El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-06-19
WORK
IN GRAND OPERA
AIDA Navarrete Company
Giving Performances of
High Standard.

Singing like a nestful of nightin-
gales. the AIDA Navarrete opera
company gave verdTs "Rigoletto" last
night in so artistic, so beautiful a
manner that one wonders how FL
Paso. complaining so often of lack OF
amusement, can afford to miss this
wonderful chance to hear great
operas sung by artists of plant,
ringing, fluent voices and with highly
sympathetic acting
RigOletto himself, the crooked
dwarf. the jester and favorite OF the
light-of-love duke, was a mastery
piece of singing and acting from his
first silly tricks with the tiniest pos
sible Chihuahua dog he carries in his
pocket, and his evil jeers and mOckery
of the complaining duke whose wife
has gone astray. through the tempest
and storm of his own wounded love
when his pretty hidden daughter also
is discovered to be a love of the
dukes. TO the end where he means
and sobs out great heartbroken notes
over her slender body, slain in her
love.
Navnrrete a True Artist.
Enough cannot be said Of the
beauty of AIDA Navarrete's voice, or
Of the rare simplicity and exquisite
sympathy Of her acting. Here is a
soprano to rave over, a voice silvery
sweet, soft as babbling water, high
and cool and clear as a lark in the
sky Gilda in Rigoletto is favorite
role with sopranos, the part of a
young girl truly loving. knowing and
doing no wrong, singing a song like
Fippa's holiday song, OF happy inno-
cent loving, all through the wicked
ness about her, and dying so simply
for true love-no Mysteries, no
screams, no horrible gulping sobs
their audiences with. all her ways the
sweetest, most melodious, simplest
ways, girlish and gentle and true.
One realizes the girlhood TO be
found in the old Italian operas when
AIDA Navarrete sings them, as one
cannot when more robust and arti-
fetal sopranos work over the same
parts
All the Parts Well Taken.
With the soprano, girl like and
sweet acting, and with a voice that
floats as light as air, singing as
easily as a thrush sings there is the
fine art and music in the tenor part.
the light-of-love duke: the tenor
looked the part, was slim. graceful,
and handsome. and was very satisfac
tory 10 the audience Too often with
grand opera one has to imagine a
heavy, glittering. echoing, screaming
soprano TO be the tremulOus. shy
heroine on the brink Of love. and a
beefy bawling tenor has to be
imagined TO Mt the intoxica tingly
loverlike songs that do not fit his
looks This opera company spares its
audiences that pain and trial The
are a good looking. grace
full. fine acting group, one and all
The Wronged duke sings his part
The daughter of the
assassin was convincingly sung and
acted. Singing through the storm and
always moving and half dancing she
the part as q gypsy Orl
carmen might have done, brilliantly
md with fine fire Of spirit
In the last act the quartet where
he crooked Jester and his slender
laughter are out in the storm on one
side OF the wall singing their sor-
-ows. and the duke and the assassin's
laughter are singing love and vows
n the courtyard on the other side, F.
brilliantly done.
Benefit For Red Cross.
The opera company kindly proposes !
o sing Lucia di Lammermoor for the .
.enefit OF our Red Cross at Wednes- T
lays matinee Lucia is one OF the
Id operas. Everyone whistles it in
id cheerful moments whether he
-nows he is whistling il or not The
music is part OF our breath Of life I
[ is so familiar. AIDA Navarrete /
-ives one most perfect, never to be I
orgotten Lucy, always to be kept .
.mong the treasures thieves cannot I
teal nor moths corrupt.
E Nee. s.