reiss forgot his race entirely in
a most amusing impersonation of Beppo-
And he had a good companion in Georges
Bourgeois as Giacomo.
Mr.. Hertz conducted the performance
with lighter hand than he is accustomed
TO show, and the music was without inter
ruption gracious and tnsinuating- The dis
t~fbfrti0u nj characters WAS follows.