New-York tribune., 1914-12-13

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wicked sinu0sity Of serpent and pre-
sented a character at once insinuating
and morally repellant - gypsy, all
selfshness with the selhshness OF car
ral last; a creature who would not
have baked at any OF the crimes which
the novelist had attributed to her.
And she sang the music with luscious
voice and compelling charm, as weli
she could with SO much Of It lying so
Justly within her range. II was while
She was playing the part that th1
bridge broke down in the first act ana
number of choristers were injured.
Madame Bressler- -Gianoll's first APP
pearance at the Manhattan Opera
House was on December -, 1906. In
March. 1904, she had played the part
i'm a short and disastrous season OF
French opera al the Casino ne lasted
three whole days.. AT the Man
haitian she aroused among the crlties
/ few else heard herr all the en-
thusiasm which she had created az
the Casino and adhered TO all the feat
urCS MulCN AlntANHNN Nllf h'nH ~ tNN
study of the uovel3t's conception that
had been realized on our stage She
dressed the part as 70 ought 20 ne
dressed. She came upon the stage -
Merimee's heroine stepped into ms
pages "uoisiug herself ON her hips
like hlly from the Cordovan stud
Like Nine. Calve, in the second act
she seemed every moment about TO
break into one Of the lasciuous dances
which the Roman satirists had
scourged; but it was the apparently
unstudied naturalnoss Of her move
ments which kept them alive with
beauty and free from aesthetic offence.
And from that moment tin the end she
developed the passion and tragic vehe-
mence of the character steadily TO the
end After Nine. Calves hers was
the most memorable performance that
America has seen.
Carmens of Last Half Decade.
After Calves last appearance, in
March 1908. at the Manhattan, Maria
| Labia gave performance which had
real beauty 20 commend u at the Man
haitian Thanksgiving Day, 1909, and
then New York, and then another at
tempt was made 10 revive the opera
at the Metropolitan Opera House. On
December 3. 1908, Maria Gay essayed
the part. Maria Gay was an all too
feshly Carmen. She had caused some
commotion in the part in London. and
we were told that she was peculiarly
and especially fitted for the part by
reason of the fact that she hailed from
the land of the Spanish gypsy. There
was an unquestionable personal note in
her imDersonation; not a pleasant one
musically, for she sang wofully out OF
tune, but strenuous and vulgar
one dramatically. She placed herself
unmistakably in the gallery Of Car
mems Of which operate cognoscenti
will think for considerable period,
not by any charm of manner or song,
but because she was the only one who
instead Of giving pleasure awakened
disgust Her art was about as winning
and nsinuating as the action Of trip
wmer.
S.gnora Ferrabni played and sang
the part not at all i'll in one Of those
sporadic and shortliyed seasons OF
opera with which New York has al
ways been afflicted. at the Academy of
Music in September, 1909, and on No
vember 25. Of the same year, Lima
Cavaleri exhibited her charms in the
House. II was her first trial of the
part; whether or not she has tried IL
since this deponent saith not. She
was tall and stately; she scorned the
vulgar wiles Of the cigarette girl as
something beneath 50 exquisite an in
6ividuality as herself, and sang and
acted as II Merim6e's heroine had been
born with a provision Of the stage
lamps. Before Cayalieri and Ferra-
bini Marguerite Sylvia had essayed the
part NJ the Manhattan, and also Nine.
Cerville-Reache; after her came Mari
eta Mazarin, the genuine tragic
singer, who had done wonders in
Strauss's "Elektra" She danced with a
1.-THE grace and showed a pretty figure;
made no effort 70 gloss over the
viciousness Of the part, though she did
not over-accentuate il, as Gay and Ger
ville-Reache had done Marguorite
Sylvia sang again with the Phladel-
rhia- Chicago company in 1901, after
the opera had been two years absen.
from the Metropolitan stage.
The Inevitable Mary Garden.
Then came the last representative Of
the character deserving Of more than
Lassing mention. Mary Garden
brought her rcVelatiOn % Us under the
agis Of the Philadelphia Chicago Com
pany on February l3, 1912. i>er revv-
iation did not ADMIT comparison vita
that Of any o. her predecessors. simpl.
because any comparison would have
been disrespectful % the other artists,
10 say the leasr. Miss Garden howed
disrespcct rot only 20 Merimee. the
lihrettists, Bizet and eli the traditions,
but also 70 her audience. Being consti-
tut!Onelly incapable Of doing justice TO
the music, either solo or ensemble, she
made sad work Of il all and In fcw her
self pell-mell into the dramatic work.
She put her singular conception Of the
heroine not only in the foreground, but
in the background and background in
every scene OF the play. She forced 10
upon the attention OF the public with .
violent extravaganza Of action which
made the spectators gasp and stare
with amazement Before her artistic
ideals degeneretod 20 the point whence
she could not see anything in the opera
but an opportunity 10 exploit her per-
sonality Nine. Calv6 used 10 present
Carmen as a woman thoroughly wanton
but equipped with witcheries which,
despite their viciousness, offered some
explanation, possibly even Some pallia-
ton, for the errant conduct Of Don
Jose. Nine. Fiemstad had also present.
ed a ose-limbed, loose minded woman.