The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-28
"LA BOHEME" SUNG
AT CENTURY OPERA
pnccini's Popular Work Given
with Credit by the Up
town Company.
THE CAST GENERALLY NEW

rY-.urs ia Boheme," which was
sung last evening at the Century Opera
House. has had wandering career In
THIS town II arrived here from Mexico.
r.'nr performed In a shocking manner
IN the spring ~ 1898 at Wallaok's Theatre
nv tge Raghetto Opera Company. In
October came another itinerant band NJ
italian singers and distributed fragments
NJ the wrecked score upon the stage OF
re Casino. In November II was given
i, English hy Henry W. Savages Castle
slu,r. opera Company at the American
Theatre. and finally 1t found its way to tho
stage ~ the Metropolitan Opera House
Two years later.
The opera was given in English at the
century last January. hut only one mem
her ~ the cast then heard remained 10
sns ir Ia. evenings reproduction. Morgan
Kingston was this member, and as
PUdoiph showed decided Improvement.
Ms action had more freedom than 1t
aas shown In some other parts, while
Hs voice again proved to he well suited
20 thr music As for the rest ~ the cast
= was generally better than that heard
at the beginning Of the year, albeit Miss
EVelrs Ulmi might now be found equal to
the .lENtT ltNtl ~ inc representations
Mss stanley, who sang the part last
evening. has very serviceable voice and
sne demonstrated once more ~ she had
already done in Madam Butterfly" that
she is AZ home In the music OF Puccni.
NJ chalmers was an excellent IarcsI,
though It is true that bustling comedy 10
not h- hsppirst field There was new
WaSf'tG I'm Eileen Castles, formerly
member of Nine. Melha's comapny IN
Australia. \ bright and agreeable Ma
se'ir she was The other singer who was
prcmiueu' TN the opera was Henry Wei
don who sang COll,ne very well. Tho
chorus discharged its duties credltably
and the staging VI the work was com
rsndahle SIR Jscchls conducted with
understanding II will he seen from these
comments that LA Roheme' was well
gwen and IT, presentation was applauded
Nv one ~ the largest audiences of the
season.
IN tn interests OF lyric art II becomes
necessary TO add that the English trans
alton ptrW,tted much OF the spirit of the
Original teN' TO escape and that there
wera altogether too many awkward sub
stitut,ou, Tor the graceful phrases of the
Italian recitation, but II can fairly be
said u .Stcnuatlou OF the sorry make
shifts that their equals are to he found
n almost any translation Of opera from
one language to another, and perhaps In
all Those who have had the discomfort
y hearing Faust IN German will easily
-ecall many monstrosities
Critical commentary upon operate
do.ngs is here compelled to dscrimlrne
between ideals and eXpediency. tn" for
me- must certainly Ne sacrificed I'm
'fNtual department iC the lyric d..
are 20 be presented in the language ~ tn"
people %; ;his country. The aim OF the
century opera House Is To give opera IN
English. and we must therefore accept such
English - can bee made to meet the de-
naris Of the music.
That Il might sometimes be better than
what wee hear is indisputable, but that u
could often h. worse Is equally true. II
NAV further be said that the conditions 81
n'sligihilry were about the same last
.ver'rg as they usually are. In rectatives
pretty nearly every word could he under
stood In extended melodic passages =
majority Of them could not be even when
Mr. Kingston, whose enunciation Is gem
orally excellent, was singing.