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THE OPERA SEASON.
THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST.
A story of a rough Californian mining
camp, wherein oaths, gold, whisky, cards,
knives and pistols jostle each other for
pride oi place, does not — in spite of
seething melodrama— necessarily make a
good opera book. Puccini would seem to
have been searching ardently for sensa
tion when he elected to set Belasco's play
The Girl of the Golden West to music,
yet sensation and art are inveterate ene
mies. "Human nature" is the cry of ex
cuse for the violence that is fain to pene
trate into the temple of beauty and
strength — the strength that may inclnde,
hut must not subsist of, u.gliness — but
human nature in certain of its aspects
should be whipped from the courts of art,
or else treated in such a way that the
sordid disappears effectually under the cun
ning hand of a master craftsman. Puccini,
however, in The Girl of the Golden West
has emphasised — brutally at times— tbe
inherent commonness and crudity of an ad
mittedly powerful story, and frequently
his music is only too faithful a comment
upon the less pleasing attributes of the
libretto. There are a few moments when
the Italian composer consents to remain
his own primitive melodious self, hut there
are very many occasions in these three
acts of Californian realism when he is stri
dent, unnatural and insincerely "modern."
Modernism does not sit well upon Puc
cini; it is a garment that envelopes him
too amply for his comfort — be is lost in
it. and ever and anon it trips him up piti
ably. Y"et bis stage cunning never for
sakes him, and it must be confessed hi.;
very ranting and storming appeal success,
fully to the semi-educated portion of an
audience. But to the musician — even to
biin who accepts Strauss and, yes, Scria-
bine — there is so much that is of sheer
ugliness in Puccini's opera that Manon,
by contrast, would appear a miracle "of
beauty.
It may be doubted whether ' Madame
Jeanne Brola has ever done any better
work than she did last night in the role
of Minnie— the girl of the golden West.
Before now this artist has been warmly
praised for the excellence of her embodi
ment of modern parts, and Minnie offers
her just those opportunities that are best
suited to her remarkable histrionic powers.
As a plav there is much that
savors of stage carpentering in the
opera under consideration, but Minnie is a
girl of strong personal charm, as Well as
' a heroine of unconventional traits; -and
i the character provides both composer 'and
interpretive artist with worthy material
made to their hands. Madame Brola de
servedly was enthusiastically applauded
last night, and her succes was unequivo
cal.
The stop- of the opera is told, fortunate
ly, as much by the pantomime .of the ar
tists as by the few words that could be
heard through the harsh, cacophonous or
chestration. In tite more strenuous por
tions of the .-core no one but Mr. Robert
Parker could .make himself Heard;. Mr.
Parker's voice, however, is one that can
hold its own against almost any orchestral
tornado, and last night his magnificent
vocal powers succeeded in piercing many a
wild instrumental hurly-burly. As Jack
Rancc. the sheriff. Mr. Robert Parker sang
and acted magnificently, and his perform;
ance must rank with some of the best of
his many superb embodiments. The charm
of Mr. Spencer Thomas's beautiful lyric
tenor voice had but scant chance against
over'nelraing odds, but as Dick Johnson, the
thief who is redeemed,, after many thrilling
hair breadth escapes from sudden death,
by the love and sweet womanliness of Min
nie, he was as satisfactory a hero as was
possible in the circumstances.
Mr. Graham Marr sang extremely well
as Jake Wallace, a camp minstrel, and Mr.
Charles Magrath contributed some most
convincing work as Asbb.v. Mr. Sydney
Russell as Nick, the bar tender, once again
presented an c.xcellent character study, and
there were many smaller parts too numer
ous to mention -which received adequate
treatment in the hands of artists who were
in every instance efficient. In fact. The
Girl of tiie Golden West was admirably
acted, and from a stage manager's point of
view the performance was little short oi
magnificent. —
Titc enthusiasm of the audience was enor
mous, but it was generated by the melodra
matic store and the. fine acting of a few-
first rate artists, and not — it is to be hoped
— by the music which Puccini has provided
for a story that should never have- been
used as a libretto. Wantonly ugly,' and at
times almost venomous, the so-called musi
cal portion of The Girl of the Golden
West is nothing less than dreadful in its
theatrical 'tplgavity. and it almost destroys
the hope t.tl its composer will ever write
another opera worth the hearing— unless,
indeed, he can contrive to remember that
music is the divine art and, in its nature,
of the stars rather than of the gutter.
Signor Tullio V-oghora conducted with
skill, and the orchestra responded willing
ly, it over noisily, to his efforts.
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