Year: 1873




Levelling tho Lorgnette-Thc Coup


d'en OF the Operatic and salvini


Seasons.


That futter is in the amusement cir which
presages musical and dramatic storm. The
final engagements have been made by man
ayers, the last contracts have been signed, the
ultimate proposals have been made and ac-
ceded to or rejected, as the case may be, the
advertisements have been printed, the placards
are ubiquitous, the libretti are publishing, and
through the early September lull steal the stir
and rustic Of unexpected emotion Let us
try to believe that the impresarii who appeal
to us have been unwontedly industrious dur
ing the summer Of which the golden bowl has
just been broken. To pique public taste and
then to satisfy it are not such easy feats as may
at first appear. Each of the gentlemen who
during the pending season intend offering
strong attraction has had experience which
should qualify him for the task. 1t is not for
us to compare the relative risks and predict tn
umph for this one or failure for that All that
we are concerned with is whether the attrac-
ton in each case is as strong as the claims
put forward by the manager represent it to be.
In one or two instances the decision imposes
no burden; in the remainder it is not SO easy.
It requires little discernment, for example,
to foretell that an artist who was greatly and
deservedly popular here season or two ago.
and who has had every opportunity since OF
perfecting her method and deepening her
culture, will resume her old sway the moment
she steps before an audience not one of whom
forgets her. This is Nine. Missions preroga-
tive. We all remember the charm Of her first
season among US, the enchantment OF her
second. Her concert season in the United
States was but stay to public appetite, bid
ding it content itself awhile until the full
operatic repast was spread. We all remember
what were those destinations which secured
her an exceptional rank as lyric artist-the
purity which lifted role like vloletta beyond
its voluptuous level, and preserved to one
like Mignon the artlessness and intensity
native to its temperament. 1t was natural to
expect that the vicissitudes of years, by en-
riching the experience of the artist, would





those sub-creative processes which an original
NATURALIZATION may be said to employ. II
was inevitable that those who admired hen
inteligently should look forward to the time
when the creative powers of her genius should
have acquired stronger impulses and exercise
themselves upon wider variety Of themes.
That time has now arrived The more pas
sionate experiences of maturer womanhood,
when used to serve well-defined artistic
purpose, never fail to give additional strength
and decision to the vague virginia. touch. The
outlines of the artists representations are at
once more delicate, more distinct, Less capable
of being mistaken; the inspiration takes
mould and the deeper personal experiences
of the woman lend q richer and subtler poetic
color to gradually widening circle Of ideals.


Work commensurate with these expecta-
tions is what the public has right to ask of
Nine. Nilsson; and if q corresponding ad-
vance is offered by M. Capoul, and if Signor
Campanini justifes the reputation which two
seasons in London have conferred upon him,
the season of the Messrs. Strakosch at the
Academy of Music can scarcely fail to rank
among the most memorable in America The
hour has not yet arrived for establishing any
comparison between the engagements secured
for the Academy and those made for the
Grand Opera House. Of the nature and extent
of Mime. Lucca's accomplishments the pub
lie has too recently had an opportunity of
judging for more than remark to be neces-
sary on that head Probably there will be as
much interest in going to hear singer who,
like Signor Tamberlik, is nearing the end of
his career, as one who, like Lucca, hns only
lately crossed the bright, precarious threshold.
We do not know that any who are familiar
with Tamberliks present capability as an
artist believe that they have any cause to re-
gret the lateness of his visit other than that it
is pleasant to have enjoyed genius in the flower
of its youth, and to have accompanied it in its
progress toward mellowness.


Finally, amid all the applause bestowed by
New Yorkers upon bad acting and worse
plays, there is o strong sentiment in favor of
that sterling histrionic power which performs
for the thought of the dramatist what Provi-
dence performed for the dust of the earth, and
gives it human form and breathes into il the
breath Of Life. # Salvini can do this he is tina