The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 17, 1901, Page 33

Pages 33 0 4 DrE++45% Che —p TWO TEAS GIVEN FOR DEBUTANTES| Society Is to Re-| eéeive Great Singers. Gay Funetions An- nounced by Leaders. HE reception-rooms of the Coffin | bome, out on Broadway, wers| aglow with rare and choice flowers yesterday afternoon, all of which | were sent as gracious offerings to | the debutante daughter of the house, in whose bonor society sipped tea between | the hours of 4 and T. | Several hundred invitations were sent | out for the occasion. The majority of the | guests came late, most of them going | from the opera matinee to the tea. The | butante was extromely pretty in a y white gown, without one touch of Assisting Mrs. and Miss | the guests were Miss | e Misses Allen, Miss Jes- ols, Miss Kate Brig- ms and Mrs. Al- ham, Miss Jull bert Dibiee. Mrs. o N. P. Redington formally present- BUT VOICE IS LACKING California Singer Does Not Come Up to Ex- pectation., that of BY BLANCHE PARTINGTON. PROPHET may have ne honor in his own country, but it is another story where a singer is concerned. Not Wagner at his mightiest, not the first night excitement, not Sembrich the glorious, nor the regal Eames, drew such a house as greeted Sybil Sanderson last night down on Mission street. The crowd overflowed the seating capacity and stood three deep round the edges of the house, to do honor to the former Sacramento | girl on her debut here after sixteen years' absence. and her All ‘the gauds were out, the swellest y of | gowns, and. the house was an unforget- able picture in‘itself. It was a sump- | tuous greeting to the errant native nterest to sO- | daughter, and a rather fine thing in the that of | way of patriotism. ghter of | There was applause a-plenty, flowers imilign | raining over the footlights, and all the accustomed machinery of welcome work- ing overtime to greet the fair Californian. Naturally she was nervous, but respond- | ed in gracious and apparently self-con- ned fashion to the friendliness of ihe udience, and as an arrangement in wei- go to tober, 189, ce. f the late William I ther Joa of Miss liant success. The opera chosen for the singer’s debut > was Masse “Manon Lescaut,” they call it in Parl tartling in the way of contrasts Walkure” of the evening. be- fore could have been devised. Its light- | some loves and airy sorrows came with an | almost ‘profane comicality after the very sérious business of the week’s grand opera | and it left one with that curlous feeling | that the average person has after swal- lowing a vegetarian banquet. | There is nothing “to” the opera, as the | phrase goes, and it has no place on a | grand opera programme. Still we had to | have Sybil, and the opera was written for her. She has sung it some 250 times in Paris and St. Petersburg, and she was drilled to its exigencies by Massenet him- e o ner. | Self, @s Leslie Carter was Belascoed into ressional recep- | Shape for “Zaza.” Mme. Sanderson ‘cer- | tatnly knows “Manon” upside down: yet wary 30, Thursdsy— recep- | she was nervous enough last night to need the assistance of the prompter sev- | eral times, so perhaps a certain leeway | must be granted to her. But, judged from her work.in ‘“Manon” last night, Mme. Sanderson cannot sing | now, whatever she may have done once. | The voice has gone, the control has gone, and only once—in her duet in the chapel | at St. Sulpice with Des Grieux—did her | song .give any evidence of the kind of thing that drew Paris and St. Petersburg to her feet but-a few years ago. There she was at her Best vocally, but, though she i# “of ours,” it must be regretfully owned that Sybil Sanderson has no place in grand opera, and that even ‘“Manon” overweights her so far as voice is con- keeps all the invited the firet arrangement it iIs lays Other- a missio the evening, which 1 the closing feature of Isiand avenue Dewey Mrs. Dewey aves is her nvalidism lish novelist, Charles Dickens, or his | works. Mrs.. Meynell's .father .and Dick- ens were intimate friends and the lec- turer has many personal anecdotes to tell of the great writer. The public is cordi- ally invited to attend the lecture. No | cards of admittance will be necessary. . . the White | o prevented her Corbin-Patten wedding. of La Jeunesse Cotfl- | On Tuesday, November 26, soclety will place on Friday even- | have a chance to greet the famous singer, | Mademe Banderson-Terry at a tea, to be e | given in her honor by Mrs. Boardman, at e Brigham will make her de- | her home on Franklin street. 