The daily sentinel., 1914-06-30
DUGGANOPERA
WAS TRIUMPH
Of MUSIC
Stellar Artists in Aida" SeIeC
tiOnS and Concert Numbers
Please Scores
THE coming of the Duggan Grand
Opera Company TO Grand juno


Opera Company to Grand juno
= tion was an epochal event. No
music lover in the city who heard the
quintet of artists last evening but
viii Join in the assertion that this
city has never been entertained BY a
more able company OF yocalists than
that which sang last evening at the
Park opera house under the auspices
OF The Daily News and The Daily
Sentinel.
Whether in duets, quartets or In
solo parts the magnificent quality OF
their voices thrilled the audience un-
til they responded to an encore for
every number. blending In perfect
harmony and fairly taking ones
breath with the utter purity OF tones
and perfection OF expression, the
duets were perhaps the most pleas
Ing of all the arrangements in which
tho artists sang
The opening number was series
of faYorites from Aida" David
Duggan in Caruso's familiar part of
"Rhadames" was constant source or
wonder to his audience, as his mag
nificent tenor swelled in the arias and
his supporting company was hardly
less capable. Nine. Adams as Aida"
was tower Of strength and Mr.. KIM
ball As "Ramfis'' and "Amonosro, -
her father. displayed his resonant
baritone TO splendid advantage. Miss
lkert. who, BY the way is Mrs. Kim
ball, sang the contralto OF "Amneris'
with great dramatic effect.
However much one enjoys grand
opera, particularly when 1t is sung
in familiar tongue, 1t must be ad-
mitted that well chosen concert Sc
lections Will be found hardly less en-
joyable in an ordinary audience OF
even trained lovers of music. The
!repertoire OF the DuSgan company
could not have been better selected
nor could another arrangement have
shown the capacities OF the artists tc
better advantage.
Mr.. Kimball's wide range as
shown In Fifteen Men on u Dead
Mans Chest" was refreshing in q
basso for he never found It necessary
to growl or glover to aid the ex-
preston OF his voice in the stronger
passages. While he, like Mr.. Dug
gan, lack something of the personal
appearance of typical grand opera
singers. they were able to depend
solely upon the flexibility and
strength OF their voices to portray
the emotions of their songs. Mr..
Kimball's encore was Harriet Weir's S
Boat Song"
There was no better number than
that from Cadman's THE Morning
of the Year" The entire company
appeared In "The Spirit OF Spring"
and 30 delighted were his hearers
that they were forced to repeat 1t as
response to the enthusiastic en-
core.
Miss Ikert sang Del Riego's Slave
Song" wonderfully. her clear con-
tralto fairly revelling in the express
sive cadences of the music, and In
the sustained final note she carried
her audience with her to the last di-
minishing sound-wavo. Her encore
was a charming lullaby. The Story
of the Chimes"
Lehmans "A Persian Garden. s.
which has its foundation in Omar's
Rubaiyat provided two splendid
mum mbers for the program. The first
was "a Book OF Verses" sung by Mr..
Dusgan and Nine. Adams and the
other was the closing number. the
dramatic, THE Lion and the Lizard,
by the company. The superiority Of
the Duggan artists over the usual
lyceum or concert vocalists who have
entertained local audiences was Pc
culiarly demonstrated in these two
selections. The entire number of
"A Book OF Verses" was repeated in
the duet at the insistent demand of
the audience.
Nine. Adams. whose solo was
looked forward to rs one of the real
eventful numbers of the evening. did
not disappoint. The birdlike soprano
which rose above the ensemble of the
preceding numbers was apparently at
its best In THE Birthday" Her en-
core was real treat for It was the
favorite "In the Time OF Roses" in
troduced here by Alfred Hiles Ber-
gen five years ago. and only recent
" given In chorus arrangement by
the Simpson glee clubs. 1t could
hardly have been more pleasingly
sung than the rendition by Nine.
Adams.
Look Thou. Dear Eyes" By Ward
as contralto and baritone duet by
Miss Ikert and Mr.. Kimball was
wholly satisfying. Unexpectedly.
perhaps. to some of the musicians In
the audience. their voices blended al
most perfectly and particularly In the
closing passage was this fact demon
strated. 1t was one OF the really
artistic items on a well-filled and
entirely excellent program.
Mr.. Duggan. whose past grand
opera appearance mark him one OF
the really able American tenors
dominated the whole program and
when he appeared for his own solo he
was enthusiastically applauded, "A
Song OF Thanksgiving" was his Of
fering and In it he Was supreme. A
flawless tenor. capable Of almost ev-
cry shade of expression, inexpressibly