The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-04
"Don Qnichotte" Produced by
the Philadelphia Chicago
Opera Company.
MARCOuX AS THE KNIGHT
Mar, Garden Rcappcars as a
spanish That's With Man.
tilla Trimmings.

ivrmnuts'S by tleofonte Campanini's tray
cling Massenet theatre, and IL served to
make known to the local public "A new
opera and new singer. The latter was
Nanui MarcouN the distinguished French
barytone and intcrlockng member OF the
boston Opera Company. He has often
sung IN Paris the title role of last eye-
ungs opera.
Don Quichotte" was produced in Monte
Carlo on February 10, 1910. II was Raoul
Gunsbourg, the impresario, who had con-
c,.yed the idea OF turning into an opera
play by jacques le Lorraine. The au-
thor died before setting to work on the
Hbr.tto. and Henry Cain performed the
task. Chalapinc was the hero of the
production and again OF the performance
given a little later In Brussels. There
fore last night ~ heavy burden fell upon
TIN shoulders OF Aiarcoux. of whom more
further on.
sketchy review is all that can be
given this morning. for this Philadelphia
nying choir does not furnish opportuni-
tits. as our own metropolitan does, for
reviewers II study operas through six or
eight rehearsals. But IL may not be in
judicious To add that the opera itself is
skctchy.
IN his story the tragedy hangs upon the
!act that the localized Dtlcinea is a
cpurtesan. Surrounded by admirers, she
listens with amusement to a courtly pro-
pusl OF marriage from the Don She tells
him tina; H. must first recover for her a
necklace taken by the brigand Telebrun.
Don OHirOfe and Suncho set forth and on
their way encounter the famous wind
mills, which episode serves to remind us
that Ccrvantes once wrote a story about
th.s same hnight Master and man find
thr brlsands in the third act lana the
mountains) and the knight SO impresses
them that they give him back the pearls
The famous pair return 10 the home OF
Dplcncd and lind her. as IL customary
win operate demi-mundaines. I'm the
midst of crowd OF sdorers and festival
gayeties
The Don produces the necklace and
claims his reward. but the now deeply
moved Duicincd tells him what manner
81 woman she Is He says "'ru mas
hrse lie occur. ct je suis a ties peds
Then he goes away into a forest to die
Is So many operate personages do. jus,
to end the opera. and dying. he bequeaths
10 SdnchO his island, the isle Of dreams
The opera has many OF the familiar
marks of Massenet and much that IL un-
familiar, The music is not homogeneous
IN style. Ii wanders from the purely sen
slous song OF the true Massenet TO some
hing like an imitation of the classit
French opera of the eighteenth century
and again there Is an essay at following
tho lead OF Mozart. or perhaps we should
cay Mozart as diluted by Rossini.
Naturally one finds much music which
h4s grace and charm. but the score at a
frst hearing does not make the impress
sion Of "A work Of the same order as
"Wcrther' and "Manon." The nature Of
the subject has led the composer to make
some feeble attempts at local color but
there Is nothing new to Il" said musical!
about spain. In his attempts Vt char.
acterzatiou Massenet has not been e-".
cially inventive. His Dulc'hsd il gay
ady, hence she sings forid music ,jus
"a IfnItffnt Sh,4 hsft1rnpG
The music OF Don QuichOtte makes littl,
,rogress toward an expression OF his
TRANCE nature. II Is weak indeed auI
better are the roars of SdnchO PGn.d
The best parts of the score are in thu
scene between the two leading character!
IN the return OF the necklace and th'
death OF the knight. But Massenet hac
already written too many such scenes.
Nanni Marcoux proved himself to be al
artist worthy OF respect and admiration
Not gifted with a voice OF the creates
beauty and resonance, ne sang with 81
much vocal resource. so much style ant
such excellence OF diction that he squeezed
out OF the role all that was In II and pu
q little in that was not there before.
The part had been unsteady handled witt
mastery skill in characterization Their
would have been some chance for Mr.
Marcoux to do something quite remarka
bic. but his fine skill in make UP. cos
tune and action was wasted on descr
airs.
Mss Garden sang as beautifully as o
yorc Those who remember her That's AM
her SdpphO will recall how beautiful wa
their lyric utterance, how 1t cause
thrills to penetrate even to the marrow
Mss Garden looked very we'll last even
ing but she did not seem to be quit
happy. When she took curtain calls afte
the first act she appeared to be angr!
about something. But no matter. Sh
vns Mary Garden. and in the eyes ant
ears OF her faithful admirers she Is al
ways great.
Hector Dufranne was the SnnchO Pdns'
and he did as much as possible with
role that suggested as much OF the crea
ton OF Cervantcs as IA schOOboy's recita
ton does Of Homer. For the rest II Is onl
necessary to say that the minor role
were tolerably well DONE and the mount
ing Of the opera was excellent The wind
mill scene was fairly effective and pro
rided the note of low comedy needed u
brighten up a work which at a first hear
ing seemed pretty dull Mr.. Campanin
conducted. He had no problems OF mucl
difficulty to solve and his orchestra &C
quilted itself creditably.
There was an excellent audience 4
greet the now work by the visiting oper'
company. Mrs. Il. Henry Hartman. MI
and Mrs Lucius Wilmerding, Mrs. Fred
eric bronson and w. Rhinelander Stewar
N't' III DON l.
Mr. and Mrs. Dulany Rowland AM
Mrs.. Cornelius G. Cuyler were In box
and with Mr. and Mrs Orme Wilson wer
Mr. and Mrs. Cortlandt Field Bishop
Mr. and Mrs Robert r. Huntington
Mr.. and Mrs. William y. Dinsmore an
Richard Peters were in the Aston box am
w.tu Mr. and Mrs. William Dougla
$ 'aa" were Mr. and Mrs. Goodhue L'V
Hg~'lu.
Mr. md Mrs. william Il. shepherd
N,- H,atricc de Coppet and Philip III
Montague we're in Mrs. Vanderblts DO
aHl iu the Gerry box were Mrs, JON
Sanford, Mr.. and Mrs. Francis Is. Zen
dc'ou and Mrs. Robert l.. Stevens
Mr. and Mrs r.. Francis Hyde's guest
IN hlN were Mrs. Edward Hilton an
Miss Edna Hilton.
Colonel and Mrs. William Jay wer
VIII Mr. and Mrs. Henry Clews.
Among others in the audience were MI
and Mrs. W. BOurke Cochran. MI an
Mr.. august belmont. Mr. ana Mrs :.
Nelson Bor!and, Miss Constance Perkins
Mrs Reginald Rlves, Mr.. and Mrs, Pres
cot Lawrence. Miss Eleanor Leroy Law
Fence Mr., and Mrs. Payne Whitney MI
ana Mrs. Harris e. Fahnestock, Mr.. an
lils. II \. =. Taylor. Miss Fanny John
t,n Mr.. and Mrs. Henry II. WlntnroI
AeHry T.. Eldridge and Gordon Feliow'
"RIGOLETTO" AT CENTURY.