Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-04-23
THE CRITIC TALKS
TO MUSIC LOVERS
TINE intrepid Fortune Gallo, who has

THE intrepid Fortune Gallo, who has
l. long and successful record of
giving grand opera at popular prices.
has decided to beard tho Philadelphia
operate lion in his den md will give a
short season Of opera in this city with
in the next few weeks. I'ndismayCd by
the repeated failure Of popular priced
opera companies. Mr.. Gallo will rush in
where angels fear to tread and il the
performances which the San Carlo
Opera Co. will give here are successful
there is th" promise of n longer season
next year at times which will not con-
fict with the regular companies, or
rather company.
Mr.. Gallo has the prestige which
comes with success in this most difficult
Of all musical fields. This season he
broke all records for popular priced
opera in New York and gave thirty six
performances with artistic and financial
success at the Manhattan Opera House
during the early fall. He hopes to do
the same thing with due allowance for
the difference in transient population in
Philadelphia.
Whether hc will succeed or not is
another matter. Hc has not chosen the
best time Of the year for his perfor
especially as he has elected to give his
presentations rather close to the closing
of the regular operate performances.
many of the "rcgularS' are tired and
Will not attend with the same zest which
they display at the opening of the fall.
Nevertheless. the performances which
were given in the academy last June
were Splcndidly attended with enthusiasts
tir audiences and the performances we're
both artistic and financial successes.
MIR. GALLO in his venture has
A'4 more than one decided advantage
over most of the companies which hay"
tried in vain to give successfully grand
opera at popular prices. In the first
place, he las the prestige which comes
from success; in the second. he has n
good company and can make up many
casts of competent singers and actors
without running the risk of an artistic
tiasco. and last, but by no means least
he has resources, something which has
been the stumbling block in the way rf
many previous and, on the surface,
promising ventures.
The greatest trouble with the com
panies which have tried To put on grand
opera in Philadelphia at popular prices
has been their universal lack of finnn-
cial resources. Every performance had
To pay or the next one could not bc
given, because there was no reserve fund
upon which to draw in the case of tho
proverbial rainy day; and the popular.
priced opera knows many Of these.
II is most certainly to be hoped that
the venture of the San Carlo Opera
Go. will be success. Philadelphia
should have moro grand opera than II
has had. for the main object achieved by
these performances il educational, al
though many of them have been of the
highest order from the standpoint of
giving pleasure as we'll.
There is one point which is fire.
quietly overlooked in the operate pres
cntatiOns of the smaller companies, and
that is the vCrvP and enthusiasm with
which most of the singers enter into
their roles. They frequently show Il
snap or, as cOmmOnly known, pep"
which is not always to be found in inc
singers who receive more money for n
single performance than the singers Of
the little companies receive for sea
son. But they enjoy the work which
they are doing and for that reason often
give tho operas with an artistic fidelity
which, IL always maintained by tho
great performers, would put them in a
class beyond competition.
A ND, speaking of the opera, the pco-
"A pie Of Philadelphia most certainly
have no complaint about the offerings
Of the Metropolitan Opera Co. in
this city during the season which closed
last Tuesday evening. Mr.. Gatti has
this year given us tn" cream Of the per-
formances which were given in New
York and, with the possible exception
of "Rigolctto." Faust" and "Aidn."
all Of which are operas which viii stand
abundant repetition, tho Philadelphia
season has boon remarkably froc from
the operate war horses which are
easy to put on
or course. tho illness of Mr., Caruso
nut serious "Crimp' into tho Phila.
dclItia season. MS II did, As matter of
course. into the season in New York.
Here he was heard but once in the OPEN
ing performances of the season, "I.a
Juivc": but on the other hand the
lampntnblc fact Of the illness of tho
great tenor probably gave Philadelphia
opera lovers the opportunity Of hearing
al least three works which would NOT
otherwise have appeared in the local
repertoire,
The arrangement of the Metropolitan
Opern Co. with the philadclDhin
hackers calls for four appearances of
Mr., Caruso in this city. The great tenor