New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-28
Frieda HempeI Makes Debut
in Revival of lies
HuguenOtS."
DELUGED WITH FLOWERS
Obvious That She Is Much
BETTER Artist than She APP
peared as Heroine in
Meyerbeer's Opera.

IIouse on November 20 19Oo, with MINES
,oostipelli. Zeppill and Mariska- Aldrich
I'D NM Zonate.lo. Sammarco and Ari-
,,o,di in the cast, was revived last night
~, tho METROPOLITAN opera House to mark
A. dabut of Miss Frieda Hempel. The
orora,s last performance at the Broadway
ho,,ee of song was on February IS, 1905.
with Mines. Sembrich. De Macchi ana
walker and NM. Caruso, Scott, Plancon
o,d Journet OF these artists only Mr..
Cor,,so and Mr.. Scott, in the parts Of
peoul and De Nevers, appeared last night.
81 &c Huguenots" was the opera with
..h,ch Mr.. Gatti-Casazza had intended
o,,on,ng the season. but Miss Hempers
ri,oss caused its postponement. For 1t
49,, heen gathered a notable cast Miss
t1orrrel as the Queen; Miss Destinn. as
valentine: Miss Alien. as the Page; MI
.Cor,so as Raoul; Mr.. Scott, as De
yevers. Mr. Didur, as Marcel, and Mr.
Rothier. as Saint-Bris.
The desire of the management to broad
-, the Metropolitan's repertory is most
,,rd,bIe one, and the selection of Meyer
bsor,s most popular work was perhaps
Inevitable. Meyerbeer was a musician
who knew the theatre as few have known
=, and in Eugene Scribe he found a
worthy mate. Empty though the music
generally is and theatric as is the story
their wedding in the old style is happy
ono and the chances for contrast, for
color. for dramatic effects are many and
well executed.
For the moment, leaving aside the lady
whose debut was the chief event of the
evening, it should be said that Mr. Caruso
sang with his accustomed skill If not al
ways with his usual golden tones; that
Mr.. Scott was most aristocratic noble
and Mr. Rothier both aristocratic and
resonant voiced Miss Destinn's beautiful
voice ant artistic Skill are ever a delight,
and Miss Alien made more than credit
able page Mr.. Didurs Marcel was bluff
and hearty. but his voice was so unsteady
as to try the nerves of all lovers Of sing
ing. The chorus sang we'll and splritedly,
and the ballets were gracefully executed.
The most amiable feature Of the ap-
pearance Of FrAulein Hempel was the at
tltude toward her adopted by the audi
ence at the outset and maintained till the
end Of the opera. This is not to say that
the lady did not make a lovely appeal 10
the eyes as we'll as the ears Of the public.
She did: but there were many among the
hundreds who applauded her enthusiast
cally who must have wondered II TINS
was an complication of the highest art
Of vocalzation which the present day has
TO offer; and. IL so. how great and woiui
was the fall of that art within the last
decade. The lady sang many very
pretty phrases. She also disclosed
that al some other time she will sing
many more phrases I'm a prettier style.
But she certainly failed TO convince
the tremendous audience which greeted
her and rewarded her with more than
generous applause that she had justified
the emphasis which has been laid upon
the revival OF Meyerbeer's opera by the
management ever since the talk about
the season began. Les Huguenots' is
much fnaligned and q much overpraised
opera the judicous know that. and there
has been no time within the last two
decades when it has not been made
show piece for all the talent at the COM
mand of the impresario. Rightly or
wrongly. nobody thinks OF the opera
nowadays without recalling the vocalists
who have showered upon the audience
the vocal gems which are expected 10
pour out OF the throats Of the representa-
lives OF Marguerite de Valois. And since
the opera has held its place in the roper
tory OF the Metropolitan Opera House
those representatives have been the finest
vocal artists who have lived within the
sembrich and Mel
Ia. IT Is not necessary to men
ton their predecessors. Their sue
cessor was expected in Fr8ulein Hem
pei. and the expectation, to be just and
frank, must be held in allegiance in spite
OF the applause showered upon the lady
by an eager and generous audience last
night. We heard a finely schooled artist,
a singer with neat and highly finished
style OF vocalization. flexible voice and
good taste; but we did not hear such
singing as we have heard many times in
the same music. And under the circum-
stances this was a grievous disappoint-
ment for which amelioration was to be
found only in the obvious fact that the
lady was suffering not only from the
results Of her recent indisposition, but
also from the nervousness which SEXES
upon every singer when such a stu
pendous audience as that OF a gala night
q che Metropolitan Opera House first
confronts her. Under the circumstances
II would be unkind, almost churlish in
deed. to express an opinion about her
merit as an artist. Nothing could have
been more obvious than that she Is, a
much finer singer than she disclosed her
self 10 be last night at any rate, that
her voice in it's high register is Of purer
and better quality.
In the stage pictures. in costumes and
in all that went TO make for external
beauty Mr.. Gatti-Casazza did fine things
in his production. Especially effective
and informed with atmosphere was the
garden of the Chateau dc Chenonceaux,
In the second act the high wall on the
left with It's marble balustrade and
stairway the tall elms beyond and the
stretch of water at the base giving an
effect of distance that has rarely been
equalled on the Metropolitan stage.
Finely executed, too. with its frescoed
ceiling, was the room in the chateau of
De Nevers' while the costuming Of prln-
cipals. chorus and ballet was all perfect
in taste and in historic accuracy. In
short all that the panoply OF the theatre
could do for the music Of Meyerbeer
and the book OF Scribe was done.
The audience was particularly warm
in its applause especiallv after thu sac-