Los Angeles herald., 1908-02-04
PUCCHNI'S
OPERA is
A TRIUMPH
MADAM BUTTERFLY DELIGHT
FULLY SUNG
ITAIAN COMPOSER AN oPERATIc
REALIsT
Work Is Given in English with a
Scenic Investiture That Makes
1t a Delight to
the Eye
BY sIDLE LAWRENCE

- masculine fickleness, its music
grandly somber IN tone and with a
strain of sadness running through even
the more joyous passages, Puccini's
fine opera OF Madam Butterfly was
revealed last night at the Mason opera
house for the first time in Los An
geles. every seat in the theater was
filled by an audience representative of
both the musical and social life of the
city. And the audience was tremen-
dously impressed first by the beauty
of Puccini's music; and secondly by
the power of the libretto, the excellence
of the scenic investiture and the skill
with which the several singers acted
their roles. This last is all too rare
in grand opera.
Despite the fact that it's composer is
an italian, Madam Butterfly stands
today as the nearest approach to an
American grand opera we have. Its
story was written by an American and
for it's stage FORM we are told, David
Belasco a Californian, was largely re-
sponsihle. Moreover, there runs through
it an American motif e strain from
THE Star Spangled Banner" and
three of its characters are Americans
of the present day.
Is Sung in English
The opera was sung in English. Nat
at first, but really there is no reason
why 1t should not be so sung, and
probably to the great majority the
English score adds in large measure to
an appreciative understanding of the
whole. For so much enry w. Savage
deserves our thanks, as he has been
the pioneer in grand opera in English
in this country. In England the Carl
Rosa and Moody-Manners companies
have performed a similar service and,
fortunately, with similar success.
Puccini, in composing this work, has
departed widely from the italian habit
In that he has introduced dissopance to
express despair and poignant anguish.
These passages probably would have
Mortified the contemporaries of Rossini
and Donizetti. They are almost Wag-
merriam; and they are justified by this
narrowing story of American brutality
as contrasted with Japanese fidelity.
A Composer ReaIist
Like others of Puccinis operas, |
MADAM Butterfly" has many recita- |
tives. That is to say there is a con-
siderable amount of dialogue-short
sentences, in numerous instances no
more than a word or two, all of which
are sung. And there are comparatively
few arias. Thus the story of the opera
moves forward with dramatic intensity,
uninterrupted as was the fashion in
the earlier italian school, Puccini may
be regarded as a realist among COM
posers, and in so much his work is a
long step forward.
There is, however, this loss. Few of
Madam Butterhy's' songs will stand
alone. They are of small value outside
the story despite their excellent must
cianly quality. conspicuous excep-
ton to this is a duet sum- by Butterfly
and Pinkerton at the close of the first
%
gamut from tenderness to passion and
closing in an impassioned crescendo of
intense longing Another exception is
found in the flower duet of the second
act, sung by Butterfly and Suzuki, her
maid.
Has Two OVertures
A novel and charming feature of the
production is provided by the skillful
manner in which the audience is
brought into sympathy with the opera s
theme before the curtain rises on the
first act. There are two overtures, a
musical overture and a scenic overture;
the one fore-hearing of the beautiful
melodies to come; the other a visual
ization of the music, quite as important
in its way, a lovely realization of high
ly trained, poetical imagination.
The orchestral overture has four
themes-the patriotic strains of Nippon,
the tender passages of love, the more
tempestuous musicalization of passion,
and then a bit of "Tho Star Spangled
Banner" to indicate the American part
in the approaching tragedy. There has
been recently considerable adverse crit
icism aimed against the national air,
yet Puccini, by his use of it's motif,
seems to have placed uron it the stamp
of his approval.
The Scenic Overture
overture are heard the theater is
plunged into black darkness. Then a
light steals gradually into the first
drop shown. At first there is but a
glimmer, like the heralding blush of
dawn Then the great figure of the
Buddha at Kamakara looms high above
the fields and streams In the dim
light it stands revealed, a solemn, mys-
FERROUS, silhouetted figure, dreadfully
prophetic of the tragedy that is to
come.
Another swift passing veil of dark
ness yields to disclose laughing. merry
hearted Japan. A mountain torrent
dashe5 to its distant sea. Flowers wave
in the breeze, seeming almost to per-
fume the air with their fragrance.
And beyond, high and undefled rises
a lofty peak, the white coned Fujiyama,
sacred mount of Nippon.
Once more total darkness, upon
WHICH the ilEnL steals gradually TO re-
veal the picturesquely situated garden
of Madam Butterfly, high on ter
raced hill overlooking Nagasah har-
Dor, where distant warships swing idly
at anchor. The house is covered with
wisteria. A cherry tree, in fragrant
bloom, stands in a garden gay with
thousands of iris buds. To the rear
red lacquered arch gives upon a path
way to the Shinto temple, higher up
on the hill.
The Swallowed Room
The opera opens in joyous mood, but
this strain is not long continued. There
is first the motif of the knife; then
the rude interruption upon the we'd
ding festivities; portentous of impend-
ing disaster, the curtain finally de-
scending upon that marvellous duet be-
tween Butterfly and her husband.
Longing and Hope
The theme of the second act is long
ing, relieved by hope. Here Butterfiys
cheerfuiness her g9yety, even after
three years of waiting for the return
OF Ter American husband, is contrasted
with the sadness of Suzuki, who fears
the worst; and of Consul Sharpless
who knows the husband will never
resume his place with hts Japanese
wife. Thus the melody is finely an
tithetical; 1t Is the distant rumbling Of