1 »ail, the date for wh!chl « o . nged, but which | The Misses Loughborough will give a the second week | Jarge tea on Tuesday at their home on O’'Farreil street. Another large affair for e | Tuesday is the lunch to be glven by the by Mrs. AlCe | yrieces Harrington at the University leciure to be giv eynell, at Gentury Hall, on Monday af- | &yup on, will doubtl attract a very | . L jarge and cultured audience. Mrs. Mey- | The tea Mrs. Henrys Martinez will give subject will treat of the great Eng- | on Wednesday afté/son in honor of comes the evening must -be voted a bril- Sysii. JSANDERSON | | WILL GIVE OPERA THIS EVENING AT POPULAR PRICES By Puceini. Mimi....Mme. Suzanne Adams Musetta ... Saepesanes «.Miss Italia Vitoria Repetto Rodolfo. ++Mr, de Marchi Colline sessesssreanae -Mr. Perello de Segurola Schaunard... .Mr. Gilibert Benoit Aleindoros . ++Mr. Dufriche Parpignol.. Mr. Vann Marcello.......Mr. Campanari Conductor, Mr. Seppilli. Outside of this she has tremendous chic —Paris writ large all over her, from her powdered hair to her dainty French heels, and is-gowned as only the French-Amer- ican knows how to dress herself. She is a superb ‘plece of fominine architecture generally, has the “real thing” French ac- cent, the air, and is everything she should be except the singer. What is left of the | voice shows that it was once worth while, as has been said of ‘it, but as a singer Sybil Sanderson“does not count. Salignac came out as strongly as the opera permits as Des Grieux. He sang with fervor,” finish' and . grace his - little song of the country—at the second act's end—with its delicate chiming.accompani- ment, being a particularly charming ef- fort. His strong dramatic gift came out in the St. Sulpice scene, where Banderson also did her best work and, roused the first spark of musical enthusiasm that the evening held. Journet was Le Comte des Grieux,. and also helped to bring- the opera into the possible realm. Mr. Du- friche, who substituted for Mr. Declery, exhibited his accustomed tremolo as Lescaut, but acted the part with a good deal of truth and humor. Mme. Marylli, Carrie Bridewell, Van Cauteren, Gilibert and Bars took good care of the rest of f-the parts. To-night is “La Boheme,”” and in con- sequence of the indisposition of Fritzi Scheff, our little Repetto of the Tivoll will state of h for some | cerned. undertake the part of Musetta. in fact, is in bed much of 3 S iry at the house leads to | @ Frremiimiriniinlmim el el @ Madame Sembrich will not be a very large affair. However, all those who have been fortunate enough to recelve cards are congratulating themselves upon the rare good fortune that will afford them the opportunity of meeting the gifted singer who has created such tremendous sensa- tion here. DG e The managers of the Buford Free Kin- dergarten will hold a bazaar on Monday afternoon, November 25, at the Colonial ‘Hotel corner of Pine and Jones streets. This kindergarten has been a worthy and active charity for twenty years—dur- ing the last ten in South San Francisco, There will be Indian baskets, aprons, bags, home-made candles, fancy articles of all kinds and also a rummage table. * The board of managers consists of the following named ladies: 8 Mrs, , Durbrow, Miss Jennle H. Stanyan, rer DT Hareburgh, e A, Fimes, Mrs. SAN FRANCISCO, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1901 “FAUST” ‘AND. “MANON” ATTRACT LARGE CROWDS TO OPERA-HOUSE [ Saaasaasas st e nnad ] Pages 33 10 44 [ R e e e e e e e S S S ’ : : o ~ THREE STARS OF THE GRAU GRAND OPERA COMPANY WHO SANG THE LEADING ROLES IN “FAUST” AND “MANON” YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. <+ SEMBRICH’S MARGUERITE DOES NOT LACK COLOR Presentation of “Faust” Arouses Audience to High Pitch of Enthusiasm, Singers Receiving Many Encores. HERE was no reason to.complain | of lack of color: in.the Sembrich Marguerite yesterday afternoon at the Grand Opera-house. Those who wish for more than per- fection last year labeled- Melba = cold and