The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-04-26
L'OracOIO

Ever since a shipload Of believing
tourists. on their arrival at Palodes.
annauneedi The great god Pan Is
dead" the .ornc!es are said to have
been dumb, as related BY Plutarch, the
Brownings and others; but THE
Oracle" which will be sung by the
Scott Opera company al the New lyric
Monday night Is very vocal and in no
sense dumls This opera was never
sung In Memphis and has been heard
10 this country only In New York. To
fully enjoy the opera It must be In
diligently Understood. 'LOracolo" Is
based on a one-act play by Chester
Bailey FernOld, called THE Cat and
the Cherub.' and the play is taken
oozed from the Chinese tenderloin dis.
trict IN San Francisco until the earth
quake gcfne years ago Reformed Il. Il
s Q Characteristic story u Chinatown,
such 90 any bright reporter could pick
Up while talking 10 a policeman IN the
beat.
Chin Fen, the villain, is a chink
gambler and opium joint Keeper. He
beeoinua smitten with the charms of
Ah-Yoet the daughter of Win-Shee, and
niece Of Hoo-Tsin, a wealthy mer-
chant, He ls rebuffed and In revenge
kidnaps and hides Hoo-Chee, the young
son of the merchant. Wln-San-Luy Is
IN love with Ah-Yoe and TO win her
seeks the missing boy or "cherub'' and
finds him IN C~htm-Fen's cellar. For
this Chin Fen murders the young man
and his father. Win-Shee, turns sooth-
sayer and oracle, and fixes the crime
on Chim-Fen and murders him. The
play was a one-act thriller and as an
opera II is much the same.
Camille Zanoni, the llberttlst, changed
the tide, eliminating the cat which
played an important part In the Origi-
nal story and substituting the oracle.
Rare hlstrlonic ability as well as good
singing Is demanded tn several Of the
roles ana especially in those Of CHM
Fen, Ah-Yoe and Win-Shee.
conceive Of n OF Ah-sin's country
men without conjuring up "a face
that y chlldlike and bland" a face
incapable OF emotion, enc Of implacable
passiyityi but the Chim-Fen OF Scotti
Is said toNbe q wonderful piece Of act
ing as well as dramatic singing. pendu-
lat'ng from one intense passion to an
other, cupldity, disappointment, re-
tenge, love-such love az the crocodile
has for the pictaninnv-hate, intense
ana bitter; murderous ~braggadoclo and
The role Of Win shee offers oppor-
tunlty for n display of a fine maglsterial
dignity, as well as superb singing and
CIV the richly and %yariously endowed
can carry II.
AMY Oe, inc horoine, ptiina donna, Is
n most difficult part. A beautiful
Chinese woman Is a subjective study.
she does not appear Collectively to
Western eyes, ana o beautiful oma
Of any kind or country In love with a
ChinRman Is a spectacle too gross for
crcdulity itself. The great LucreZla
Bori made A sad failure Of II both in
singing and acting when 1t was first
presented in New York. Any one who
gets by with II Ia both actress and
singer.
The oldest inhabitant cannot remem-
Der ever attending an opera when q
double hill was presented without be-
Ing greeted by M~ascagni's "Rusticana"
and his Oompatriot's "Pagliacci''
these two being short. arc yokemates, |
but now can be separated and either
worked in double harness with "LOra-
colo," Tho score is beautiful but not
remarkable and IN especially effective
IN some Of the tenderer scenes and
episodes.
Verdi tried to oriontate some of the
music in Aida and succeeded mea-
sureably, while remaining Intensely |
Italian. The same has been done in
"Oracolo' with a similar result. The
flair Of tho music In more
reminiscent Of the Joss than of the chop
stick, 'L'OraColo" Is something new
TO us; new vocalisation Of genius.