Evening star., 1923-11-28
AMUSEMENT
REVIEW
San Carlo Opera Company in Aida

| Inc great stride taken Dy the san
| Carlo Opera Company since last year
was evident in the performance of
Aida" given last night at Polls
| Theater. 1t was a feast of beauty
| for both the eye and the ear. Beauty
of scene, beauty of costume. beauty
| OF motion, face and figure in the
| pallet, beauty of tone, all were there.
| Enthusiasm pervaded the entire per
| formance. Director Fortune Gallo
| has collected an excellent company
| from principals to chorus who sing
| the scores as though inspired. The
! Blanca Saroya's Aida was appeal
| ing. Blest with a pretty face and
| graceful figure, keen intelligence and
| a lovely voice, she gives to her
| characterization of the captive prin-
cess an alluring charm lost by those
| who seek to make Aida naughty. Her
| vitality that radiateS from the stage
| cannot but be felt by an audience and
| awaken response.
| gentle smile, coupled with the beauty
or her tone, captiVated not only
Radames on the stage but the audi
| ence that listened and watched.
| Manuel Salazar, as Radames, sang
admirably. His voice seemed a
| little weak In the lower register and
| at no time too full, nevertheless.
1t Is very pleasing and in the head
quality that eliminates all trace OF
| shrillness. He has ample power to
| carry through, and in his duets with
Aida and the third act trio with Aida
! and AmonaSro, the blend of the voices
was rich and inspiring.
| Mario Vale, who came to the San
! Carlo Company two years ago from
| the Mexico City Opera Company. sang
| the part of the captured King Of
| Ethiopia. father of Aida. His bari
| tone Is of an unusual quality. clean cut
and powerful. one had the impress
sion that If he really turned loose its
lfull strength he might easily drown
out the entire cast. The vibration
voice fairly rang like tightly drawn
wire. He is a thorough artist and.
though his tone may seem to lack
| the mellow quality usual III baritones,
II has vitality that commands at
| tentiOn.
The singing OF Pietro De Biasi In
the role OF RanfiS. the high priest,
| also was praiseworthy. His deep, ful.
6asso has been a favorite with San
tCarlo audiences. Its Sonorous quar-
ity well lifted the part of the dig
nified head of the temple.
Stella Demette sang well as Am
Ineris. as did Anita klinova as tho
thigh priestess and Natalie Cervi as
had the minor part of the messenger.
! One of the outstanding features OF
former San Carlo productions has
been the chorus work. The high
3 tl blHtT years was more.
than maintained last night. The male
chorus work, the pianissimo chanting
OF the priests, in particular. was of a
high order
The graceful. slender members Of
the PaVley- y-OukraiuSky ballet and the
four Ethiopian slaves added much to
the Performance and in some OF the
temple scenes intensified the solem-
nifty OF the rituals.
| Carlo Peroni conducted and showed
lGYHpllGnf dow .pf ~, NJ =, to
| chestra down to the point of an ac-
icompaniment. The singers had no
| trouble getting their voices across
and the effect was much more pleas
ing than where the audience IS
forced to strain its collective ear to
tpick out the tones of the individual
singers, submerged by the volume of
an overenthusiastic orchestra.