New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-01-16


Goethe's Prologue in Heaven" a fragment of the
Easter scene a smaller fragment OF the in
Fausts study cell, with the poodle dog turned
a grey friar ('"That, then, the kernel of the
Friar."-woud any one believe 1t except he heara
or read ITO. bit of the garden in which
Gretchen agrees to poison her mother within
twenty minutes after meeting her lover the scene
or the witches Sabbath, the prison scene the CLASH
cal sabbath. in which Faust is discovered in an
amour with Helen Of Troy, having just come from
the death pallet of Gretchen and the deaf tn Of Faus,
as an old man and his salvation? Can any who
knows that music, in its most dramatic estate
must act as a clog on dramatic action ina CINE how
such variety of scenes could be combined into a
logical consistent. truthfuy and sufficiently de-
veloped whole comprised by the space Of four hours
In performance? This Faust Gor "Mefstofee" Is
proved to be a misnomer by the very fact
that Boito tried to so much OF
Goe'hes philosophical purpose is for the
study rather than the stage. Then many
things challenge admiration. AS an opera Il
can nave only careless public, one willing to see
Gretchen die in the arms of her over in one act
and appear in the next in the character of Helen
O, Troy. again inviting the love Of her deceiver
oi c'9rne, this : purely symboca and the scene
Is so iu OF original and characteristic beauty that
IL would ne sadly missed were any brave director
To- omit 1t because it is dramatically disturbing.
nHt TOW many IN any aud ence are likely to know
wwhat me composers purpose in introducing it was?
earm 1t one must read Goethe then his com.
Rhyme wai unknown to the Greek muse Helen
@e *S Of sS Te Mat at sa Ha she's %
PUBIC uolc TO think of and recognize in this scene
from foot-ouantty instead OF consequence Of souni.
Th va nears Faust who employees rhyme in his songs
ENan'pieS are necessary TO the exposition
Helen and Pantalis
5 "a luna immoblc honda recrc dun raSgio palldo
DorId "aa an stl,I2n ie ram9fa da ceSpi r"rlSi,
Faust:
Della bcllezza etcrna'
In mono ,isi Iros,crna
lnamorato al suolo.
hi blu iua pup pil Z br rIna'
nssa come Ia lu1a
Helen Is charmed with tho 'ineffable echo" which
she recognizes in his speech. Tell me. SHE says
What nat must ! do to learn an idiom so charming
sh through the bow x9T the say" cnn fa %s turn
again TO the preface and read: Here IS myth both
assc and Romanc ARE qor a0a %eGddd
beauty and Gcrmanic beauty cleaning under the
an ideal poesy eclectic, new and powerful" This IS
What the commutator and poet tells Us in preface
and can only be the more bewildercd when as in pas;
years and again last night. the face ana Snre OF
TIetchen are also the face and figure OF Helen OF
Troy and behold Dame Martha transmogrinei into
But The people published their inirerenc' ioall such
considerations last night. They recognized the
by the passion Of calves singing and acns hey
aso were kindly sensible of the vitality which was
ana they We're in rapiurous state all the evening.
S Mne, SVes MarShar.ta was NV character on
mods heroine chung her robes She in
S"nuous as Goethe's village maiden the garden
scene ana in the death scene. In her frequent ac-
cents Of griet The convusivc Intensity Of her re-
morse. in her wild. haunted look Of terror and the
sweet wlsfuness OF tender memories recalled when
her love appeared again. she plays upon gamut OF
emotional eXpressiveness that is peculiarly her
The scene carries a reminder OF her wonderful In
terpretation OF Ophelias madness in "Hamlet': IL
has the same convincing and pathetic appeal to her
hearers sensibilities. the same absolute Identified
ton with the sufferings and passions Of the char
acter she Is interpreting. Especially potent Is her
facial play in rejecting the changes and intensity
ing can forget the dread and horror expressed In
her eyes at the approach OF the fiend?
Edouard De ResZke was an imposing Msns'o"alo
In appearance and an eloquent one In vote While
Signor Cremonni may be said to have pa scd mus
ter Faust.