Omaha daily bee., 1917-03-30
TWO GOOD OPERAS
END OMAHA SEASON
Miura as Iris and Teyte as
Mimi Ravish Local Ears
With Sweet Music.
CASTS UNUSUALLY GOOD
By HENRIETTA M. REES.


An operate fable, or rather fantasy,
of Japanese characters woven into in
teresting Italian music and treated in
Italian manner, was what Mascagni's
"Iris" proved to be, when presented
in Omaha for the first time yesterday
afternoon, in the rarely artistic man.
ner of the Boston National Grand
Opera company at its second per-
Torrance at the Boyd theater. The
soft tints of its lighting, its beautiful
and appropriate scenic properties and
the gorgeous Japanese costumes, es..
pecially those Worn by the wonderful
little star, Tamaki Miura, all COM
bined to heighten and enhance the
illusion OF the music of both orches-
ira and voices. In this opera Mas
cagni has used more delicacy and
more subtle means of interpreting in
the music and but few of the strong
colors found in his "Cavalleria Rusti-
cana" were perceptible, although the
music was dramatic and vivid when
need be.
Symbolic Rather Than Real.
The plot, as we have come to ex-
pect from grand opera, is sordid and
immoral, but such is the character OF
the story, and the music that one feels
it is symbolic, rather than real, more
of a play than a delineation of life.
This may be partly the result of the
difference in philosophy of the orien-
tai from our own.
The music suffers from contrast
with the wealth of tonal beauty of the
two Puccini operas also presented by
this company, but it is of high musical
standard. The opening daybreak and
sunrise brought forth some marvellous
lighting and about the most beautiful
music of the whole opera, and these
same themes furnished later devel-
opment and return in the third act.
The flynn to the Sum-" broad and
sonorous chorus off stage at the open
ing was highly effective and the whole
episode from darkness of night
rises to a majestic and impressive eli
max, at the coming of the full day.
Music Suggests Japan.
The music for the "Puppet Show"
of the first act, by which Kyoto en-
snares the unsuspecting Iris, brought
many suggestions of Japanese native
music and was we'll and carefully
worked out, and most effectively pre-
sented. Act II brought other sugges-
tons of Japanese music, music that
was admirably adapted to the scene,
and several dramatic moments, as well
as some of lighter vein when Kyoto
was present.
The company maintained the high
standards in this opera which have
been the outstanding features of all
their productions. Suffice it to say
that Girls" was produced with true
magni6cence, both unsteady and
scenically, and Conductor Moranzini
and all concerned deserve great ap-
probation for their artistic and intel
ligent results. The audience was not
large, but it was a genuinely and dis
criminately enthusiastic one.
Miura's Voice Improves.
Madame Miura as Iris repeated the
triumph she made last year as
I Madame Butterfly, although unfor-
tunately the score does not afford her
the breadth of opportunity of the
other opera. Her voice is lovely and
sweet, and has certain childish note
in it at times which is most suitable
for the part. She sings even more
beautifully than last year, and made
the most of what fell to her with her
own individual charm. She is an
irresistible actress, and histrionically
infused the greatest interest into the
character. IOWA Kittay as Osaka dis
played we'll trained tenor of some
what metallic quality, but in no way
displeasing, and he furnished rich
and blase young man who was at all
times satisfactory. The Kyoto of
Georgia Puliti, and the blind father
of Virgilio Lazzari added other ex-
cellent singers and widely different
characters to the opera, and Elvira
Leveroni and Romeo Boscacci made
the most of minor parts.
The chorus of ''mousme," or work
ing women, in Act /, of the peddlers
at the close of the same act, and the
opening and closing hymns to the
Sun proved again the thorough train
ing and ensemble of this company,
and the orchestra sang through the
entire opera as only an artistic body
of trained musicians can.
Ga Boheme" Closes Engagement.
la Boheme," last evening, closed
the engagement of the company in
Omaha, and it is qualification, in
face of the small audiences present, to
realize how much those who did not
avail themselves of the opportunity
of hearing the operas presented
missed. This we'll loved opera by
Puccini grows all the more lovely in