colorless in‘the role, though to others for whom the singer had not already been docketed with the “technically’ per- fect but expressionless’” class, her Mar- guerite was a most moving conception. It s ndt safe to predict what a singer will be in one role from her achievement in another, nor even.sometimes what she will be in the same role at different {imes. Melba was much that way. Cer- tainly sometimes she showed an almost impish coldness and the same week would surprise with a beautiful Marguer- ite, perhaps, that just swayed the house to any tune she cared to pipe. I think it would be safer to put one’s money on Sembrich though, so far as prophecy is concerned, for with her the heart is al- ways there, whether the imperial voice is at its best or not. She gives all of her- self to her audience, loyally, without re- serve, and in turn her audience gives her as generously what is the very life of the singer—sympathy. Melba generally gives the impression of keeping some of herself in her pocket for use on future occasions and the audience is expected to do the sympathizing, but Sembrich flings her whole rich, big heart into everything she does. i A. L. House, Miss E. 8. Wilson, Mrs. R. A. Donaldson, Mrs. Harry Durbrow, Mrs. L. Me- YLaine, Miss L. Reed, Mrs. J. G. Barker, Mrs, Stanley Stillman,"Mrs, R. 8. Bentley, Mrs, E. B, Cutter and Mrs, T. W. Huntington, She was not in such perfect vocal form yesterday.afternoon- at the beginning of the performance, and her “King of Thube” and the “Jewel Song,” though exquisite and most humanly beautiful, falléd a little of her usual marvelous per- fection. It was not enough, however, to prevent a matter of eight or ten curtain calls in recognition, with a particular en- care for the “Jewel Song.” But in the later scenes the performance was simply stopped by the clamorous applause, for Sembrich wAs herself again and the old- time fascination of the opera had begun to work. The audience was rather a sleepy one to begin with, even the “Calf of Gold” song, splendidly sung by De Reszke, rousing only a lazy enthusiasm. But the auditors wakened.up after the third act and encored everything in sight. Sembrich’s Marguerite will live with her Violetta, and longer as the one role excels the other. De Reszke does somce things better than others, but all things well. His Mephisto is one of his best conceptlons—a big, splendid, perhaps too jovial devil, and a thing of beauty to behold and hear. Dippel's is a very likable Faust. He, too, did not warm up vocally until the third act, but then gave -a virile and graceful reading of the part. He hits Just the happy medium between senti- ‘mentalism and coldness, and won signal favor with the house. Louise Homer was &n attractive Siebel, and the useful bauermeister was effective as Martha. The first dance of the Friday Fortnight- lys will take place on Friday evening, November 22. The Fortnightly is to be more select than ever this season and in- vitations to the dances are being limited. SANDERSON IS GREETED BY SOCIETY Matinee Results Triumph for All the Singers. ELIGHT and disappointment were the features of the two per- formances given - yesterday by the Grau Company at the Grand Opera-house. There was keen pleasure for the big audience that filled the theater in the af- ternoon to hear “Faust,” with Sembrich, Louise Homer, Dippel, De Reszke and Campanari in the leading roles. The largest audience of the season gath- ered last night to greet Sybil Sanderson, but it recognized the fact that Sanderson is not an artist to be classed with Sem- brich, Eames, Schumann-Heink and Gad- ski. ~ 2 ’ The excuse was made last night oy the management that Miss Sanderson was suffering from nervousness and hoarse- ness, but the fact remains that those in the audience who expected to hear a “queen of-song” did not do so. The superb presentation of “Faust® given at the matinee will be long remem- bered by all who listened to Gounod's im- mortal creation. The audience was main- ly composed of the fair sex and almost every seat in the theater was occupied. The claim that Wagner is the proper thing to cultivate was disproved yester- day afternoon. “Faust” is a familiar work and its melodies are known far and wide. The Wagnerites say “Faust” has been “done to