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Gruenberg's "Emperor Jones," preceded by the season's first "Cavalleria Rusticana," drew a large audience at the Metropolitan last evening. The relative honors implied by the opera house's quota of standees, doubtless, could be credited about equally to the American production and to Mascagni's once thrilling "shocker" of an earlier generation.

"Cavalleria" led off at 8:30 to an intentionally late start and a full house already in its places. Those in the cast were Mmes. Muzio, Swarthout and Falco, Messrs. Jagel and Borgioli, and Mr. Bellezza conducted. Mr. Jagel's vocal part in the overture was clearly heard from backstage and both he and Mr. Borgioli acted manfully in the teamsters' battle.

Claudia Muzio, who had made her re-entrance in "Traviata" last week, was warmly greeted as the Sicilian Santuzza. The old saying as to opera singers, that "when they're old enough to act a part, they can no longer sing it," did not fit in this case. Miss Muzio, once a child on the stage to which she now returns, is the daughter of Carlo Muzio and his wife members of the Metropolitan personnel from the days when stars were the stars of Grau.

She acted with innate conviction and she sang often with a mezza voce of tender and touching appeal. The woes of Santuzza were not shrieked, the melodrama never became a mockery. It was evident that the audience found haunting memories in such aristocratic care for the singing tone, the phrase and gesture, all without prima donna airs or undue sophistication. The heroine's half subdued recital to Mama Lucia, in her principal air, was followed by long applause from the entire house. The curtain brought an ovation.

Mr. Tibbett's later hour in the tropical jungle was, as it had proved at a New Year's matinee, a virtuoso achievement individually hard to match in the current repertory. Last night was, in fact, the savage drama's twelfth performance by the Metropolitan, here and elsewhere, since the premiere of Jan. 7 last year. Again Miss Besuner, Messrs, Windheim and. Hensley were contributing factors, and Mr. Serafin was at the baton.

Search by season: 1933-34

Search by title: Cavalleria Rusticana, The Emperor Jones,

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