The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1919-04-25

! thousand people from all parts Of the
south enjoyed to the fullest extent shs
| wonderful music.
Never before has there been such
| a host Of visitors from far-away
| towns as this year. The hotels some
time ago announced that no more res
ervations could be made, and eaiIs
were made for rooms in private homes
and in boarding houses.
| It is considered probable that not
| an empty seat viii remain at the
more popular of the seven performan-
ces. The slight advance in the prize
Of season tickets and the addition Of
the government war tax appeared to
have had no effect on the demand for
seats.
From the popular standpoint it is
isaid there hardly could have been
chosen a more attractive program.
There is not one opera which is not
trimming with melody. the action in
most OF them is interesting, and the
cast includes some Of the most ~
nous singers OF the Metropolitan COM
pany. All are 10 be sung in Italian
except Faust" which will be in
French.
The opening opera was La For2a
del Destlno" CThe Force Of Destiny
with EnrIco Caruso and Rosa Ponselle
as the principals. A very spontaneous
and enthusiastic applause greeted
| these two marvellous singers. The
charm of the opera steadily grew un-
It'll at the end of the third act when
Raymonde Delan Nois and the marvel
our chorus sang the drum song, the
mighty crowd sat entranced.
Caruso is of course an old favor{te
in Atlanta and in fact all over the
world.
Rosa Ponselle, the young soprano.
is in her first grand opera season.
A year or two ago she was singing
she rose into vaudeville, then better
vaudeville-and then burst on New
York as a star Of the Metropolitan
opera, a climb almost unprecedented.
She made an instantaneous success.
She is Of Italian parentage but born
| in Connecticut. Her debut was in
"The Force of Destiny" one of the
! operas in which she will appear in
Atlanta Miss Ponselle is young, tell
and very charming. The New York
| critics were united in predicting For
her a splendid future.
One of the biggest numbers Of the
opera, juding from the curtain calls
received, was for the duet between
Caruso and De Luca in the third act.
They have an extended duet lasting
through two scenes. and it was won
| drously beautiful.
The ballet. headed by Rosina Cali
and Giuseppe Bonfiglio tighten the
work with their dancing at the end of
the third act. The costumes used auo
the style Of dances performed make
the stage a riot of shimmering color.
and CALI was compelled several times
to pause in her work while she re-
sponded to the persistent hand clap
ping
| Atlanta turned out in all her glory
of her most brilliant social splendor
for the first opera night in two years
and the auditorium presented mar
veIous spectacle.
Beautiful women turned the ground
floor of the big building into a nod
ding garden of human flowers ahd
the border Of scintillating frocks and
glittering jewels which was provided
by the golden horseshoe of boxes and
their gorgeously attired occupants
| completed a scene of beauty that
seemed to have been transformed
from wonderland.
Fully eight thousand people, it =
said packed the building to the roof.
Shortly before the first curtain an ad
ditional row of seats was placed at
the rear of the ground floor and many
people stood throughout the entire
performance.
Between the acts the throngs Of
! people strolled up and down the ais!cs
and into the lobby, visiting and meet
ing friends and enjoying talking over
I the opera together. Among the Onala
people seen by the Banner representa-
tive between the acts were Misses
Mary and Agnes Burford, the former