Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-05

II brought back old times last night TO
have opera on both North and South Broad
street though one did not have to be a vet
Gran operatlc connosseur TO cherish mem
ores OF tho days when Philadelphia had
rival troupes bidding for favor Hammer
STEMS at Poplar street. and the Metropoll.
tan. at Locust. In fact, only about dec
ade has elapsed since those days of operate
opulence and less than that since Market
street ceased TO be social frontier so far
as opera Is concerned, And now 1t Is
company which derives in some degree from
Mr. IIammersteins enterprise that is singing
at the Academy of Music and the Metropol-
itan Company, which last evening revived at
his old house. renamed the Metropolitan. the
well worn but perennially applauded melodies
OF III Trovatoro" for its regular weekly pro-
duction here
While this very modern Italian work was
being sung at the Metropolitan a much more
antique work of the same school Donizettfs
Lucia" was putting a coloratura soprano
new TO local opcragoers, to the eXacting test
of wing with the clarity of the flute. Lucy
Ashton's mad scene c'Il Dolce SuonoD ana
tho wcll-known sextet are twenty years
older than the anvil chorus, the 'Mlserere
and "Di Quella Pira.'
The fun capacity of the Metropolitan
Opera House missed the debut to the South.
That is to say about 1000 persons welcomed
Nerds historic hurdygurdy opera, stu
hiladelphia favorte and one since II dedl-
Gated the Academy of Music In 1881 four
years after its premiere in Italy. Iney hearu
and witnessed a performance which for once
absolyed the opera-replete though 1t is with
the frailties and utilities of conventional
Italian opera-with frequent and huent
tunes as compensation--of the charge OF
being merely a concert in costume. Wit
messed" Is used advisedly complement OF
heard" for the action was so speeded and
the acting was uniformly good that
semblance OF dramatic story was obtained
and the melodrama plot OF Salvatore Gamma
rono did not seem so excessive as usual THIS
sense of structure was a novelty in per
formance of "Tl Trovatore" and resulted
from the excellent team work of the cast. lf
there was star it was Madame Matzenauer,
whose actlng-fervid and Nigorous-was not
out of character with her part as the gypsy
leader. Mr.. Crims acting also was intense,
vet not overdone; Madame Muzo made
Leonora something more than vocal'zing
automaton for forid song, and Mr. De Luca
was theatrically effective as the countS
Possibly stellar singing honors should
also be awarded to Madame Matzenauer cer-
tainly her rendering of Stride la Vampa"
had the stuff of nuscdrama and not mere
opera melody TO II, and her participation in
the duet "Ai Nostri Monti," was very
lovely vocally. Mr.. Crimi's best singing was
in this and in "Ah che le Morte" off-stage
the showpiece, "Di Quella Pira.' ringingly
written by Verdi did not ring delivered
because Mr. Papi did not proportion the &C
compartment to the singers measures. and
they were often overwhelmed by the brass
though what could be heard seemed very
| artistic. Madame MuZio had tendency 10
| shrillness in some OF her high notes but
| barring this. sang with facility and neNibil-
| ity Mr.. De Luca won deserved applause
! for his artistry in his big number the
| III Balen del suo Sorriso" Mr.. Papi con-
Quoted with such Latin fervency that on
occasion he obliterated the voices. and this is
mistake, for operas of the III T'rovatore
type are not music-dramas, in which the
voice is only a part and TO be treated as
such. But these enthusiastic lapses of Mr.
Papis can be forgiven in view of the spirit
of his accompaniment in general