Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-11-15
BUTTERFLY CHANGES
TO AN IRIS BLOSSOM
Mascagni Humanized at the
Metropolitan by a Japanese
Singer Of Charm

Mascagni, lbretto by Luigi Illca. Boston
House.
II Cieco, ....................V .Vlrgillo Lszzari
TITS; '''''''.'.'''.'''..''' 'Iamskl ,iiv Miufa
Kyoto. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Thomas Chalmers
um m@ cenclono Tn Meicame Romeo Romeo Boscacei
Ret home Of Iris near the Gy.1S ey &o
u-Interior of house In the Yoshiwara.
Act III-A waste space outside the city.
Managing Director Rabnoff Of the Bos-
ton Company is very silly man. At least
that is what part-the greater part-of
Philadelphia, with its own little circles and
enthusiasms, thinks of him. He prefers
interesting revivals of queer, out-of the-way
works to 'Trovatore" and 'Traviata." He
has no Caruso, no Farrar only an extremely
admirable company of artists, French
Italian repertory spiced with variety, in
telligently illusory setting, a good conduc-
tor Moranzoni, and the willingness to pro-
vide entertainment unspecked with familiar
ity. That is all. And Philadelphia this
season to date has properly shown its dis
dain of his impertinent pioneering by stay
ing away from his performances
They did 1t at the engrossing Andrea
Chenier" Monday They did it at Iris"
last night. But Mr. Rabinoffs revenge is
at hand. If they stay away from his
'rBoheme" Faust" and "Cavalleria," they
will convict themselves out of hand, not of
Indifference to the piquant and diverting,
but of cosmic inapprehension of all
operatic art. That will be really funny in
a city that prides itself so loudly on its
musical tastes and determinations Boston
can then afford to smile, without a sugges-
ton of sour grapes.
Il is true that Iris" is not a compost
ton of the trenchance and Illumination that
"Chenier" is MuSically, II verges on un-
Importance, so thin is the melodc tint that
permeates it's pastlcchio surface, so infre-
duent the inspiration. But to these pale
melodies is welded a poem of much soft
loveliness, tender pass on and vouptuous
words. A hasty glance at the book of the
opera will show that. The most recent
performance of this seldom-performed work
had, beside the libretto, an added inspira-
ton in the person of Nine. Mura, the tiny
Japanese prima donna, whose Butterfly
last season was praised, and justly. She
is a fascinating little creature, all delicate
grace and gentle gesture and dim nutive
| voice The Orient itself could not be less
| Occidental than her waving palms, her curl
| GUS heart-broken smile, her trembling
| adolescent steps. Just the woman for But
| terfiy" after her too-American predeces-
| sors. And just the woman for Iris" that
| quavering, loving. unsensual soul strayed
| between earth and heaven.
| Her representation, then, Of Signor IL
| lica's mot Mascagnis) heroine was a cameo
| come to life. When the unsophisticated
| child of the old blind man was beguiled
| Dy n puppeL snow, kidnapped, thrust into
| a house OF spurious gayety. reviled by hel
| father for her supposed fall from grace
| and cast herself into a sewer to rise &c
| the surface in time to hail the sum- which
| threw its burning rays on her closing eyes
| It was a little more than just opera" II
was too bad that this fiower-blossom hat
to wither in the bud. That was how one
| felt.
Considering her limited vocal resource
she sang well, too. So did Kittay, a we'll
endowed new tenor. who was the perfumeC
seducer Osaka, and who is said to have
been originally a New York street minstrel
| in the broad sense of the term. Thomas
| Chalmers, as the baritone procurer, anC
| Lazzari. as the basso father, lent credenc'
| to their parts, with capable acting and
| capital voices. They, In common with theil
| co-workers. had 10 contend with the in
| adequacy of the score. The story is pas
sionate, heshly the themes are not, anC
when such lines as "She sends out thu
fragrance of the lotus Lips like cherries
ready to be eaten |" are delivered to sugar!
combinations of sound more fitted L
Violetta or Lucy, one must conclude tina
the composer tried more than he coul'
encompass.
The hymn to the sun, which is prologu
TO the action OF the piece, is however
more intriguing, and the prelude 10 tn
third act, with its cold. ghosty simmer
even more so. On the whole, Mascagn
needs a Mura for his Iris" Last nigh
he had one, and Philadelphians might hav
had one also-if only they did not prefe
the swollen salary to the science O
dramatic singing. b. ID.