The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-03-11
SAMSON ct DALILA'
HEARD ONCE AGAIN
Nine. Homer Appears for First
Time This Season as
Heroine.
CARCSO Is IN THE CAST

The venerable dean 81 French com.
posers, VI Camille Saint-Sa.ns. might
roy impress the casual observer as one
prom" to lascivlous daliiance with the
heroic tales OF Holy Writ. Nevertheless
III ms benighted country he is hes,
"nown To ~operagoers as the man who
wrote Samson ct Dallla." The opera
mas been car, fully chosen by Mr.. GATH.
'aSazza as n prop for the falling fortune
OF the French school within the protec-
tive shelter of the Metropolitan.
The recipe for stiffening a too gela.
tinous operate prop is extremely simple
Give the principal male role TO Mr..
Caruso. Neither the Italians nor tn.
French like TO hear him In French opera
but when he il not singing In an Italian
work he is never;h. less still Caruso and
the operate world revolves around him.
rms IL all predatory TO recording the fact
that last evening S~a.nt-Saens's upera
had lis fourth performance in the course
OF IN. present season and that Mr.. Ca.
russo once more impersonated the long
Haired strong man.
The season opened with this opera
when II was sung to a Monday night
audience. on November -. The Wrln.s-
day evening subscribers heard Il on Mo-
vcmher - one month later IL dragged
rs SLOW progfess Into the presence OF the
Thursday night audience on December
20 And then 1t fell peacefully to sleep
Until last evening. when II invited the
kindly consideration Of the Friday evening
patrons. 1t is a pity. The butter was
already thin without spreading Il so
much.
A. Mr.. Carlyle in one Of his mos,
platitudinous moments remarked. What
changes are wrought. not by time. but In
time The Duiilo OF the previous per
foi FINANCES was Nine Matzenauer she OF
last night was Nine. Homer. TIL scrip
ture tcacheth us that Dolilo was ,
dangerous character. the sort Of person
OF whom Swinburne might have sung
many ballads and at whose girdle would
Nav" swung many other scalps beside
that OF samson.
Vet N those earlier da,s one could
not ,elp recalling Lady Jdrc'. succ'nct
Nescr!rtion Of herself Not pretty
massive '" one anr believe In a
massive DoiilU. Kipling knew that the
true vampire was "a rag and n zone
and a hank OF hair And 50 wen last
night the vision Of the poet was not
fulfilled Mrs. Homer Is no. precisely
q Nite iINl Nt|liIlate flIn'r. bu' tUf u
very good 10 see. No one blamed saw
sor Some may even have env!ed him.
And thus the opera Of Submissions care
back after eleven weeks Of silence and
again Mon occur a IA voix" opened
like a flower and every one was glad
to know II.
O' course N opera Handsome IL as
handsome does and II is essential that
Du'fin should be as seductive In the
liquid measures Of S~aint-Saens as she is
IN appearance and movement. Ms
Homer was not always at her best n
the music last evening. In the spring"
song especially she seemed TO have din
Guilty with her breath support and was
frequently off the pitch. Rut later she
sang better and on the whole gave
pleasure 70 her hearers.
Mr. Caruso was an honest and hard
working SCrson and sang at times with
~brilliancy. lie has made a careful
srgi' e the role and brings 10 4 some
integesting touches Of characterization
The other members OF the cast were
the same as in December and Mr.. Pc.
lacco again conducted.