New-York tribune., 1910-02-05
A REVIVAL OF "sTRADELLA.

-. ,,a--onolitap Opera House last
night an opera that has slunloereo io
decades. and had. we believe never eeioie
r-o,-.n bevond the walls Of the German
,bea-res m the Bowery. was lifted into
,,ror,tueDce which long ago seemed I'M
,,oss5ble- IL view of the change in taste
,.f7jch has taken place in all forms OF 'he
----i- draus-5Ierrnan. French and Italian.
7 vas Flotow's ''StTadeila-' which even
,7 ire long ago used 10 be brought 1oF-
card only to exploit al admired tenor IL
served that purpose last night, ana served
II 50 admirably. indeed. as TO make one
wonder If Mr.. Slezak had not u1ade an ao-
6itiou 70 the repeTtory which voulo prove
ss ootenr an attraction as any noTeitE OF
,be season. Great enthusiasm followed
every one Of his airs, and al the END OF tle
one-z there vas q demonstration when
brought Nj. Max Bendix. who vas effect
,ne his debut as an operate conductor be-
fore The curtain, al9Pg with the tenor eA-
.eller- compa mons. These companions
,e T-<- Of all. Miss Alma Gluck, who
,,sd her first opportunity TO appear in a
,ez5irr mart at the opera house A
,.,.,nx singer. inexperienced in all
-b3-se r7,,t with. gifts Of voice and
What Is still better-sifts OF taste and
,-.-f~-- which the best Of her veteran as
rc-~istas might envy her: then. Mr. Gorit1'
" Reiss and Nj Nuhlmann- Messrs-
.-o-ft- and Reiss have buffo parts As ltal-
fs- despe-adoes very palpably mooeiled
z<re- the amusing bandits IN FRA LfaF-
r,o and they made all that could be
made o,Jr OF them musiCally as well as ora
-,s+icslI5. As for Mr.. SleZak. he disclosed
himself TO be quite as charming lyric
artist IS he had shown himself tragic
pr5 re thrilled 6n audience obviously more
than : little nonplussed oy the character
~ the opera with the passionate intensity
~ his song to the Virgin IN the last ac'.
: * UPON this song that the plot OF the
rre-z Is made TO turn. Mr- Marion tra"-
ford recently revived tne clo ieseHo
which. though rrofessedly historical is az
much Of fiction IS Stradella's suthcrsnlp
r The most famous song which bears his
-=-e--he familiar church sir beginning
.-F;e-a Sigrore." or Sc i miei sospirl
urich was probably written cen'uIs 0iAo
: half after Stradella died
The story which Flotow's nhrettIst uti-
'fze5. though il has long paraded as his
-o-v has not been abl. tn stand critical
examination L Is IN effect that Alessandro
S-rsdelle. = musical composer. born about
7s.- having been called 10 Venice 70 COM
nose IN opera. 2 Venetian noblernan placed
his ls5v-Fove IN his care for instrucuoh-
Teacher and pupil fell in love with each
other end secretly left Venice together The
rra7lernau resolved that both should become
victims q his vengeance He hired TWO ban
5irs 80 follow the fUgitives 10 Rome ana as
saesinete them Arrived in the Eternal City.
-he rorrderers learned that the next day an
e,rsrorfo hv Stradella was TO he sung in
tie Church Of St John Lateran- Ehitner
tho went. intending TO stab Tho lady ana
ke- lover as they we're returning to their
dwellings Tho beautiful music and the
,frlfght shown hy the people. however.
touched their hearts. and instead Of killing
-re composer they sought him out. said
many pretty things about his music, in
eorred him Of their mission and begged
.-5n1 70 n. from Ron1e SO that they might
report that they had not found him there
Tie lovers hurried 70 Turin. where they
Sourd protector in a princess who en-
7lo1ed S1radel}a and hid the lady in q con-
-.ert
bur the Venetian was not 70 be hafied-
One evening Stradella was overtaken by
cutthroats and terribly. though not fatally,
stabbed. The affair caused q great stir;
-, :-zsasstns were apprehcnded. but es-
capped punishment through the influence or
heir employer The lady. whose name
VS. Ortensis- had now become StraGella' 8
1sfe. TogethcT they went to Genoa, where.
O. lie day after their arrival, they were
sound stabbed 10 death in their lodgings.
BoU-5eIot gives the date or this occurrence
as 1919; bat there Is an orstorio Of Stra-
celia 3 entitled susanna which is dated
Ayr. Is. 15sl.
Afte- The opera there was q ballet diver
tfssemeur participated IN by Nine Sac
rhetto and others. II. z. i.