Show v viLa La iLa Tosca Superb Opera Satisfies Great Audience Dy By J. J HOWARD McGIBBNEY I La Tosca replete with tragedy trag- trag trag-I trag ed edy gloomy but withal Yonder yonder- I fully was greeted enthusiastically en- en by a near capacity I audience at the he second performance perform perform- ance of the San Carlo Grand Opera company at the Salt Lake theatre Friday O lda evening Appreciation Grand Lion tion and understandIng understand understand- Ing were to a degree that bordered dangerously on Interruption Uon tion of the sequence of the score Completed by PuccIni In 1900 La Tosca Tasca has become one of the worlds world's most pOPular grand operas and is probably the composers composer's composers composer's com com- posers poser's best musical effort Its outstanding arias are or of course Strange Harmony Love and Music and The Stars Are ShinIng Shining Shin Shin- Ing each ot of which Is a very gem of musical excellence Around these major themes Puccini has built a series of orchestral effects Interspersed wIth recitatives which are perfect examples of coordination coordination tion of instrumental and vocal effects of- of with the sense of the story Dimitri rendition of E le Ie Stelle The Stars I I Are Shining In the third act I Iwas was without question the put put- standing incident of last evenings evening's I performance The artist sang as I though with a vast reserve of power and range and with a degree degree de- de dei i gree of fluency and control that i left the auditor thoroughly sa satis- satis fled fied In listening to his pouring out of golden tones his deficiencies as an actor were era completely forgotten for for- gotten Signor captured his audience early in the first act with a thoroughly good interpretation tation of Armon Armonia 10 Strange y and held them throughout the evening Baron Daron in the person of Lorenzo Lorenso Conati proved first ot of all to be a quite competent actor In a rather difficult role which kept him almost continually In view His recitatives although at times to a slight roughness rough rough- ness were sung In a masterful voice with excellent qualIty In the higher register Madame Bianca Saro Saroya aa is a beautiful Tosca Rather large but superbly proportioned she presented pro pre just such a vision of La Tosca as could be expected to bring about the intrigues and treachery with which the plot abounds Her voice despite a slight lack of uniformity In the lower register and a tendency to speak rather than sing recitative passages is fun full and and her higher tones are delightfully brilliant and faithful to pitch pUch Although Al- Al Although though Madame Saroya might have taken fuller advantage of the possibilities pos pos- I of ethe climax of darte o I damor Love and Music 1 her rendition was thoroughly acceptable ac- ac It is to be regretted that the part of g Ang sung by Andrea Andrea An- An drea required so little of his talents for he Is possessed of a 1 voice with a fine mellow menow quality and excellent range The orchestra under the direction direction tion of Conductor Carlo was excellent at times but ragged occasionally An excellent Interlude interlude Inter Inter- lude in th the thIrd act was made tortuous by the fumbling of a arid and the singers were occasionally oc- oc smothered at the climax of a fortissimo passage I In other Instances the orchestra lent excellent ox- ox support and In the prelude pre pre- lude to act 3 pla played ed superbly A vey amount of credit for an excellent and alto alto- ether sether enjoyable performance must be accorded who at all times w was s in in perfect command command com com- mand of artists and orchestra and thoroughly familiar with the requirements requirements re- re of each situation as it developed In all the performance was a awell awell well balanced effort and deserVed as generous generou l response as that accorded accorded ac- ac corded by last nights night's audience |