New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-20
A SENSATIONAL BARITONE.
Titta RuffO Sings at the Metro
DoIitan Opera House.
FIRST HEARING IN NETWORK
Hamlet" with Shakespeare
Left Out, Last Nights
Offering.

slgnor Caruso, beyond question the
cords greatest tenor singer, sings two
- three Tires a week for more than two
core weeks in New York, and the musical
...,srs flow on undisturbedly as has been
.beir wont for many years past. He goes
- vienna, Berlin, Paris, London and
o,ber European cities in the interim, and
,.s musical elements in those centres Of
,plture are thrown into q ferment;
ariees are raised to degree which is pro-
sb'tiyc to the regular patrons of the
,,sra. newspaper critics are transformed
INTO rhapsodists, and the solemn preach
rsnts about the reforms achieved in the
lyric drama by the labors of Wagner and
Verdi and Bizet are forgotten. The world
makes obeisance 10 the voice.
Two centuries ago, when men singers
we're sopranos and contraltos, the opera
catrors Of London were split into factions
NV singers. houses were divided. duels
we're fought by men and women wore the
insignia OF rival singers. Familiarity
with the worlds greatest vocalists TOT
nearly a century has made New YORK
more staid and less demonstrative, and
fond students Of the lyrico-dramatc art
have tried to see In local activities some
thing like at least an equal appreciation
of the song and the singer But scratch
the musical Russian anywhere, even here,
and YOU will find the Tartar. That Ca
russo Is not the cause of social and DO
nestle feuds is probably due only to the
fact that ne has come TO be accepted as
matter Of course, an everyday occurrence
II has even happened that he has failed
TO habilitate an opera which the local
public voted uninteresting.
But even New York's opera goers love
sensation. That was disclosed last
night at the Metropolitan Opera House
when Titta Ruffo sang for the first
time here. For his sake an opera was
accepted which some of the finest artists
Of the last generation failed to fix in
the local repertory. 1t was Ambrose
Thomass Hamlet" 1t is a Hamlet
which is not only devoid Of the melau-
choly Dane, but which is absurdly empty
of anything which could remotely sug-
gest Shakespeare.
Ever since it had its first production in
Paris great singers have tried to win
liking for IL, but have tried in vain. Nine.
Nilsson, the original creator of the part
Of Opheiia, made the first essay in 1870;
Nine. Gerster, Nine Sembrich, Nine. Calve
Ito name only the greatest of the women
singers) tried and failed Kaschmann, a
fine though an affected barytone. second
Cd the efforts Nine. Sembrich, and Lasalle,
the great successor of Faure, the original
French Hamlet, united his fine and manly
ant with the exquistely poetical imper-
sonation of Nine. Calve, but all TO no pur-
pose. An Italian barytone comes now,
and the bare announcement of his coming
serves to crowd the great theatre to suf-
location. and when he sings the drinking
song hundreds of people grow frantic In
their exhibition Of delight. and the memo
res Of the great achievements to which
the walls Of the Metropolitan have echoed
for years vanish like mist before the sun
and winds Of the morning.
Obviously Titta Ruffo will sum up the
Philadelphia-ChicagO Opera Company THIS
season. He has provided the sensational
element which II has lacked hitherto. He
is more TO il than the new operas with
WHICH, IL mas illcNt AtS Vic SAAiNNA'c "HfNN-N
heretofore. He is unquestionably an
extraordinary singer, extraordinary IN
the volume and range Of his voice, in his
command Of the technics of singing,
specially in his breath-control, in the vi
talty and yiorancy OF his tones, his abil-
ity 70 give them dramatically expressive
color, his finished dictton. He is eX-
traordinary, too, in his dramatic action
extraordinary from the viewpoint provid-
ed by the opera.
His poses are plastic. his gestures free
graceful and eloquent, his features mo-
bile and expressive. In this respect ne
Is marked for notice by his surroundings
1t is so unusual for an operate artist 10
display histrionic intelligence that an i'm
personation like that presented by Signor
Ruho is out of all proportion striking
and attractive compared with its equal on
the stage OF the ordinary theatre. II
startled because it was so unusual phe-
nomenon. but because IT was unusual II
need not be measured by the standard set
By great actors.
The voice which is tremendously puts
ssnt and which is emitted with skill
which conceals artihce, has great
warmth and vibrancy, great variety OF
dramatic color and is unfailingly true In
pitch; but Signor Amato's voice is of far
oyelier and richer timbre. With Signor
Runos range, fexibility, diction and
business Of information he would be
finer singer though a less effective de-
dnest0r Of character.
The entire performance was energetic
the work Of orchestra and chorus marked
BY remarkably rhythmical precision, due
to signor Campaninis inspiring beat
Mere cannot be said on this occasion
This was the cast:
I1dmlet. ......... 80 . iva tsNl
Claudius. ...........G ustaVe duDeToeau
Inc Ghost. :. IleI l p,SSScb
tVionus ............''.s'' - am .,,rt,,J
Laertes ............,.. Emilio Nentullni
Marcellus. .......,... Edward Warnery
Horatio ............ Constantin Nicolay
Gertrude. ....... Eleanora DE ClsneI,USiii
H. f. X.