Show IL TROVATORE The Abbott Company Makes an Immense Im-mense Hit In Verdis Great Opera I Abbott Aunandale Montcgriflo and Pruett All Shine and Are Vociferously Received Touiasi and Moutegriffo Mad as Blazes The Latters Advice to a Morning Cotem The audience at the Theatre last evening even-ing was one of the largest that has yet been crowded within the walls and it was composed almost entirely of the educated edu-cated and cultured classes Last night was practically the opening night of the season of grand opera and as the beauties and powers of Abbotts voice unfolded themselves to the audience audi-ence one was forced to forget that it was she who had appeared ap-peared as the insignificant YumYum and it was difficult to realize the great difference between her Lucretia Borgia and her Leonora The opera spirit took fair hold of the audience last night and the singers did everything so well that everyone was fairly carried away The first scene of II Trovotore is not an effective one but the strong male chorus and Brodericks fine solo inspired in-spired the audience and prepared everyone for the second scene which is one of the most taking in the opera The trio which closes the act was so effectually effectu-ally done that the curtain had to be raised two or three times to the enthusi astic audience Abbott is at her best in this opera and there was hardly an air in her role which did not receive encore Her solo in the second act was very beautiful as was also that in the beginning of the last act She sang with so much more ease than she did in Lucretia each note being brought out with force and clearness clear-ness Her best opportunity was in the last act and she made the best of it and won the heartiest approval Annandales rich contralto voice was used with wonderful effect and the admiration ad-miration she won on the previous day was greatly increased Her power is simply grand and the fact tnat she won as much approval in the plain old gipsys dress as she did in the becoming attire of Orsini is 110 small compliment Her duett with Montegriffo in the last act was one of the best things of the evening and brought out a tornado of applause but no encore was given Montegriffo did the Misere exceedingly well and was called before the scenes to make his acknowledgements ac-knowledgements Pruette appeared to perfection His fine bearing handsome figure and exquisite voice proving an irresistable attraction There was considerable wonder about Annandales not responding to the encore offered her in the last act and the lady came out in the Herald of this morning laying the blame onto Tomasi the director di-rector That gentleman makes the following fol-lowing explanation EDITOR DEMOCRAT Miss Annandale does both me and herself a grave injustice when she states in her communication to this mornings morn-ings Herald that I offered her and the public pub-lic an insult in declining to respond to the encore called for after the rendition of the Home to Our Mountains duet The lady should know that the dramatic as well as the musical proprieties of an opera must be observed and it is just as ridiculous to force an unconscious woman to arise and respond to an encore in the opera as it would be to bring a dead actor to his feet and make him die over again Any interruption at the point mentioned would be fatal to the dramatic effect of the opera and it was for this reason and no other that the encore was not permitted While I appreciated appre-ciated the kind reception which the audience gave the duett I have learned by experience that applause in such a case signifies sig-nifies a genuine appreciation and not a a desire for a repetition and even had an encore been asked for I could not sacrifice the success of the scene bv allowing the fainting Azncena to ariso and sing again Miss Annandale knows and must admit that in every instance where an encore could be consistently asked for I have willing allowed her to repeat and it is curious that after having been director of the Emma Abbott Opera Company for seven years an artist of the company should take upon herself the responsibility of telling me when an encore should be given I have been an operatio director for the last fifteen years and having had the best opportunities to observe and learn the proprieties of the operatic stage I consider myself a compent judge in a question of this kind SIGNOR ACHILLE TOMASI Musical Director Abbott Opera Co Montegriffo objects to the Tribunes criticism and gives the following EDITOR DEMOCRAT I read in this mornings morn-ings Tribunes criticism of the Trovatore performance that Signor Montegriffo the tenor of the Abbott company did not take the high 0 in the Sword Song and that it was beyond his reach Now I desire to state that either the gentleman who wrote the notice does not know anything of music or he has been misinformed as all the musicians and musical director of the company com-pany can prove I feel sorry that a newspaper news-paper of importance of the Tribune does not employ a more competent critic as it is the cause of iniustice both to the paper ando and-o the person criticised Yours respectfully A MONTEQBHTO |