New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-06
FIRST NIGHT OF "FALSTAFF."
VERDI SEES THE PERFORMANCE OF HIS
NEW OPERA.
STATESMEN AND PRINCES PREsENT-rHE COM
poerp AT NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. AND
MUsIc-A TALK WITH TIE MASTER

more brilliant first representation was per-
hans never witnessed in a Paris theatre since
Voltaire's Irene" was brought on the stage imam
that of Verdrs "Falstaff' The composer DE-
tween the first and second acts, went peninu 'ne
curtain on the stage where all the ho'apinue'
who know how to get there went TO consra'u
late him. Every who sets up to fill lead
/ ing Mace in society and aspires to go on shh-
ing tried to be in a front place at TINS per
formanCe The maestro sat In the PIT Don vi
Carvalho. the manager OF the opera Conique'
Above him i'm the stage box on the hrst TIER were
tho Italian Ambassador and his staff. and facing
them on the opposite side NJ. and Nine Casifnir-
Porter. who received many visits in the course
Of the evening All the Stalthalterin family OF
Hohenlohe came from Strasburg. and the reign
ing Duke of Sake Meiningen was In a stale
dorchestre He had run to Paris incognito 10
be present at this representation and TO see
Verdi. who was Of course. in evening dress
Having thrown aside his farmers suit OF a
loose gray coat unstarched check shirt ana
broad brimmed hat he no longer looked the
contadino or rustic but II Senatore. or Member
NJ the Italian Senate for Modena. OF which ne
vras tho first deputy In the Italian Parliament
that met at Turin In 1861.
Verdi in the strong light that beat in the box
I'm the front Of which he sat, looked terribly
gritty person ard intent on the business OF
the stage. He seemed TO scan every note. Inc
fingers went beating time and making modu-
Iations on the sill Of the box One might nave
thought that he did not notice anything that
went on in the proscenium. so anxious was ne
that his work should be rightly Interpreted Ana
what trouble had he not taken to insure THIS re-
suit, He insisted on two rehearsals day, ana
ne had every passage where there was any
weakness shown rehearsed over and over again.
! At the full-dress rehearsal he kept standing
! in the nit which was reserved for him and NJ
| Carvalho. so that Verdi should be well in view
! IN tho performers In some OF the light ripping
| passages one heard his la. ia, ta Ia la. la, In
which he gave tha exact tone that he wanted
! Mile Delna a slnguarly intelligent singer who
! has suddenly discovered comic genius. was par
] ticularly drilled by him He said this was be-
cause she was worth taking trouble with. He
was also delighted with the generous voice OF
! Mile Grandiean who not long ago graduated
! at the Conservatolre. She sustained the part OF
! Alice. and had 10 sing a song behind the scenes
As she was singing at the full-dress rehearsal
! Verdi cried plano! Piano! Softly Softly
like a flute" She heard him and modulated
her voice accordingly. When she had thrice
repeated he cried. Perfect! Stick to that" Al
/
at Verdis elbow He has secured the right
10 bring "Talstan'' out in London.
"Falstaff" was brought out again at Milan in
the eighty-third year Of the composer He had
written 1t in his eighty first year. but had been
| turning over the subject in his morning walks
| round his Parmesan farm for many previous
years He knows England and the English. and
thought "A deal about how he should best In
| terpret in musical sounds the joval. fulfilled
material and shrewd Fastaffian character. which
he thinks typically Anglo-SaXon one. After
long solitary meditation. during which no use
was made Of pen, ink, paper or piano. the whole
work sprung up In his brain just as he wrote 1t.
He had only to write just as If from dictation.
"Fastaff' is written with flow Of spirits,
| hearty comlcality, a sweet grace, and often a
depth OF sentimental feeling that, considering the
age Of Verdi seems miraculous. This struck me
when heard II given in scrappy way at the
rehearsas. but In far greater degree at the
first representation The excellence Of the per-
Torrance had the effect OF rejuvenating the au-
thor He looked hardly SIXTY.
Verdi knows Shakespeare from cover to cover.
and has critically read his plays time after
time They are. indeed. his favorite reading. He
says that n play OF Shakespeare stirs his mind
and always in unison with It's movement as the
q
suits of a life OF healthy and handsomely
remunerated toil-talles optimistic view OF
life in his old age. The financial strin-
gency In italy, notwithstanding the large
fortune he has acquired. put the spur upon
him. and made him realize that the fount of IN
spration was not dried up in him. Ricordi
invited down to Verdrs country place near
Russeto in Parma TO talk with him about
ubretto They both agreed on what lines IL was
TO run and where the original play and the old
Italian comedy from which Shakespeare bor-
rowed were to be modified The latter finally
discarded and the plan adopted of a comedy in
three acts and six tableaus. Each act was to
contain two table aus.
The rising OF the curtain discovers Falstaff
turning over In his head how to make con-
quest of Danes Alice Ford and Margery Page.
the two wealthy. merry wives of Windsor at
whose houses he would like to sponge or course
he thinks aloud. The rubcund. corpuent, old
glutton, braggart wit, humorist and coward
looks like a satyr painted by Jordaens. Maurel.
the elegant barytone. has transformed himself
into Jack Fastaf He shows in walking that
his legs are the worse for all the sack he has
drunk In the course Of his life Bardoph and Pts
toll arouse his choer which Is easily awakened.
by refusing to take love letters to Mistress Ford
and Mistress Page. The two varlets are In pic
turesque costumes. Maurel went to a world OF
pains to afford no room for criticising his make
no or dress No one could believe that he
the ideal Don Juan and Figaro some winters
back
The tableau showing the Ford cottage was
painted by Jambon, who took hints from Anne
Hathaway's abode and the house In which
Shakespeare was born. In the garden In front
Alice (Mlle. GrandJean). Margery (Mle. Cheva-
ner) Anne or Nanette Page mile. Landouzy)
meet and Joined by Mistress Quickly whose
hair is short and curled like boys, and who
is q romping buxom, ready witted, Jolly soul