Music: Opera Notes

In Manhattan. Rosa Ponselle, in the white draperies of a vestal virgin, was fervently wooed by Edward Johnson, U. S. tenor, disguised as a Roman soldier in the Metropolitan’s revival of La Vestale, a totally unoriginal opera written 100 years ago by Gasparo Spontini. Critics agree that this composer understood one thing— how to write for the voice. For the rest he depended on Gluck and what he could remember of Mozart. Elaborately staged, furbished with the faultless voice of Miss Ponselle, it will, they think, be popular.

During one of the intermissions William Guard, kindly lieutenant of Manager Gatti-Casazza, called pressmen into his office, informed them that they had been wrong to say that La Vestale was being presented for the first time in the U. S.; it was given in the fall of 1828, he said, by the French Opera Company of New Orleans.

Mme. Toti Dal Monte, “world’s smallest prima donna,” Feoder Chaliapin, Mme. Johanna Gadski, arrived in Manhattan on the Berengaria.

A rotund Italian baritone, Mario Basiola, made his début as the King of Ethiopia in Aïda,.

Falstaff was given. U. S. Baritone Lawrence Tibbett, who stopped the performance last year, sang his monologue ably but failed to get more applause than he deserved.

Costume-makers went on strike.

In Chicago a U. S. singer unknown to fame, one Richard Bonelli, made his début as Germont Sr. in La Traviata. He proved to have one of those baritone voices that make connoisseurs think of the golden, summery booming of an enormous bee. The audience called him out for endless curtain calls. Said critics:

“A fine, new, mature American baritone, capable, apparently, of bringing something interesting to any rôle the company wishes to entrust to his adept treatment.”