Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-29
OPERATIC SOCIETY
Carmen" spIendidly Done by Amateurs at the
Academy.


Academy.
One of Arnold Benefits people says, some
where. that outside of Wagner there is but
great opera which has a great libretto,
and that is Carmen" The production by the
Philadelphia Operatic Society last night was
ample proof. Carmen" is so fine that it is
amateur-proof. it is almost beyond human
power TO spoil it, but the talented amateurs of
the society showed to a remarkable extent how
fine it could be made
In the first place 1t was well produced-the
staging adequate, the little misfortunes of
amateur work were surprisingly absent, the
ensemble movements we'll executed and
the costuming was tastefully done Then the
acting unusual, not only for amateur per-
formances. The acting demands which Car
men" makes it's singers are greater per-
haps than that OF any other opera, and the
stars last night satisfied those demands to the
last detail. Finally, the singing was good, AMI
the dancing was good, What more could be
asked?
Individual honors went TO Miss Vivienne
Segal from the moment she made her capti-
waiting appearance. Miss segars Interpretation
of the part was more Bizet than Merimee. She
was too pleasing, not half vicious enough But
the lit in her voice and in her movements was
so thoroughly fresh an incarnation OF Hen
ley's ''wanton and wondrous and forever welI,'
that one forgave the sweetness which should
not have been. Miss Segals voice Is a rich
but not too powerful mezzo-soprano; it's weak
came out in the dance song of the second
act, for example But 1t was we'll sustained
and considering that the singer had TO strug-
gle with the English ibretto It was rather
wonderful NIr, Rothermers Don Jose was
acted with certain humor, but his voice was
H.
showed its strength, Horace Hood as
Escamillo roared the Toreador song in splen-
did voice and character, and Adeina Patti
Noar as MIcaela and Adele Hassan as Fras-
quta gave careful interpretations OF their
parts The individuals all so good that
to mark out certain ones seems invidious
Those however in the star parts, We're stars
WassIli Leps conducted the opera with fine
spirit
The extraordinary thing was that this per-
formance fell short in way utterly unknown
before. Most amateur operas are faulty be-
cause they initiate professionals too much The
direction Of this performance, in a praisewor-
thy attempt escape the obvious. erred nv
excess Of zeal They forgot that at a given
moment their street in Seville becomes no
longer street but the apron of a stage on
which man is singing a lyric. So. in the
first act bits OF genre work by the chorus
enectualy spoiled one of Mr. Rothermers
arias. The members of the chorus passed IN
gay and far too interesting beauty behind him
while he sang. The idea was not at fault but
the execution.
And quite apart from the merits of this
production, last night gave great argument i'm
the matter OF opera IN English. When singers
have to struggle with Love you not me. love
then you" and have to make it M Carmen
citas song, It can be truly said that the great-
est enemies Of opera In English are The onsr.s
now in English