New-York tribune., 1913-10-15
JEWELS OF THE MADONNA
A Garish Picture of Neapo|itan
Life.

Inc performance vi Woll-r etrdfi .
opera, THE Jewels of the Madonna" at
the Century Opera House last night was
announced as the first representation OF
that work in the English language. IN
der the circumstances, the statement may
be said TO be highly unimportant II true.
as IT probably is Unimportant because
II anybody went to the performance ex-
pecting to learn what the drama was
about from the words sung, he must have
been grievously disappointed. AS for the
action, that ought to be like Mrs. Gil
hory's tuber. which, in the opinion Of the
Hon Bardwell Slote, tasted the same
whether called potato or pomme de terre.
As a matter Of fact. however. the ex-
pository first act was not so clear to the
mere spectator last night, when he was
asked to imagine that the people on the
stage were singing in English. as 1t was
year ago last March. when the people
OF the Chicago Philadelphia Opera Com
pany presented II and sang in italian.
| The reason was that many OF the peo-
pie then were better actors than those
we have with us now and were more ia
miliar with the characteristic scene in
, which they were taking part
! But Il doesn't matter much. The Incl
! dents OF a Neapoltan festival, with Its
multitude of characters and their varied
doings. would be all but incomprehensible
/ to foreigners II they were clearly pre-
! sented: and this is practically impossible
in an operate act The only purpose Is
to give the play local color and this can
! be done more effectively with simple
tune simply sung than by such phantas-
magoria and medley Of cacophonous
! sounds as made up the act last night.
That Signor Wolf Ferrari knows how
to do II he demonstrated most delight
| fully in his "Donne curiose,' and the
| dominant feeling which the later opera
awakens is one OF regret that he should
have abandoned the exquisite musical
style which is native to his genius for
the tawdry and vulgar manner into
which he fell when he entered upon the
territory Of the veritists who went Tor
their dramatic subjects to the cutters
and shambles OF Naples.
The city "of a thousand colors, OF
which the chorus were supposed at one
moment to be singing last night was evil
IDENTIFY In the fancy of Mr.. Urban wEen
he composed the scenery, which was
brought from Boston for the century
Company's production OF the opera. IL
ever an opera presented more Vloiehl
riot OF garish colors than that exhipiteo
i'm last nights pictures long memory
falls TO recall the fact.
But II would probably be unfair TO MAKE
| Mr.. Urban wholly responsible Tor this
II Is easy to imagine that he conteh
Mated that his canvases would be showr
in different lights than those with whlcf
they were flooded last night ana that ha'
his paint been mixed with more stag
managers brains the effect would nav
been less aggressive. more harmonious
,mmeasurably more gratifying to the ey'
and appealing to the fancy.
After the first act was over the artlst
chiefly concerned in the representation
were free from their handicap, and there
after they did things highly creditable Z
themselves and the institution with whic
they are connected. The artists in ques
ton were Miss Elizabeth Amsden (Mali
ella). Gustaf Bergman (Gennaro), kath
leen Howard Din whose case, however
praise can go only TO her voice. an
Louis Kreidler, the last Of whom achieve
his best results in his serenade.
Miss Amsden is superficial and labo
rious actress as yet, and cannot be salt
10 have penetrated beyond the crude eX
ternals OF the character which she essaye'
to delineate. But she sang with grea
zeal gave Of her fine voice plenteously ant
spared the spectators none of the details
which have shocked those who see sac
rilege in the wearing of jewels stoiei
from a wooden image of the Virgin Mary
II might even be said that she went un
necessarily far I'm the scene which mas
parallel in one respect in "Die Walkure'
which provoked Schopenhauer to write
gloss on Wagner's stage direction
The curtain falls quickly wrote Wag
ner. High time!" commented the PM
losopher on the margin of the book whic'
the poet-composer had sent him. MI
Bergman was equally sympathetic In SON
and action and came nearer a realization
of the intentions of the author than an
y, his fellows. Popular interest In tn
opera was not so abundantly manifest a
II was in the cases of AIDA an
| "Lohengrin.' H. H' IN