Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-13
new SPANISH TENOR
FERVIDLY RECEIVED
Hippolite Lazaro a Star in Ex-
cellent "Rigoletto" Perform
ance at Metropolitan

strikingly indicative Of the marked
changes recently wrought In the person.
cel Of grand opera is the fact that not
a single one of the principals in last
n,ebts so-called sll-star producticn of
.pleoetto" was known here as lately
40 Ave years ago Certainly regulations
for lyric artistry have been rapidly made
under Mr.. Gatti's regime. Barricntos.
pe Luca Mardoncs and Braslau now
rank as thoroughly established favorites.
And now a highly interesting bid fer ad-
,o,sslon into their circles is made by
Hlppolite Lazaro, who was last evenings
Duke.
Some thirteen years ago f;nrico Caruso
solicited Philadelphia favor In the same
ro,e at the Academy Of Music. Unques-
tlonably, at that time the great tenor's
az, despIte it's fresh vocal bri,iancy,
lacked much of the polish which now
+ adorps t. VIII good-'ooklng, awkward
Young Senior Lazaro. another product OF
spaln, contemporaneously SO prodigal of
talent. enjoy similar career? II seems
far from unlikely
The young Spaniard already admired
IN South America. possesses superlative
natural gifts. His vocal resources are
magnificent lie revels In them with
ingenious glee and hurls his clear top
notes with thrilling intensity. Techni-
cally. however. he is still extremely crude.
He phrases eccentrically and some Of his
tones are palpabiy 'breathy" His can
tlIena work in the lower register lacks
,bat richness and suavity which come
from fuller control of endowed gifts. His
art. in other words. Is still in the em-
hryonic stage The Metropolitan's Won
derful schooling ought to be just the
thing for him and luckily he already
sings with sufficiently spectacular splen-
dor TO render his retention In the COM
many financially profitable.
All the old tenor showpieccs in Nerdi's
Lest middle period" opera had ringing
c,imsxes in Lazaro's delivery last eve
ming. He was generously applauded,
rapturnusly in the upper tier. Jammed
with song-loving Latins and sympa.
theticaly in the less emotional parquet.
\ Ills development into "A finished artist
promses we'll for the Metropolitan.
yocally. Maria Earrientos's Gilda WAS
An Unexpectedly labored performance.
She avoided excess coloratura embroid-
ery throughout the opera. even in the
"caro Nome" Her higher register
briefly regained its admired purity in
the vcnerab but unstaled fourth act
quartet, but her achievement, a whole.
though pictorially effective. was inferior
TO work she has heretofore revealed
here lntensifying the Hispanic en-
phasis of the cast. to which Mime. Bar
ri~,tos also contributed. was that ad-
mrable basso, Jose Mardones. who
proved one Of the most sonorous and
convincing of Sparafucilcs.
The Rgoletto of Giuseppe DC Luca
has become the finest In MIR. Gatti's
operatic portrait gallery. The sterling
baritone sang with freedom and au
thority. while his tragic conception Of
the duped jester was shot through with
touching intensity that was almost,
and very properly. HugoesQue. His pas
slonate outbursts, including the stirring
Vendetta" duet of the third act. wherein
Verdi more than "a half century ago
was anticipating modern music drama.
bespoke an artistry undergoing per-
sistent enrichment.
All the auxiliary roles. notably the
Maddalena, beautifully sung by Sophie
Braslau, were skillfully handled. An
almost amusing blot on a praiseworthy.
well-attended and wcll-received per-
formance was the presence of a scenic
ghost In Act III II that inappropriate
set did not in the dim distant Grau or
Conreid days serve as the Lohengrin
bridal chamber, memory is indeed a
nckle jade. II. T.. Z.