New-York tribune., 1920-01-27
Chicago Opera
Triumphs in
Opening Bill
Mary Garden, a s'Beautiful
disappointment" at Start,
Thrills Audience i'm Gil
max of Her Death Scene
Associates Also Conuuer
Love of the Three Kings
Ably Presented by Stars
Who Rival Metropolitan's :

e'eo' opeIdllc duel IS on, or
snail we rather call it the great six
weeks endurance racec Tie CHICAGO
opera Association, which, being an ac-
qualntance Of ten years standing. can
perhaps no longer be referred 70 as
young Lochinvar, has at least "come
out Of the West" and last night
opened its season at the Lexington
Iheater with Montemezzi's "I,Amore
del tire Re" The opening opera had
originally been billed as "Norma.v but
MISS Rosa Raisa and Mr. Carlo GalefH
having suddenly encountered the in
nuenza microbe change was necessary
Normas do not grow on every bush and
MISS Raisa was the first soprano to
dare to attempt the Bellini opera in
New York since Lill Lehman. So the
opera was switched to ''The Love Of the
Three Kings" not because Of any Of
lhe kings, but because of the presence
M the company of a particular queen.
Some of us have heard of her. Her
name is Mary Garden. Miss Garden
sang Flora. Her companions were Ed
ward johnson. once Of 'The Walt
Dream and more recently hero at La
scala under the name of Edouardo dj
Giovanni, as Avito; George Baklanoff.
the RUSSIAN barytone, as Manfredo.
and Nlrgllio Lazzari, as Archibaldo,
with the orchestra under the baton of
Gino Marinuzzi.
This is combination of more than
usual interest, and the seething, happy
crowd that stormed the lobbies mani
tested that interest in no uncertain
Iashlon. The air was electrical long
before the curtain rose. The opera
knew. Great things had been said of
The tenor. That every one had heard
And then there was Miss Garden.
When the storm burst would Miss
Garden furnish merely the thunder, or
would there be flashes Of hot chain
lightning as well The audience
smiled the air 1t smelt SULPHUR.
When Mr.. Marinuzzi made his wav
through the orchestra to his stand the
audience applauded. 1t had heard
great things O. him as well. But. then.
Chicago is not New York, and the
West is yet young, and dare we whis-
per ia trlhe naive. 1t is a refreshing
quality and warming to the heart. but
-. - 1i'S.4HSu " give lIuLN a Daln OF
gllded superatives, so that when she
emerges she often doesn't know her
self.
The performance began. Mr.. Lag
zari speedily proved himself adequate
to the music, but the orchestra was
at first disappointing. 1t SCENE crude
IN tone and II played too loudl Mr..
Marinuzzl had not yet gauged the
acoustics OF the auditorium Then Mr..
Ilh, i
Garden was as slender and as beautiful
rs ever, but somehow she aid not seem
to nit the part. Her poses were ex-
qulslte; she even sang the music bet
ter than any one had expected her to.
but we didn't forget Lucrezia Bori But
Mr.. johnson was all that he had been
heralded, fine figure Of q man, tail.
llthe, graceful-a romantic figure if
ever there was one. His voice. too, vas
tine one, and beautifully used, dra-
matte tenor Of rather light quality. bu.
capable of expressing deep emotion.
The curtain fell with Mr. Johnson a
definite success, Nj MarinuzM a little
doubtful, Miss Garden q beautiful dis
appointment
The second act found Miss Garden
IN her scene with MIR. RaklanoT ad-
mirable IN her icy repulsion. In the
great duet with ANito, she was equally
me. though again She was not the
( Flora of Sem Benell She lacked
/ pathos, but as an exposition of erotic
torture nothing more extraordinary
had ever been seen on the New York
stage. Mr. Johnson was more con-
/ tanned, though no less vital, and the
4 passion, both Of his singing and his
acting marked him as an artist of a
high caliber. But it was the scene of
the strangling of Flora which marked
the climax, both Of the opera and of
Miss Garden. As a sheer bit Of
physical virtuousity, not even Sarah
Bernhardt had ever surpassed Miss
Garden in her struggle for life, in her
death throes, above all in the final
exit on the shoulders of the blind king
In that tremendous march death itself
was speaking. 1t was horrible, yet
beautiful, and in it Flora silent. dead
reached for the first time the heights
of tragedy.
The curtain fell and one of the most
spontaneous and genuine ovations tha'
ever an opera singer received wa.
given TO Miss Gayden and her com.
panions- Again and again they were
brought before the curtain, with Mr
Marinuzzi, whose splendid sweep il
this act had at last displayed HIM q.
the admirable conductor that he is
and finally with the composer himself
who at length was forced to bow hi.
acknowledgements alone.