The sun., 1916-12-05
CLAUDIA MUZIO HAS
PROMISING DEBUT
New Soprano Makes Pleasing
Appearance in Puccini's
"TOsca."
AUDIENCE APPROVES HER
Great Throng Of Notables at
Opera Applauds Fine
Work Of CarusO.

"Tosca" was sung at the Metropolitan
Opera House last evening. The opers
was chosen TO AFFORD Claudia Muxio, .
newly arrived soprano. opportunity u
make here debut. The title role is on,
particularly favorable to the disclosure
Of a newcomers most engaging quail
ties. II requires skill In running IN,
Eamut Of feeling from playful archne~,
through tragic desperation to despair
Love and Jealousy. passion and melan'
choly are In the part. And withai Fiorit
Tosco must b suficIently beautiful &c
elve some color to the ardor Of Cdpard.
dosst and the llbidinous projects o,
Scdrptd.
That there are also heavy demands II
the music will not be forgotten. !r
fact. II Is q very exacting role. and while
the Metropolitan stage has been adorned
by several interesting and ever ad.
mirable impersonators Of the Romar
singer, II cannot be said that the ideals
OF the dramatiat and composer have evei
BEEN fully realised.
Nor Is II likely TO he said this morn
Ing. though a plenteous measure OF
public approval was melted out to Miss
Musio last evening. The portraits which
have been published do her scant justice.
She is tall. slender. willowy Of figure,
gracious and graceful In action, and has
q handsome. mobile e~ountenance.
Her voice 10 not one Of great rank. II
10 Q good lyric soprano. full and vibrant
In quality when freely emitted but prone
to become somewhat shrill when pinched.
as II was too often last evening. espe-
cially In recitativs passages. She SAM
her music with much intelligence in the
matter OF dramatic accent and in not a
few passages there wal a revelation OF
genuine temperament and some skill in
coloring n 70 as to give It publicA-
ton.
stPuenuoas Action In Act.
There was much strenuous action In
her second act. some we'll planned and
some not. She lnduksed In much forced
tone and a good deal OF spasmodic dec
lamation. all OF which may have been
due to the nervous anxiety OF a first ap-
pearance. She sang "Vlssi d'Artc" very
smoothly n with feeling. She will
probably prove to be an acceptable ad-
dition to h company. Great singers
are scarce.
Mss Music had the honor Of facing
one OF the largest audiences OF the sea-
son. which was undoubtedly a tribute to
nv Vio vi WI. tuco Is not too oIteU
heard as C~araradossi. He was In good
vocal condition last evening and he gave
the audience a plenty OF brilliant. peal
n tone. Ar. Scott was the Scdrpid.
There 10 no need 10 repeat what has
been said . 70 often about his impersona-
ton. 1t IL n Of the masterpieces of
the operatic stage. albeit he has sung the
music better than he did last night.
Mr.. Polacco conducted the perform
ance with much enthusiasm. The con.
ductors at the Metropolitan are all In
cllned to be just a trifie too enthusiastic
this season. The volume OF orchestral
sound Is often too great at points where
the voice parts lie low and are conse-
quently drowned out. This is a pity. but
possibly II In what some opera zoers call
putting life into the representations.
A Notable Asdie.ee.
1t was a notable audience that marked
the beginning OF the fourth week of the
subscription, suggesting a premiere.
Mr.. and Mrs. J. Gordon Douglas and
Mr. and Mrs. leonard NJ. Thomas and
Bertram Cruger were with Mrs. Cor
nelius Vanderbilt.
Mr.. n Mrs. Perry Belmont's guests
were Mr.. n Mrs. W. Payne Thompson
and Mrs. John II. Drexel. In the box
with Mr.. and Mrs. w X. Vanderbilt
were Mr.. and Mrs. Frederick c. Have
meyer.
Mr.. and Mrs. Joseph Earle Stevens.
Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Luden and Mr.. and
Mrs. Lewis Morris were In the Juilliard
box.
With Mr.. and Mrs. W. Goadby Loew
were Mr.. and Mrs. Austen Gray and Mr..
and Mrs. Ernest Iseiin. Mr.. and Mrs.
W. Starr Miller and Miss Edith Starr
Miller were in their accustomed box, and
Mr.. and Mrs. Anthony J. Drexel. Jr..
were with Mr., and Mrs. George Jay
Gould.
Mr.. and Mrs. Lewis Thompson were
with Ralph Preston ana Miss Evelyn
Preston. Misc Anna Sands was with
Mrs. Ogden Mills.
guests were Mr.. and Mrs. A. D. B. Pratt
and Mrs. Hermann Oelrichs. With
Clarence H. Mackay we're Mrs. william
X. Vanderbilt, Jr.. Mr.. and Mrs. I.ydig
HOyt and Miss Mary Cass Garfield.
Mr.. and Mrs. Nicholas Murray Butler
were with Mr.. and Mrs. John Sanford.
Mr.. and Mrs. Ernesto q. Fabbri's party
included Mr.. and Mrs. Oliver q. Jennings
and Miss Teresa Fabbri. Mr.. and Mrs.
Francis X. Pendleton. Mrs. Whit
e Warren and Miss Louise Sands
were In the Huntington box. Mr.. and
Mrs. Rufus l.. Patterson's guests were
Mr.. and Mrs. James b. Duke, Mr. and
Mrs. Albert Gallatin and ]. Coleman
Drayton. With Mr., and Mrs. Ansel
Phelps were Mr.. and Mrs. Walter
Jennings and Mr., and Mrs. Frank REM
ington.
With Mr.. and Mrs. G., Ledyard Blair
we're Mr.. and Mrs. william Clark and
Miss Blair. Mrs. Tracy Dows vas with
Mrs. Vincent AstOr.
There were also In the audience Mr.. and
Mrs. Forsyth Wickes, Mrs. Mclean Tink-
err, Miss Mabel Gerry. Mr.. and Mrs. IL.
A. G. Taylor, Mr.. n Mrs. Percy r..
Pyne. Mr.. and Mrs. William Greenough,
Robert W. Goelet. Campbell w. Steward,
Mr.. and Mrs. Sumner Gerard. Mrs. Will
lam Jay. Mrs. Burke Roche. Mr.. and
Mrs. Harry La Montague, Mrs. william