Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-12

RnZCl % s-hIlts DtflNrnh
Catherine .................. Mile. Williams
Fritz ........s-..r..' .''''''''' " toiuhtpl, y,
David .........,....... ....'..''' M. Area
Federico .....,,.r.. ,'... .''.' VI "iuldhi
HanezO ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. M. trascOhs
BY w. HERBERT BLAKE
n HERE is merry young man who
thinks life too gay thing to
II spend in serious love and matri-
mony. and there is a merry old rabbi
who thinks too well of the merry young
man to let him persist in his heresy
And there is a superlatively merry
young woman, who yet knows the
value of occurrences, on occasion, ana
who agrees in general way with the
rabbi There is eating and drinking,
and counting and counter plotting, and
then, in a moment, Mascagni's "Amlco
Fritz evolves like lightning from
gently dallying bit of romantic drollery
into a passionate and tender opera,
even as the lives of the merry young
man and the demure young woman un-
fold ili perspective down the path or
thickening future years
For our Friend Fritz learned his
lesson from the good rabbi, and in the
end it takes the vivid milliancy OF
majestic and tremendous score to i'm
press upon us just how strong and
simply beautiful is this little story OF
Erckmann-C -Chatrain, so slender in plot
that one hardly sees, on reading the
argument, how 1t is possible to weave
a. play about its delicate fabric, much
less an elaborate and suggestive Dr.
chestration. Yet such is Mascagnis
achievement, and as that admira BILE
little cast of Italian artists interpreted
st last night at the Mason one forgot
at times that they were speaking a
tongue alien to the average American
understanding, forgot indeed that they
were speaking at all, but merely blend
with the sheer sensuous sweep OF the
crescendo and denouement of the story
with the sheer censuous sweep of the
melody, until, little by little, one caught
the drift of the conversation as II by
native comprehension, and it seemed
that all men and women must speak
but the one tongue-that of rhythm
and harmony, the immemorial accents
of music.
Especially did one feel this singular
impression of an utterance untaught of
lexicon or dictionary in the beautiful
interlude between the first and third
acts Here it was as if all the forces
and impulses of nature, unimprlsoned
at last in the heart and soul of Friend
Fritz. were voiCing their victory on the
throbbing strings and the mellow toned
harp Here, as in Beppe's solo in the
third act, the melody grew strange and
suhtIv arresting. One found ones
thoughts straying far afield through
golden memories of youth, oblivious OF
singer or song, as in willing surrender
to the wand of some magician. | am
quite the layman as TO music, but 1t
seems to me that Mascagni must be
one of the most imaginative of COM
posers, both emotionally and Visually.
Verdi has something of this suggestive
power, and Donnizetti's Lucia" not
little, but in "AmicO Fritz we have 1t
in its native aud naked simplicity, a
thing to conjure with, a spell at whose
breaking one signs at aWaking from
dimly remembered dream.
How vividly one felt the jocund,
mocking trip and quip of the accom-
paniment to Davids ruse in the last
act, when he tells Friend Fritz of that
inerrily trumped up engagement OF Suzel
to another i'm order to spur him on TO
an avowal of love! 1t was as if the
whole orchestration We're laughing at
Friend Fritz-a sort of joyous gar
goyle chorus-with just the hint of
wedding bells in the minor tones, so
soon to swell into the triumphant ten
derness of the final duo and septet.
It is difficult to speak of the dramatic
effect of individual representations in
"Amico Fritz" The composer is the
actor. The score is the acting. With
but a cursory glimpse of the plot one
NAV resign oneself to its spell and
view the singers through it's haAy light.
But through it all one never quite
loses sight Of the gay and debonair
Colombini-a far better Fritz than he
was a Loris in Fedora fit in abun-
dant temperament and voluble spirits
for the role Even during the superb
violin solo our eyes strayed to Fritz
and his guests at table to see how
they were taking it. This absorption
in the acting must account for the
slight applause given that pretty and
seductive selection. NJ Colombini sim
ply cannot stop acting i'm Fritz" He
literally lives the part, ana alike in
his love making and his jesting with
old David, we feel the impress Of his
joyous and rollicldng personality. "Fe-
dora" imprisoned that glee in iron fet-
ters. The Mascagni opera sets it free.
Naive and peasant-like was Ber-
fossils SuZel in the first act a Tevels-
tion in tempeTamental expression, un-
aided by the superficial glamOr Of a
sophisticated character. Her charming
and brilliant singing in the Cherry
Duo" with COlombini's, broke through
the unWritten law of NJ Meroa's code
and Won a deserved encore. BertOssi
does not conquer one by storm. No
more did Suzcl. Her brilliant vocal
powers expand, act by act. until at
l1e last we see the oman DOrQ Wltnln
the peasant girl and hear the crescent
madrigal of her conquest in the clos
ing strains of the opera. Al times in
act two Bertossi seemed to strain un-
duly after the effect of simplicity,
especially in the frequent moments
when the score gives her voice nothing
to do. But i'm the climaXes she acted,
as she sang, strongly and truly.
Despite an exaggerated make up and
a somewhat excessive use of the more
obvious German nauncrisms Arcangeli
was a convincing figure as the shewd
and kindly rabbi and sang his lyric
version of the love OF Rebecca with
fine effect. Notable was his rautomime.
especially with Colombni The opera
calls for much of this at moments un-
occupied Vocally ana the general ef-
feet would be greatly enhanced if
Bertossi would use slightly more va
riety in her expressions and p0sturcs
at such times. Excellent was the act
ing of Mile. Strauss as the gypsy boy
and Mile Williams, Giuliani and Flas-
coma assumed the minor roles satisfac-
torily.
IL AMIGO Fritz" is not merely an adj
roit and skllfully built opera it is a
moral and mental tonic. 1t radiates good
cheer from its friendly title to the joy
out notes of its concluding score. Sand
wiched in between the dire things