The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1913-10-15
Star, UnheraIded. APP
pears in Musical Sky
At the Tivoli

Sometimes history repeats ITSELF
Sometimes lightning does strike
twice in the same place. And last
night the electric bolt OF popular ap-
prevail flashed over the TivoH and re-
vealed In the white glare of new
found fame tenor.
Lucca Botta-put that name down.
Unheralded-hardly an advance no.
tice printed about him. The audience
discovered him and flung his name to
glad public approval
When excitable Italians stand In the
aisles and yell 'sBigi" for 10 minutes
In your critics ear-when the au-
dience gets up on it's hind legs and
barks its satisfaction over the heads
OF the orchestra and completely
browns out the loudest efforts of that
conscientious band, striving to keep
the opera sailing along. then you
know that some one has made a hit
And SO the imperturbabIe Belucci
stopped his faithful followers, turned
back the pages of his score and once
again, to the soft feminine tones of
clarinet obligato, the rich robusto
notes of Botta surged around us.
HAS BRIGHT FUTURE
Surely. this boy of &c or so will not
be long away from the ranks of the
Chicago and New York metropolitan
fine. even quality. thrillingly keen in
the top notes, the voice carries huge
barytone timbre In the lower register
With voice Is combined a particu-
larly pleasing personality and plenty
Of the fiery exuberance that we would
expect to find In a young Italian
artist.
MODEsTI AS sCARPIA
Allesandro Modesto gave. in the
role of Baron Scarpia, a fine solidity
to the entire evening. Not great
voice, yet with good musicianship
and singularly clear enunciation, he
made splendid background for the
more brilliant work of Botta and
Melis. In his acting Modesti fell
short. He did too much crawling and
Hopping around in his efforts to find
place to die after Tosca had stabbed
him. He might take a lesson from
the very natural fall of Botta in the
last act
Pietro Brill. the Egyptian king of
Monday Right did a small but i'm
portant bit as the sacristan and did II
capably Manuel Carpio was accept
able as Spoletta, the policeman
THE sIPHONs OF NAPOLEON
Your humble scribe enquiries to
know" what particular brand of
mineral water was served In siphons
in the days of Napoleon, and he also
suggests that the stage management
anchor the stone font and statue in
the setting of the first act so that 1t
will not wobble when a stray choris-
ter bumps against it.
Belucci again starred at the head of
his splendid orchestra. The most
subtle gradations of tone and color
ing In this unusual score of Puccini's
were fully brought out, and the entire
production went off with a smooth
ness remarkable for first night.
carmen, TONIGHT
Tonight we are to hear the never
dying gypsy tunes of Bizet's Car
men, with Andree Tarny. late of the
Grazi forces. in the title role. The
entire cast follows:
Don Jose. brigadier. Pietro Schiavazzi
Escamillo, d toreador. ..-..-...........
George Mascal and Luigi Montesanto (alter-
nating).
ii Danciaro. smuggler. --...........U Revere
II Remendado, smuggier Manuel Carpio
Zuniga, a captain. ................P iero Brill
Morales. brigadier- ..--..........U Y. Revere
Michaela. a peasant. ..............O Olga Simzis
: .-.-- -. Agnes Slevers
Mercedes, gypsy. friend Of Carmen
Carmen. cigarette girl. afterward gypsy
An Inn keeper guide. officers. dargoons. lads,
cigar girls. gypsies ,smugglers. etc
Scene-Spain. about 1870.
Musical director-Nini Bellucci.