The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-08

ers about music are often
grlevously disappointed. Every
one without doubt hoped that
MAssenet's Don OuiChottc,' produced
at the Metropolitan Opera House on
Tuesday evening by the Philadelphia
Chicago company, would prove 70 bc an
Interesting topic. Writers about music
are always looking for fruitful subjects
FOR the soul grows sick with repetition
OF the ancient formulas about the an
cient things.
Do not suppose. dear reader. for Il
moment that the musical chronic!cts
Of this town do not know that the do
ings of opera singers are Intensely IN
teresting To the public. and that some
thing like thrill goes down the general
spine when the papers announce that
caruso was in good voice last night.
But the men who nave t. write these
records day after day are only too Glad
10 escape from re.tcra..uS TINS lmpor-
tent statement.
So there were weeping and Wa!l.ng
and gpashing Of teeth when the per-
Torrance Of Don QuiChotte" left the
ecribes with nothing 10 say except that
this was evidently "A MasScuct opera
made to order 70 sell over the Guns
bourg counter. Great man. indeed is
Raoul Gunsbouyg, who directs seasons
OF opera at Monte Carlo. He rcsurrcctrl
the ILLUMINATION OF Faust" of B.r..oZ
and made an opera Of it. and he las dis
covered two or three prima dome.
He discovered LIE l.ogrdinc's play
about Don Quichottc' and asked him To
make an opera Of II. but the poor man
died and Henri cam did the deed
Enough has already been said about the
thing. Such libretto has rarely found
Its way TO the stage OF the Metropolitan
Opera House, and there should Ice small
wonder that Massenct. who was pretty
well written out. should have found lit
tie inspiration in the book. Even his
cunning seemed to have deserted him.
for the one chance To do anything
namely, In the duet oil the fourth act
pretty nearly came to naugAt.
The production Of the opera, however,
aerved to introduce - this phblIc an
artist about whom much has been writ
ten in Boston, whore he il the prin-
Cipal BARITONE. \anni MaroouN had II
carry on his shoulders almost u" en-
tire burden of the opera, and he accom-
plished the task admirably. Mr.. Mar
coux il n genuine artist and was well
come. Opera lovers should be eager
to hear him in some other roles. II is
doubtful, though. that lac has another
role in which his great skin in make
mp. pose, action and facial expression
and Interpretation could Dee shown to
better advantage.
MIR. MarcouN Is not ia" possc-sor Of
en- extraordinary voice, To the typical
operagoer this means his cundomna-
ton. To those OF us who care more for
musical art than for prod.sies II is CON-
forting. our experience has taught Va
to expect little or nothing from possess
ors OF great voices except sound. In
the case of soprano we get perfect scales
Of Icy brilliancy on Nalk!r cries that
lift the roof. From the men We re-
ceive thundcrs and trumpet pcals till
our very ears are battered out of ali
power OF discrimination.
The average opcraEOer LIKES To- have
his ears battered and he does not wish
70 discriminate. That is the one thing
he perslstently refuses to do. Given
Enrlco Caruso present with his voice
and he may do as he VIII. He might
scream like peacock, chatter like a
monkey or sing like e tenor, It would
he all one. II would be Caruso emitting
voice, and he would receive applause
always of the came size and intensity.
There must have been many who were
happy on Tuesday evening that Mr..
Marcoux could not pour out such deaf
ening tones as those generously con-
trlbuted to the performance by Mr.,
Dufrannc. one does not, or at any
rate should not, 90 to the opera to hear
The fog siren of the Olympic. Some of
us who sit in the opera house night
after night are convinced that many Of
the frequenters OF that place do go in
nope of hearing just such a sound.
No newspaper writer cares Ia bc just
4 scold, but there are times when all
art st the opera IL cngulfcd in tho
grand tumult of "A tcmpcstuous crup-
lion. the mighty hcllowings of hrazcn
throats over which reason has ceased to
exercise her sway. And then the house
goes wild and curtain calls seem like to
ast TIL morning.
Therefore some Of us rejoice and are
exceeding glad that Mr., MarcouX did
not hammer brutally upon our ear
drums, but albeit with n voice some
What dry and duh OF quality sang with
genuine art, with intelligence and
taste. But without doubt his SUCCESS as
ne unfortunate knight rested more