The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-19
CARUSO AND MISS GARRISON
SING IN 81 ELISIR DAMORE'
Mr.. Gatti- Casazza Serves Up
Comic Relief After Two
Serious Openers.

In the early days of the opera in
Italy it was the custom to inject into
an opera seria at least one scene OF
comic relief. 1t usually took the form
of a duet between two characters, an
old man and an old woman. the former
impersonated by bass and the latter
by tenor. In the course OF time the
seria buffa developed into a whole
musical play. the opera buffa, and in our
time the comic relief occupies an entire
evening between other evenings devoted
to tragedy.
After the agonies OF boiling oil in
La Juive" and the exceedingly stuffy
deaths in aida" Mr.. Gatti-Casazza
served up the comic relief at the Metro
politan Opera House last evening in the
shape OF Donizetti's "L' Elisir d'AmoIe."
The work is no novelty to the present
day public. and it was heard with evil
dent pleasure by g large audience.
Mr.. Caruso as Hemorino was in bet
ter condition than he was on Monday
night. but he was not free Of all diff
culties. Nor can 1t be said that he sang
as well as he should. He took many
curious liberties with his music, employ
ing singular and startling contrasts OF
piano and forte without any apparent
purpose except perhaps to astonish his
hearers, and he produced some remark
able declamatory effects, particularly In
his low register But all passed unno-
ticed. or at least was forgotten when he
finished with loud high tones. And they
were not good tones, either.
Miss Mabel Garrison's Adina is now
well known. 1t Is very cnarmingly sung.
but everything is constructed on scale
rather small for the Metropolitan. Mr..
Scott made his first appearance OF the
season as BelcoTe, a role in which his
experience Is of great value. Mr.. Didur,
who can be depressingly tragic at times,
was amusing as Dr. DuIcdmGrd. To
complete the record Mary Ellis was the
GannettG, and Gennaro Papi conducted.
Society In the Audience.
Last nights attendance maintained
the brilliant standard Of first week au-
diences. Mrs. p. Henry Hartman was
present and with her IN box were Mr..
and Mrs Nelson O'Shaughnessy.
Mr.. and Mrs. Ogden H Hammond were
guests of Mr.. and Mrs. John Henry Ham,
mond in box IT.
With Mr.. and Mrs. George Henry
Warren in box 13 were Mrs. H. Casimir
de Rham and Messrs. Charles Belts Hill
house and George Henry Warren. Jr.
Inc party IN Mrs. vanderbilt q DoX,
No. 81. included Mrs Moses Taylor
Campbell. Mrs. Burke Roche. Brigadier-
General and Mrs. Charles n Sheriff. and
Messrs George Ledlie and William Will
Jams
The party with Mrs. Luther Kountze
in box 80 included Mr.. and Mrs. Her
man ID. Kountze. Mrs. James Russell
Solely and Messrs. William Rhnelander
Stewart and Benjamin S. Welles.
With Mrs. william Watts Sherman
in box were Mr.. and Mrs. Irwin B.
Laughlin, Mr.. and Mrs. Lawrence
Lewis Gillespie and Mr.. Albert Eugene
Gallatin.
Mr.. and Mrs. Oliver Hartman were
guests OF Mr.. and Mrs. Louis q. kauf-
man In box g. and Mr.. and Mrs. George
B. Post and Miss Harriette A. Post
were in the Aston box.
Others In the audience were Mrs.
Henry Clews, Mr.. and Mrs Goodhue
Livingston, Mr.. and Mrs. stephen II.
p. PelJ. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mather
MacNeill, Mr. and Mrs. William Green
ough, Capt. Warren c. Beach and
Messrs. Charles Hayden and Shipiey
Jones.