New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-14
Announced as Its First
Performance in the
United States
BUT RECORDS SHOW
1T PRESENTED BEFORE
Society Turns Out in
ThrOngs to Start the
Season Properly
BY VI. +. kREHBIEL

Opera House Of 1867 was opened
last night with a performance of Bizet's
"Les P6cheurs de Perles." Next, let IT
be recorded that it was not the first
performance of the work in the United
States. The fact is not at all conse-
quential, but justice must be done to
the Muse of history and the minds of
her devotees set at rest.
1t was officially given out by the
management of the Metropolitan Opera
House that, save for the first two acts
performed once at matinee twenty
years ago, whep Nine. Calve sang the
music of Leila, the opera was new to
this country, and would have its first
complete performance on this occasion.
Statements of this character are often
lightly but honestly made, and large
measure Of moral obliquty ought not
to be attached to them should they
prove TO be erroneous. Who is to know
all about the doings of the opera
troupes which spring up in America
like mushrooms overnight? Companies
are wrecked in South America, Cuba,
Mexico. Their fotsam and jetsam are
cast upon our shores. Hunger and des-
peration drive them into the hands of
manager" and, lol somewhere there
appear iamboyant announcements of
the coming of Royal, or Imperial, or
Company, which gives performances
sometimes for whole week, and then
sinks again into the bubbling depths.
Opera companies with magnificent
names are launched every season on
our own East Side; they come and go,
and leave no sign, even in the news
paper offices. For aught that We know
to the contrary. lies Pecheurs de
Perles" may have fished in local waters
under our very noses without our get
ting a Whit Of their activities.
To Gain Permanently
Permanency in the repertory, or what
passes for such in the opera world, is
only gained for operas by performances
at the hands of organizations which
maintain local habitation and name.
Many French operas which New York has
learned to know only of late years were
familiar as household words to the
patrons of the French opera in New
Orleans when they were first brought
| q L of VI Il
in their cases chroniclers have some
times been deceived.
So, also, our local managers have
discovered" singers long after they
have been known in other American
cities Tetrazzini was a case in point,
and the wiseacres OF San Francisco
must have been vastly amused when
Mr.. Hammersten blazoned her forth as
a London discovery, though she had
sung long and as we'll as she ever sang
for a season at the Tivoli in the great
cosmopolitan city Of the Pacific Coast.
At the Tivoli Theatre, dozen years
ago, moreover, Nine. Tetrazzini sang in
Lies Pacheurs de Perles," of which fact
1--we shall soon be informed by the San
Francisco newspapers in order that we
may hide our diminished heads. But
DdH oINiSNV ShNN'N =
too boastful.
Twenty-Five years ago the critics OF
New York whose desire for knowledge
OF new operas could not be satisfied at
home occasionally ran over TO Philadel-
phia, where the Hinrichs Grand Opera
Company used to shake a novelty out
Of its sleeves every week or two. From
Mr. Hinrichs and his industrious sing
ers came our first knowledge OF "Caval-
leria Rusticana," "Pagliacci," "L'Amico
Fritz" "Manon Lescaut" and we can
not recall how many other operas; and
il was at the Grand Opera House, in
Philadelphia, on August 20. 1898, that
lies P6cheurs de Perles" had what
NAV have been its first performance in
America, with such we'll known singers
as Guile, the. tenor, and Campanari
the barytone, in the cast.
To Please the Singer
If the performance of two acts of the
opera on January IL, 1896, did not fino
firm Judgment in the memories of the
METROPOLITAN patrons the fact need not
cause much wondermept The acts were
pitchforked on the stage to oblige Nine
Calve and to serve as a curtan-raisei
for "La Navarraise"- blood curdling
little opera which she sang and acted IN
manner calculated to send her au-
diences home to Nightmares instead OF
restful sleep.
The performance had no dramatic ac-
ton. but that was not the fault OF Nine
Calve and her associates, Signori Cremo'
mini and Ancona; il was the defect OF the
opera which rested heavily upon the
much better prepared performance OF
last night. II the librettists had given
the characters something 10 do besides
standing about and singing, however, the
audience of twenty years ago would
have been more disgruntled than they
showed themselves TO be because OF the
absurdity of the = age pictures, which
were pieced together from the scenery
Of other operas in the regular repertory
and suggested that something like chaos
was come again into nature. In the
FIRST act the fishers for pearls pursued
their vocation on the banks of the Nile
and in the second the snow-clad Alps
frowned tropical scene empowering
an Egyptian temple. Ii was be-
cause Nine. Sembric wanted to sing
Lefla's airs that the two acts were given
and then put away in the limbo of for.
GOTTEN things until MIR. Gatti dragged
them out 10 make the present season
holiday. II was because Nine. Tetraz-
zini wanted TO sing the airs, no doubt,
that the opera was produced Twelve
years ago in San Francisco, ana pc
cause Nine. Sembrich wanted to sing
the airs that she made an attempt TO
habilitate the opera in Berlin and St
Petersburg.
Hunt for Stepping Stones
1t is not necessary TO impute any
Al ~ a