Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-28

PUBLIC LEDGER at the time, the COM
positions he played in both of his APP
pearances here do not admit of much
diversity in the way of a personal
reading.
! The first was the some what mere
tricious c minor concerto of Saint -Saens
and. the second the c major concerto of
Beethoven. The French concerto makes
great technical demands, especially in
finger work, but is lacking in real musi-
cal ideas to the point where such musi-
cal thought as 1t may contain Is lost in
the flood Of technique. The Beethoven
concerto is an early work and Is by no
means representative of the real genius
of the composer in any element except
that OF perfect form. 1t would be in
teresting to hear this really great pianist
in the Schumann A minor or the
brahms d minor concerto
TNHE threatened invasion by the irre-
l. pressible oscar Hammerstein OF the
precincts sacred TO the Metropolitan
Opera Company since 1910 has been re-
celved in Philadelphia with mingled emo
tions. Just who are to be the hackers
OF the former impresario has not yet
been revealed, nor has 1t even been
shown that such backing has been ar
ranged for, although II is as necessary
to an opera company Of the pretensions
that Mr.. Hammerstein threatens rs are
prlma donne or first-class Italian or
French tenor.
Nevertheless, the opera lovers of this
city will not soon forget they owe the
great revival OF this popular and most
expensive form of indoor sport to Mr.
Hammersten. Not only did he give us
the chance to keep thoroughly abreast
of the operate times by producing new
works constantly. but they were staged
in n manner that, II il did not bring the
rival company to its knees. did at least
bring 1t to its senses, all OF which re-
bounded to the ultimate good of Phila-
delphia operagoers.
Mr.. Hammerstein will not find the
rival company this time so easy to sur
pass Mr.. Gatti is as keen for artistic
vocal and scenic effects and historical
accuracy as Mr.. Hammerstein, and he
also produces each year a very fair
number of new works. It must be ad-
mitted, though, that this radical change
in the policy OF the Metropolitan, insofar
as Philadelphia Is concerned, dates from
the first invasion of the Hammerstein
forces. If there Is to be a second one,
the prospects for merry war between
the rival companies are good indeed.
CPEAKING Of the opera, one naturally
~ thinks of the performers and in this
connection the fine work of Adamo
Didur this year should not be over
looked. Not gifted with an unusual
voice. and compelled by the register of
that voice to take less conspicuous parts
than the tenor. Mr.. Didur by reason of
his high dramatic attainments and the
with which he enacts every
part entrusted to him has shown himself
to be an artist OF distinction not only
by the way he carries Off his parts, but
also by his extreme versatility.
This season in Philadelphia Mr.. Didur
has played such widely different parts as
Doctor Dulcamara in "L'Elisir d'Amore."
a buffo character, while in the Puccini
evening Of one.act operas he took the
contrasted parts OF Tulpa in
III Tabarro" and Slmone in "Gianni
Schicchi" The first of these Is the
rather drab and squalid part of a deck
hand on Paris river barge In the sordid
drama Of the Seine waterfront, while the
second Is a comedy character, n very
close second in humor to the title role so
admirably gwen by De Luca. In both
Of these Mr.. Didur showed his art, play
ing the first part not only in manner
to the audience. but also with
the hopelessness, intimated rather than
expressed. which characterlzes the
water rats" Of every land.
1t was in the comedy part. however.
that Mr.. Didur appeared at his best and
he gave De Luca, who is n natural come
dian. hard run for first honors of the
evening. His impersonation CT Slmone.
who first lit the candles for his dead
cousin and then blew them all out when