The San Francisco call., 1910-02-27
BURDEN FALLS UPON
SOPRANO new HERE
Marina calvi VIII Sing Title
Role in "Mme. Butterfly"
With Lambardi Company
mascagni's Opera, Iris Will
be on Program at COIum-
bia Tuesday Night
By WALTER ANTHONY

.s me entire grand opera roper
tolLe mat is promised this week al the
columbia theater is interesr1na, nsr-
tiCuiaf attention is drawn to the nro-
C1cllon OF Nine. Butterfly, which is
'-e opening offering of the Ianlba rd Z
company. and 10 Iris" which is the
'-ll Tor Tuesday night
NJ me. Butterfly" is frankly modern
pa suoJect and treatment. It is nat
uIailstlc' and Puccinis best stvle is
seen throughout the score. Though the
music was written by an ItaIian-and
t-ie best OF opera writers native TO
eFol lana since the composer of
otello1 died-there Is much of Amer
-ca IN the score. Indeed. Nine. Butter
Iy is a near American" grand onera
running through its score is a motive
-le-odically like THE Star Spangled
hanner" and three of the characters
-A the story are Americans of the
present day.
There are few of the numbers in the
opera which bear Transporting from
'-elf theatric settings. Even the
lL-elooies allotted TO poor little Cho-
olo-San may scarcely be appreciated
except IN their stage relationship 10
dcuon, costume and atmosphere"
f4cclni has done wonderful things with
the Long -Belssco plot. and the pres
snlauon At the Columbia of John
L0lner Longs meager story David
belasco's dramatic setting of it. has
already excited much interest among
opera goers
Nine Butterfly is regarded by
many as Puccinis best work. II has
enjoyed IN unusual success in this
country and in Europe. Henry W.
SaTaGe's production of the piece in
English is well remembered and was
proflta BILE venture for its promoter.
IT has been the most popular opera in
America since Cavaliers Rustfcana :"
New York first saw Nine. Butterfly"
IN 1905 and Savage's production in
English and The Italian presentation
az the Metropolitan. opera house were
given eager patronage.
The burden of the work in Mime
B8tterf1y' fails naturally on the shoul-
ders Of the soprano who sings the title
role and who interprets the heart
rending scenes allotted TO Butterfly"
At the Columbia theater tonight Ma
rina Calvi VIII assume the task She
is new TO as. but she win have her
chance. The. management promises a
surprise in her. for il is claimed that
she not only sings like the prima donna
that she is. but that she acts as well
The fun cast OF the piece follows:
Madam Butterfly lCho-Cho-Sanl 80 Marina CaIvi
Suzuki lCho-cho-Sans servant)-...-A. Bugamelu
D. r. Pinkerton lieutenant. l. s N.)....--.
,- ---.-. -------.- Giovanni Nadsl
Shsrpess united States copsul at Naga-
sakp ..---------. A Anrols
Go-o "a marriage brokerl ....-..--......A Neri
Prince Fsmadori -. ..---... Pietro Buganeli
Tho Bonze tCbo-C -Cho-San's nncIe} ...-..Y. Viola
The imperial commissioner C Mori
Tho cousin .--..--.... -. .s q Arrfrno
Nine Butterfly viii be repeated
Thursday evening.
We have waited long for Iris"
Lambardi has promised. as that we
should hear the Mascagni work sew
ersl times but always there was some
reason why we didn't In the first
place, Fl requires a larger orchestra,
than the old school Italian operas do.
In the second place il is a 'produc-
tion" and requires scenery and COS
TUNES beyond the possibilities of
tawdrv opera. presentations. This time.
however. an orchestra. Of size and
quality is in attendance. and the pro-
ductiOns which Lambardi brings are
lit To be set on the stag of San Fran
cisco's most fashionable theater. At
least. that is what we are promised,
and there is no reason TO doubt the
faith OF the projectors of the present
short season Of grand opera Iris"
IS frankly unreal. It is a fantasy
founded on a sordid story, but lifted
into beauty by the treatment Of the
poem and the. music.
Here is the story Of the opera in
brief:
Iris is the daughter Of an old
blind man-lI. Cieco-a little girl
who IS first discovered pla wing at
The foot Of her fathers Gotta ge.
She attracts the attention of Osaka.
q dissOlute nObleman. who bar
gains with kyoto. a specialist in
this business. to: abduct her 70 his
house in the Infamous YOshiwara
quarter Of the town To carry out
This purpose the two devise an al
7ezorical puppet snow by which
Iris with crowd Of others, is
attracted and mystifed- She is
seized and carried off.
The second act shows her awak-
ening in splendid house in the
Yoshiwarai she believes herself in
paradise. Osaka. appears and tries
his arts upon her, but she quite
fails 10 understand what he wishes.
and simply asks 10 be sent nome
TO her father. Osaka wearies Of
the game and retires, leaving
Kyoto to make the best of his bar
gain. which be attempts 10 do by
exhibiting the girl 10 the crowd in
the street In the crowd ls the old-
Cfeco. who. convinced that his
Tvsra Of her own free viii. has
wandered thitheT to curse her and
cast her of IN her terror and
grief a. receiving curses instead
OF help and sympathy Iris leaps
from the window into chasm
where is the outlet of a sewer.
The third act -disclOses "A party
Of rag pickers working a. this
outlet who find her there uncon-
eofous and fee in terror Now are
beard the voices of three 'OgO-
fsms'-the spirits or genii of
& Clss ka- of KyotO. of n Cieco-in
more or less edffying reflections on
the situa ton. Iris cries OUT an
aronv. asking why fate has thus
r71sItreated her The chorus OF the
Sun which introduces the opera
with an imposing and sOnOrous de-
,,frtfon of the sunrise and the
s~lories Of the sun. now hymns him
Erandiosely again. Flowers spring
M around the poor girl and she is
lifted toward the azure, the in
Unite the sun. and she expires IN
= kind of apotheOsis.
Iris will be given Tuesday evening
and next Saturday afternoon.
la. C3iaconda" viii be presented to-
morrow night with the following cast.
f.iaoonds ballad singer. Nine Elvira Bosetu
Il effre Wife Of Alvlse- Doofes ffau
- Cieca her blind mother. -Adalgisa Bugameln
TSsrnaha a spy Of the inquisition ..----.-.:-.
slvise Radoero. one OF the heads Of the state
fnQuisitioD 49, y iola
Zusne boafms x, bishs
Teeuno q public letter writer A. NeIi
Fnzo 2 Genoese nOble. .-------- .Attiifo Maurini
The cast selected to play the Mas
oagni opera, Iris" is as follows:
..... Marina Calv
.......-..---..------- -Attiiio NiauIln ~
yl1ofo.. = ahgelo Anuola