Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-12-31
LUCIA IS THE BEST
OF OPERAS GIVEN
san Carlos Company Shines Nest Ad.
FantageonsIy in Donizetti
Masterpiece.
fACcARI Is THE FAy0RITE
Future Presentations Should Be Sung
In English Is Belief of
Many Patrons.

| the three performances by the San
Carlos Opera company in Davenport,
Rock Island and Moline drew audi
ence5 that practically filed the houses.
Verdis Aida" Mascagnfs "Cavalleria
Rusticana" and Leoncavallo's "rPag-
liacci" and Donizetti's Lucia di Lam
mermoor" were the offerings in the
three cities by the company and salts
| fed discriminating public.
| By far the best Of the three perform
ances was given last evening at the
Moline theatre with the presentation
OF Lucia" The stage settings and
! costumes were elaborate and very
beautiful and the music Of the singing
kind which seemed best to suit the
| voices Of the opera troupe Edvige
Vaccari as Lucia was the favorite Of
the evening and again and again was
compelled to repeat short sections Of
! the opera. The famous sextet was ex-
quisitely given and called for a repe-
tition to satisfy the audience Madam
Vaccari gave an admirable interpre-
! tation Of the role which she played
! Her voice Is of an unusually sympa-
/ thetic quality and mellowness, is Won
derfully transparent and clear and she
| has technical fluency and certainty Of
attack She is capable Of remarkable
voice pyrotechnics, her duet with the
flute being so beautifully and artisti
callv given that one had difficulty
sometimes in distinguishing the clear
notes OF the flute from those of the
voice She has excellent stage pres
ence and a personality that carries
her audience with her.
| Angelo Antola took the part Of Henry
| Ashton Of Lammermoor and Giuseppe
| Agostini that of Edgar Of Ravenswoods,
these latter two substituting for Allie
sandro Medesti and Manuel SalazaF
Antonio Cette was in the part Of Nor
man, follower of Henry; Natalie Ceru
played the part Of Raymond, chap
/ lain; Alice Homer was in the part of
Alice. an attendant, and Luciano Ros-
SIM that of Lord Arthur Bueklaw. The
parts without exception were well TAX
en-, Miss Alice Homer being especially
sweet in her Characterization of the
sympathetic attendant
Changes in Casts.
At the afternoon performance the
cast Of characters in "Cavalleria Rus
ticana' was changed from the set pro-
gram and was as follows:
"santuzza." s Demette, Lola C.
Zawner: Mama Lucia, Anna Haase;
"Turiddu, alfredo GRAHAM; Alto a,
Modesti.
Likewise q number OF changes were
made in the cast Of "TPagliacci' and
the cast was as follows:
Media" Mary Kaestner. 'Harle-
gum" Luciano Rossini "Canio," NJ,
salazar; Tonic" Angelo Antola. and
"Silvio," A Modest.
The afternoon performance at the
Illinois theatre was not up to the
standard set by the company last
evening. The costuming and stage
settings were neither pretty nor fresh
looking and the presentation Of the
opera would be greatly improved were
these things that appeal to the eye
renedied. The voices were all splen-
did and the individual performers took
their parts remarkably we'll Especial
" good was the work Of Mary kaest-
ner as Media" in "TPagliacci' and
that of M. Salazar in the part OF
"Canio." They are actors as well as
singers and delighted their audience
Giuseppe Angelina directed the or
chestra of Is pieces with artistry, Civ
ing excellent support to the singers.
The chorus work is splendidly done,
the voices harmonizing we'll with good
attack and support to the solo num-
bers.
But the next time we have grand
opera let US have it in English. Hay-
rah Hubbard. noted musical critic,
says that around the written drama
should be woven the music and that
the full appreciation OF the opera can
not be gained without understanding
the spoken words. Probably not III
people in the audiences that heard
grand opera in the three cities under
stood 10 words that were spoken
While the music can be understood 10
a certain degree and the beauty OF the
voices may impress the hearer, much
of the beauty OF the entire performance
Is lost through the inability to under
stand the spoken words, Hubbard says
that grand opera can be sung in Eng
lish and should be sung In English on
the American stage, and that it is an
elusive, self deceiving pride that
makes people believe they get out OF
music all that Is In it when sung In a
foreign tongue. Members OF the San
Carlo Opera company speak the Eng
lish language and converse IN II.
There are excellent translations OF
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