The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-15
NEWS OF OPERA IN EUROPE.
PAUL TIDAL's NEW WORK BROUGHT
U IN PARIS.

eral times. Paul Yidal's latest work was given
recently at the Opera in Paris as La Bur-
gonde.' Its previous titles were ''Gauthier
~d'Acquitaine' and "Attila." Vioal is known
chiefly through n previous work. "Guernica."
which Is said to be greatly inferior to his
latest opera, The libretto Is founded on an
eleventh century poem written by Gerald, a
monk In the monastery of Fleury.sur-Loire.
IT tells the story OF a Christian girl who Is given
as n hostage to King Attila and Of the affec-
ton which she inspires In the he art Of the Hun
and some Of his Generals. NJ. Alvarez and
Mines Breval and Hegeon sang the leading
roles. The work was enthusiastically praised
by the Paris critics. who consider NJ. Vidal and
Alfred Bruneau to he the greatest OF French
composers. Where are NM. Massenet and
Saint -Snens?
Emelien Pacini. who died in Paris a short
time ago, was thought to be the librettist OF III
Trovatore.' He was 81 years old. was an init
mate friend If Rossini and was closely asso-
ciated with Meyerbeer for many wears. He
first translated Der Freischntz" from Ger
man into French. His father was the italian
composer Giovanni Pacini. 1t was discovered
after his death that the libretto OF III Trova-
tore" was not to be laid at his door. Another
man did it. Pacini was a member Of tho Le-
gicn OF Honor. Alessandro Bettini. the former
husband of Zelie Trebelli. died the other day
in Europe. He vas 10 years old and is remem-
bered in London as an agreeable tenor. He
sang there last fifteen years ago.
Jean de ltesZke's new opera house in Paris
will doubtless derive additional success from
he TACT that the new Op6ra ComiQue Ia a
complete failure from every point OF view,
The architect is said to have sacrificed every
thing TO the idea of safety. in order that the
public might be able to get out of the building
safely acoustics. beauty and comfort we're dis
regarded. One newspaper remarks that the
house has so many doors that it would be SER
viceahle only as a pawnshop where nobody
would be seen either entering or leaving. The
gala programme Of the first performance con-
tanned the names of Boieldieu. Masse. Auber.
Thomas, Herold. Gounod. David. Massenet.
Saint-Saens. Dclibes and Bizet. This selec-
ton drew a protest from some of the journals
on the ground that Meyerbeer. who wrote
"Dinorah" and "L'Etoile du Nord" for the
Opera Comique. was not relresented on the
programme.
Madrid has recovered sufficiently to pro-
duce a new opera. the work OF a Spanish COM
poser who has iust.reached his thirtieth year
and was praised chiefly by the critics for hav-
ner and Bizet, and for the skill with which he
treated the Spanish folksongs: Maria del
Carmen which. is the title Of the opera. is
also the name of a well known Spanish story.
The effort was not regarded as a striking
ttliltNellSuI u tlJntT TIE tO1np poser or the
llibrettist. But the supply of national music
in Snain is SO meagre that every ~operatic eff
tort Is regarded as a national work.
F6lia Litvinne. who has recently been sing
ing in Paris. appeared at Nice as Isolde with
great success. and then started for Russia.
where she is to sing during the winter at the
Theatre Marie.
The plans fr a French Bayreuth have come
'"AntiRone' Mt the antique theatre at Orange
led some enthusiasts to think that the COM
pany from the Opera could be taken there to
give some OF the wagner ODeraS. But the IN
habitarts ,rebelled and said that they pre-
n feTred it, to 12, be left al clone me and soh, cared re t for no n such
reuth was not possible.
Even the production Of new operas by Gior-
dano and Mascagni has not diverted the in
terest of musical Italy from the oratorios OF
Perosi. the priest and composer. They are
sung now with great success in all the Italian
cities and the talk in Italy to-day is chiefly OF
them. 1t is said now that Perosi will go to
Germany in the spring and direct there the
performance of his works. The success of
Mascagni's Iris seems to be more genuine
than that Of anv OF his operas since "Caval-
leria Rusticana' Making allowance even for
the extravagant praise given to all his eff
forts BY his countrymen. there are signs OF
solid.merit in hislatest work. The third act ia
to be rewritten dramatically. 1t was changed
several times during the rehearsals. but is
still unsatisfactory The pathetic story Of tho
Japanese girl who is abducted from the tea
house and dies broken hearted and in dis
honor has already been told in The Sun.
Signor MaScagni conducted the opera at the
first performance and was recalled twenty
times There Is some talk already OF a series
Of performances 10 be given in London In
March by a company organized in Italy. Jean
de ResZke. who heard the opera at the dress
rehearsals and on the first evening. believes
that the Jantnese costumes on the men will
co rin n 'infnrfaTn Uif tho InnnG Of tho ~
era. He says that they appear comic in spite OF
the music and the dramatic force Of the scenes
the title role at the first performance. and Sig
nor de Lucia was the hero, Mnscagni. in a very
reriormancc. said that he had been longer
than usual in. writing the score because he had
" waited ihsd. f Or M tnsp!EF% nl 9nd made td no effort
in the first act" he said. gives the Impression
Of being the result of hard labor and patient
ity IT flashed through my mind in a moment
and | wrote it down at once without changing
tried above all things to be SPONTANEOUS and
SINCERE re, / In IT. this g. opera and haze no not been con
repeated. reproduced and disguised in order to
hide their monotonous repetition. with learned
technicalitiss and cunning harmonic :ombi;
italian cities this winter. but is not yet an
nounced In Germany. Indeed, German crit
Umberto Giordano's "Frdora' was given
first at Milan with Comma Bellincioni as the
ItTOlut, L Ht MOIh WAS II suNtthS. HlIDOllHn |
by no means a second 'Andrea Chenier." The
liDretto by Arturo Colautti. an Italian poet OF
reputation. starts with the first act OF Victor
len Sardou's play. condenses the second and
third acts into one. and follows generally the
of the French drama. One enthu-
s%iastic critic writes that no other composer
with SO much. dramatic force. Persons IA
miliqr with Massenet,,s talents will not be
poser is said to have availed himself of a pol
onaise of Chopin and some Russian folksonGs
in order to give character to The music. One
song In the opera IL in praise Of the bicycle.
In spite Of the praise and applause given to
siapora BelliGcioni went to Germany; This
first, had som success; Regina Diaz." the
second. had only, two 'rerformances. while
Andrea Chenier' was "A triumph for the
youthful composer. the ultimat" tnte Of "Fe-
dora is still! 70 be decided. Another recent
novelty IN Italy was based on COppce's The
Violin Maker Of C%remona.' 1t followed "Fe-
dora in Milan and made a moderately favor
able impression,
The subjects chosen by the Italian com-
poserS to-day are curious inspiratlons to
opera. After finishing Roland of Berlin"