death,’” but it is as popular as ever. s Opera Traditions Broken. It was well worth a visit to the Grand Opera-house yesterday afternoon to listen to the volume of “applause that greeted the various singers and the chorus and orchestra. Traditions were thrown to the winds yesterday afternoon. Not content with calling the artists before the foot- lights seven times at the close of the gar- den scene, the audience simply went wild with enthusiasm in the succeeding acts. ‘When the grand strains of the “Soldicrs’ Chorus” were finished the audience ap- planded for fully two minutes, and Con- ductor Seppilli -was obliged to recall the chorus and' military band to the stage, and the ntimber was repeated. Solos, duets and tries were repeated .in response’ to the 'gemerous applause, hut the grand climex came in the prison scene. Sembrich, Dippel and De Reszke gave the-great trio as it has never been heard in this city before. The voices of the singers roused the audience to a per- fect frenzy of excitement. Women jumped to their feet and waved their dainty ker- chiefs, while strong-lunged men shouted “Brava.” The thread of the dramafie sit- uation was broken by the applause: Forced to Repeat Aria. Marguerite, !nstead of dying, stood bow- ing her acknowledgments, and Mephis- topheles, with Faust, did not.descend to the infernal regions. And the applause went on until the singers, good naturedly, repeated’ the superb aria. ‘When the gentle spirit of the luckless German girl was wafted to heaven and the curtain finally descended the big audi- ence wended its way irto the bright sun- shine of the streets, with the notes of the singers still ringing ir its ears. It will be a long time ere the classical compositions of the Bayreuth composer relegate to oblivion such works as those of Gounod, Verdi and other famcus maestros of the French ard Itallan schools. Soclety gathered in numbers last night at the Grand Opera-house to welcome Sybil Sanderson. Massenet's opera, ‘“Ma- non,” was a secondary consideration. ‘Puccinf’s opera on the same subject was heard in San Francisco a few years ago, but Massenet's work was entirely new. ‘But what cared soclety for that? It had stayed away from the grand opera for a few nights in order to welcome a daugh- ter of the Golden State. Any opera would have served the purpose last night, but as Miss Sanderson was reputed to be at her best in ‘“Manon” the management natur- ally announced that work for the Sander- son debut here. Society Honors Miss Sanderson. The house was larger than on Monday night and hundreds of carriages were utilized to convey the opera-goers to the theater. The police were busily engaged for an hour in seeing that the occupants of the carriages were allowed to alight from the vehicles and enter the theater. The appearance of the lobby and inte- rior of the theater presented a gorgeous sight. Hundreds of women were dressed in the latest creations of the modistes and the marts of trade had been veritably ransacked by owners of wealth in order that their fair ones might be present in fitting gowns at the welcome to Miss San- derson. 5 San Francisco society this year is to in a o+ BUREAU FOR BIG SHOWS - PROJECTED \Theatrical Book- ing Ageney Plans. Friedlander at the Head of Enter- prise. | THOROUGHLY well equipped musical and literary bureau, | with S. H. Friedlander, the well known theatrical promoter, at the head, wil- be organized to- morrow for the purpose of promot- ing first class amusement projects |In this and other cities along the coast. The concern will be known as the American Musical and Lit- | evary Bureau of San Francisco and its in- | corporation papers will be filed to-mor- row. It will be the object of those inter- | ested in the bureau to encourage first- | class orchestras, bands and concert | companies to show here and in other coast cities. Leading literary lights will | also be billed to lecture. Mr. Friedlander and his associates in the project have had the scheme in hand for some time past and already some of the leading peopie in the country have been contracted with, The bureau will also do a general booking business. There is also a possibility of an operatic school being opened in connec- tior with the.bureau, as there are now in this city two