The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-05-13
What Opera should ma.

ways be f. ithful and wide awake at the
post of duty.
H What Opera Should Rs.
/ FParis Letserj
| Verdi is not pleasedsat. the expense to
which the managers of the opera-house
has gone in producing the Egyptian opera
of "Aida.p The avenue. Of Sphinxes,
tho temple of Vulcan, the palace OF
Pharaoh, the apartments of Pharaoh's
daughter, the procession of thesed Apis,
OF the victorious Egyptian captain, are
all superb in the superlative degree
for that reason, argues the illustritus
maestro, puerile,: VeFdi would have been
better satisfied il NJ VaueorbeiE had
more faith in the power Of music to
charm and enchapt and attached less i'm
portance to stage accessories. The great
italian composer is altogether hostile to
the Partisan fashion of, above all things,
ministeriHg, on the stage, to the lust, OF
the eyes. His experiences during the
wearsome rehearsal Of "Aida" have set
him more. than ever against what he
stigmatizes as un luxe efffeae de deeors,
| The French system that. he condemns
is followed at disastrous. expense, and
loss of time, and let stage. managers and
decorators Do what they will, they can
never render theatrical Illusion perfect.
If an opera is not q masterpiece, three or
four hundred thousand frances are cast
away upon it. The boldness and the
initiative Of a manager are checked by
material considerations. He hardly
dares to trust his own Judgment, how
ever great his experience, when new
work, is presented to him by an unknown
author. To reduce risk toa minimum,
be only employs, composers Of renOwn, to
whom he gives, thoug h they only furnish
him with trash, immense prices Young
composers are notallowed an opportunity
to come before the public, and are con-
demned to silence and sterility.
Too much is. sacrificed on the corps de
ballet and their costumes. Verdi is by
no means indifferent to- the spectacular
effect of well-driiled4 and brilliantly
equipped corps de ballet. But the min
ute, the hypercriticaf attention to
them, the fidgetty care of
which they are the object at the,
operarhouse, almost drove, him crazy.
He very sensibly represented to NJ. Vau-
cerbeil hat the public. only saw from
afar, and that if it was a part of the
system to enable dancers to appear to adj
vantage to heavy swells coming behind
the scenes to adore them,, stop should
be put to it. 1t takes at least six months
tobring out an onera in Paris. Six
weeks is thought enough at the Scala, in
Milan; and the choruses there are in
initely better than any in the employ
ment Of, NJ. Vaucorbeil. Singers, musi-
clans and choristers are not weary there
of an opera against the first rising of the
curtain. ......, ..... .,s..r
Verdi aseribes the "starp system to the
abuse of accessories. tits a device to
avoid bankruptcy Singers who if we'll
paid would be excellent stock artists, are
hacked to death and kept on, miserable
wages to enable the manager-to pay the
insensate salaries given to the often un-
deservedly praised. "stars." VerdPs
OplHlOu 10 thnt HiaiiiiSrto ofiouiu Hob Utkc
into account the impression dancers,
hahited with a view to. distant effect,
make on the patronsAor the opera behind
the scenes; that to have troupe of vo-
calists we'll drilled all around should be
the principal aim, Of the oparatic man
ager, and that, when he attains this OBJ
iect he may be sure the public will be
satisfied though, stage accessories are
cheaply gotten UP. -,
Verdi does not like "Aida" 20 we'll as
his other operas. Il was composed to
satisfy the whim ofaa barbarpus' sensual
ist, the .ex-pasha Of Egypt. who did not
understand music. "Aida" is sensa-
tional work, and Verdi's part in it would
not be comprehensible without the spec
tacular effects. The composer was in
formed that Ismail was going to send an
expedition up the Nile toward Abys.
sinia, and that Samuel Baker was explor-
ing territories which His Highness in.
tended to annex. The pasha was ambi-
tious of reviving the glories of ancient
Egypt, and of being a Sesostris of mod.
ern times. Inspiration Of an elevated
nature could not flow from such asource
'eAida" was performed for the first time
at Cairo in 1872. ....-..