New-York tribune., 1911-04-05
MUSIC
NoUGuEs's QUO vADIs7"
snectacular Opera at the Metro
politan.

1bs enercv which the operate cohor'S
% ua-,rcrstein developed when they o'-
.,r,ed The Manhattan opera House seems
90 remain with them under the Vicissituues
,,b,ch thev have undergone since theN ue
.os from, New York 10 be the nucleus
ers, Of the Chicago opera company ana
,cxt Of the Philadelphia-Chicago opera
cor,uanv II will probably be looked upon
a. a little singular by some that the re-
rnoval OF the scene Of the company ao-
,i,i,ies from the bustling metropolis on tne
middle West to the Eastern CITY "n''h
90 suprosed 10 be inclined 10 be deliberate
IN is methods seems 10 have brought WIN
d., an access OF the old energy. Some OF l's
o,eras which were novelties IN chicago
ursre not new 10 the company but needed
,,lv 10 be revamped but in Philadeiphia
,p~ec works new 10 rhe country were
wrought into HfA-Wolf-Ferraris susan
,s,s secret" Victor Herberts 'Natoma'
and Nourues's Quo Vadis?' The last OF
,hase. after several repetitions IN Phi'sdei-
rhia. had Us first performance AT the Me'-
,o,oli,an Opera House IN this city last
niSht
lie could scarcely claim 20 be discrin-
uould saw that all this fine energy mas
loen we'll applied. or been directed oS
wise and patriotic discretion, or )uus-
meni having only the advancement oi d. :
tIstic culture in view. The only one Vi
tho three works which may unhesitatinsly
10 said to 30 worthy Of reasonably eN-
tended existence is of too exquisite ana
Fragile Il nature 10 endure the rude pul-
(etirzs 10 which il has been SUBJECTED
The delicate aroma OF susanna cigarette
smoke turned into music by the rare genius
or Wolf Forrari is dissipated in such opera
houses a. those Of this city and Philadei-
-.,i, The opera IS crushed by the en-
tironmont As for "Natona, Il was IN a
sense an inheritance from Mr. Hammer
,fetn. but its production was made chleny
.-om a wish 10 create sensation by yls'"-
i-- 'o what Air. Di1pel and his pr'nclpai
lockers IN the directorate of the chicago
company thought 10y artful fomentauon
could be treated as q great popular desire
ami which was unwisey proclaimed as
..u,etring new. u would be pity II the
,or,r,.er's words should prove 10 be true
and that tho fate OF so foolish and fatu-
,.. thing as "Natoma" should carry
with n the fste Of English opera-by when
ve mean m tho FIRST instance operas com
rosed To- English words and. incidentally.
,reras which by the nature and excellence
of their books and music are adapted for
translation into the vernecular In neither
instance can anything survive which in
.ulis the intelligence OF the English or
American people.
The new opera QUO Vads." though Sc
,e.ted for performance long ago BY Mr.
piprel. came upon the people Of Phua-
d.lV.ia Ike a last desperate effort 10 re-
animate on enterprise which seemed mori-
aund Had Tho tremendous zeal and vtsor
.f ;ae orsanzstion been turned toward II
a. sr earlier period It might have done
MUGS i'm aid Of the enterprise not wholly
n, virtue Of its artistic merits but by its
,rueal to the popular love for scenic pomp
art nag4antry and the attra activeness or its
subject Sienkiewicz's romance was tre-
~en1ouslv popular when . appeared. ana
.tt1 holes tho imagination Of multi
-sd-s iu thrau II stirred the emotions Of
. religious devoteer capture the fancy or
lovers u the picturesque and exacted an
interest bv no means ignoble Of the stu
dents Of classic literature and history. And
way VI Henri Gains dramatization repeats
ny means ot ingenious use Of theatrical
and lyrical devices The romance covers
600 large q territory 70 be embraced IN
-rgla plav. even II the play were not
made sluggish in movement by music. and
81 Cain has presented a series OF incidents
ratrer than a closely knit and logically
te-oloped ira yedy. But he has done his
work with great skill. large element ot
which is exhibited by the manner in which
while making the persecution OF the Chris
rsu- under Nero the main theme OF the
orara DO has blended with il the charm on
the scenes in which Petronius and Vini-
Gins arc disclosed as the heroes of ro-
mantle love He has not been mere
transcriber or paraphrast. but has dis
closed himself as a poet and also scholar
n his use of classical and Biblical ma
'eriaL Unfortunately, the desire for a
vast and varied spectacle has persuaded,
perhaps compelled him 10 introduce
multitude 81 personaEeS and incidents
worthy of better treatment as inconse-
qu-0tIal stalking horses and thus marred
the rav IN the eyes OF historical students.
'u this ho has been heiped obviously
sz7.nst him own will. as any reader OF the
hook in the original or the translation made
tv Nr ST. John Brenon (Which has a liter
arv quality that entities ii 10 respecU can
see hy the uncouth treatment 10 which
much of b. Las been subjected by the stage
manager
Tor instance, how came the elephantine
Hssso. Armondi. 20 he cast for the part
of Nero? The composer wrote his music
f0r tenor and ID has had - he aItered N
bring it within he range of Arimondrs
craoontine voice. Had ". Nougues desired
to be strictly within historical lines he
would have given the part 20 a barytonc.
tor that in greatest likelihood. was the
kind of voice which the tyrant possessed
], was naturally weak and OF rather q rude
quality rQuamquam exiQuac vocs ct
fuses. says Suetonus Of hinl. but We
have always fanced that the historians
have not treated him fairly. either as poet
or singer lie certainly studied faithfully
and industriously under Terpnos. the finest
&tharist Of his day, and il is while de-
scr'bins his virtues. not his vices. that
~uet9nius SAYS that his musical porforu-
ancos gave such joy to the people ,ba,
public prayers Were appointed % be mt
Ip p" tho gods on that account. and che
verses which had been publicly read were
after being written in gold letters. conse-
Grated 20 Jupiter Capitoluus" II Is true
tnaf there are some persons who.
rather tnan hear him sing. slipped pri-
vately over the wall. because the gates
were shut. or. c0unterfeiting themselves
dead. were carried out for their funeral
Bo' these may have been either poor Judges
rav.sr