of the best known oper- atic artists and teachers in the country wko are thinking seriously of making San | Francisco their home. A large and modern music hall, modeled after Carnegie Hall in New York and the new Steinway Hall in Chicago, will be erected here by the bureau. Three sites have already been offered and one large lot of grourd which Is in the very heart of the city has been suggested as an ideal location. While this will not be a very | costly straet it will nevertheless be beautiful in architectural design, elegant- Iy simple in_decoration and perfeet in its appointment for a musie and lecture hall. The building will not be over four stories in height. Among other features will be a rehearsal hall with stage, stu- dios for all artists, and a “woman's’” club room. This club room or hall will have a lecture stage, reception rooms, parlors, committee rocms and all the privacy of a lodge building. The music hall will have a seating ca- pacity of about 5000 people, so that it ean be utilized for conventions as well as for entertainments. The stage will be ren- dered available for the production of can- tatas, oratorios and opera, with all the necessary accessories. The music hall will have most perfect accoustics, as the entire scheme of dec- oration will be of woodwork. The opera chairs will be very roomy, with plenty of space between the rows. The orchestra pit will be large enough | to accommodate 150 musicians. One of the most,_ delightful features will be a mag- nificent pipe organ. The halls will be rented to eclubs, churches, societies or other organizations for miscellaneous entertainments. @ @ be commended én the fact that it comes to the opera in good time. When Condue- tor Flon started the overture to “Manon™ the house was almost filled and it pre- sented a beautiful appearance. The dis- pla of decollete waists by fair women was seen in all parts.of the theater below the galleries, and a few globe travelers declared that the scene compared faver- ably with any of a_similar character in Europe.-. Given a California Welcome. ‘When. Miss Sanderson first. came upan the stage, she was not recognized, but when her. jdentity was learned there was a fair amount of applause. But It was not until the end of the act that Miss Sanderson “teceived her welcome. The curtain went up and the little Californian heard a thunder of applause that fairly shook the roof of the building. Flowers were thrown to Miss Sauder- son by Madame Eames and Mrs. Geau who were in a stage box, and kisses were blown on finger tips to the star of the evening by her distinguished sister artist. Again and again the curtain went up'in response to the applause, and the audi- ence cheered and patted its gloved hands in honor of the daughter of California With the welcome given Miss Sander: after the first act the excitement sut sided. Between the acts ladles fair filled the foyer and discussed the singer of the evening. ‘There were dozems who had been schoolmates of Miss Sanderson in Sacramento and San Francisco, and they were surrounced by their friends, eager to hear of what thée singer had done be- fore she started on her operatic career of two continents, The chief topic of conversation by men and women was the appearance of Mis Sanderson. The music of Massenet was almost lost sighteof in the discussion of the early life of tBe singer and the gowns she wore in the opera. ‘“Boheme” to Be Sung To-Night. To-night ¥La Boheme” will be given at prices ranging from $t to $3 and a big house is expected. Owing to the sudden indisposition of Miss Fritzi Scheff the role of Musetta -will be sung to-night by the Italian singer. Italia Vittore Repetto, who scored a distinct success in the role a few weeks ago at the Tivoli Opera-house. To-morrow evening ‘“Romeo and Jullet™ will be given with Sanderson. Bridewell, Bauermeister, Journet, Bars. Declery, Du- friche, Salignac and De Reszke in the principal roles. On Tuesday “Le Nozze di Figaro™ is to be given with a big cast. including Eames and Sembrich. On Wednesday night Calve is to make her debut as “Carmen,” which is to be repeated on Friday night. “Die | Meistersinger” is the biil for Friday night, with Gadskl and Schumann-Heink n the cast. Next Saturday matinee “Lohen~ grin” will be given.