New-York tribune., 1902-01-23
MUSIC-THE DRAMA.
A NEW OPERA.

OF lIs Story ana give an f1lOslAiH VI It's
oramic furniture without offending decency. But
-saiamn06' was written many years ago, before
the conviction had dawned upon the minds OF
opera makers that thugs and thieves, punks and
paiards were proper persons TO present as the
publishers Of operate themes. Since then there
has grown Up in Italy a notion that mud of the
sluus s eunobling material for celebration by the
nosr ethereal Of the arts and in France that lust
and luhricity lofty inspirations for dramatic
song Gaurier's delectable account Of one Of Cleo
patras nights has furnished forth opera book;
the mysteries Of Astarte have been hymned: and
Phrvne. That's and MessaIina have been held up
10 the admiring view Of the Parisians clothed in
more or less gorgeous sound; and little else There
Is no parallel between this movement on the part
af opera and the contemporary movement on the
part q the spoken drama Those diligent regenera-
tors of society Ibsen. Pinero & Co. affect moral
purpose 10 conceal an obvious aim from the simple
minded, the French cperamakers are franker for
they seek to gorfy impudioty in the person Of It's
greatest historic representations by avishing upon
the subject the most gorgeous pictures. the most
ingenious theatrical contrivances and the most
sensuous music AT their command.
Witness .MessaIine." the new opera uroduced at
the Metropolitan Opera House last night This
work has Armand Sylvestre and Eugene Morand,
Two brilliant Frenchmen in their way for the
authors oi its book and Isidore de Lara. chief of
the London drawing room musicians as its COM
poser. As far as could be done with proprety the
dramatic story which the Frenchmen put together
outlined ir this journal last Sunday. This
story Is a variant OF Carmen with an historic
Roman empress in place Of the gypsy cigarette
maker. But any who will take the trouble to
glance a. the sixth satire Juvenal Will recognize
that all its motives drawn from that source
The likeness TO Carmen is but accidental, after
all. though II without influence on the con-
structNe methods Of ii5rettists and composers
Like Carmen. Messana. merely TO crafty her
lust draws an honest minded and supposedly pure
man into her tolls and then throws him over for
the next man she meets. who is haudsomer and
hustler In Bizet's opera the are the soldier
Don JOSS and the bullhghter Escamino: in De
Lara's Hsres. singer and Helion a gladiator
Both operas end with the arena as a background
the Plaza de Toros in Seville on the one hand the
Roman Circus the other But here the re-
senoances end unless We choose TO pursue the in
fuences II BizeI's music into De Lara : score a I
proceeding which is estopped by respect for the /
memory u The most brilliant composer France has /
produced since Berlioz. Echon. the harper GlsDhv-
Tus IT --n3r0slGs. The choral flute players whom
Juvenal warned against in his diatribe against /
marriage, are The prototypes Of Messalina's first |
victim, az also Is Polio, whom lady lofty rank
SO loved that she kept for her kisses the plectrum
With which ne ha5 struTE2ed the Tyre which she /
had encTusted with jewels and for whose sake sae /
cid not hesitate TO veil her face before the altar
o. Janus and speak The mystic formula after the
o1lca-i:g priest t'N hat more could she do were
her husband sck2" asks Juveual. what IL -ba |
physicians had despaIrei Of her infant son7'') As |
-9r Helon, his prototype is the gladiator Sergf71s
save that ne are permitted 70 imagine him comely
10 look upon and not as one EalIed with mis- helmet
having huge Wen betW his noztriIs and acrid
Thean forms tricRiDg fro-a his eye
oo 100, n the exposition of Messalina's character
The Abrettlsts. while constructing entirely fanci-
tul tale, and emitting ali reference to the most
notorious O. her aEgurs Ghe which at last
Trang the decree Of her death from the gen
orally ccTnTlaceuJ ClGgG-Ust. nevertheless man
aged 10 indicate JuvenaIs description in the song
which Hares sings against her a recital by Myrrho.
scene IN the sl1ras which she visits in disguise
and where she is rescued from gang Of roisterers
5y heioH. and IL rhe scene Of her wooing OF the
gla1iator-a scene which. as enacted By Nine /
talve must not 5e pictured here. Some notion OF /
Paai-1l might be read our Of the English version
Of me oook-out Of Messalina's song 10 Hares in
me nrst act for instance in which she tells OF
ner year1ing for love b-t - we're best here not 10
scan TIE text roo closely and to let Nine Calves
.ea--y marvellous outpouring of the music stand
as the expression Of spiritual passion which II
i--lnlcs extremely well SO. too. the end there
Is an Indication Of something better than the
groVeii7 caTHaAty Of the historic woman whose
name has been a 5ywcrd for nineteen centuries in
AeT oHer o. herself 70 Helion's sword, and her
opening The door 70 tie lurking assassin when the
saalator retse- u strike n obedience his old VOW
aa 20 afenEe The supposed death OF MS brother But
al Of The stage MessaIina 3 words and acts m tn
mat tine give the lie 10 the thought OF her capabi
-ts ol lee-lnE single thro5 Of pure sentiment.
enc Is Presentea as all .eest. and there is one
moment q cheer 70 rr5..-e the horror of a plav
ue death or TWO loving brothers who unknown
70 each other, were her lovers. AT the end the
Aaio OF Hares. stifened in death, clings 10 her
IoDe and brings her face 10 face with that death
winch the historic Messaliua was 100 cowardly TO
give 10 herself when her own mother pleaded with
AeT 10 do so in the tateful meSting in the garden
Of Lucullus
5ut there might 5e a palliative in the music. So
mere is III some instances which fall readily into
hG but in these cases il is great music that acts
IKE M Gilbert s" divine enouIent' No words could
I2ead ior The wicked lovers Of Wagner's tragedy
with half the persuasive power OF the music in
Nhlch Isolde sings OUT her life. Even the Lady of
ne Camellias hnds her way into our pity through
ne advocacy of Nerdis Gran Dio,' Music can
chasteu and ennoble, but not music Ike NJ de
LAra's, which when i strives for anything strives
70 give an added atmosphere 10 the incontinence
portrayed in the stage pictures and proclaimed in
he Text Il IS not dangerous music, however, for
i Is an inpotent striving with all its blatant pre-
'Fhoe- The composer seeks 10 fill the opening scene
with languor and assitude; he fills Il full Of ennul
instead We should say that it was a hymning Of
sensuaIty j its lowest forms II il were a hynning
d anything. But tLs composer IS not musician
enough 10 invent eloquent melodies or moving har-
monies. There Is one moment in the first act in
which music helps 10 characterize tion-the satir-
eai song OF Hares; the measure is virile and bar
osrous IS beitting TO a nation OF Africa filled
Win hatred Of the Roman Babylon. In the second
sei also the singer has opportunity
WITHOUT its rewards though here K is only the lofty
pane of The English sentin entail ballad that is
fesehed. N de Lara's conception OF the purpose
o music is that illustrated by Massenet in La Nav
afSise,' and the young school yertists in italy
NO With the exception Of Signor Puccni, seem al
ready 20 have reached the end of their tether |
except when he writes merely to give atmosphere
% the picture (as al the opening OF the first act
soe the beginning Of the second scene Of the
0afoj he seeks 10 supply a food. upon the surface
I" which al the whims. feelings. follies. passions