New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-20
''B0R|S GODOUNOW"
At THE METROPOLITAN
coroeous Settings for the
Production of the Russian
MuSiC-Orama.
AN EXTRAORDINARY WORK
historical Play with a Large
Theme-Music Effective,
Though Showing Arts
tic Deficiencies.

.bcb had its first performance at the
,,.,ronolitan opera House last night *
., extraordinary work 1t is probable
,,a, those who viewed it and listened To-
!, with the least intellectual Sophist'catiou
,opcbjne the aims Of its composer Nous
.o-esk, derived the greatest pleasure
.,,on il tnoulh to them also some Of its
,,,is,ic deficiencies must have been oh
IONS AGAINST these Deficiencies now
ever. it presented itself. fist Of all as a
historical tiay shot through and through
with ;aret uaeic theme. which. since II
,.lorcs 90 tasedy. Is universal and un-
,,nnered ly time or place or people. T.
,bsm il had something co. the sweep. dis
,iiy AMI selemuit! and also son, thing OF
,he dramgti. ln,ons,uity and lack of CO.
hssion If d Shak.>reariau drama as con
,radistingu' sntd from the conference oi
,rr,ose and manner of q modern drama.
To Them also % had much Straugcness OF
,vle a st,lo which was not easily recon
,nes 10 au,trins with which the modem
sage has made them familiar They saw
and heard the chorus eu;er into the action.
No, for tine purpose Of spectacular pag-
esn,ry. non a. hymners OF the achieve
men,s Of the principal actors Ia the story
I'M, as participants They heard un-
wontsd accents from these actors and
cav them behave i'm conduct which from
moment 10 moment appeared strangely
CONTRADICTORY. There were mut.erinss
~ discomfort which. under threats.
saye way to Wbilani acclamation IN
,,s FIST great scores JOB the beginning
n the oyeia. There wer" alternate mock
sries and adulations E he uc>t scene IN
which the people figured: and raining
throuph other scenes from iuVi>ibI" sing
ers cam. ecclesiastical chants against
which wee projected not "reiGir song
,for I'm the old conception there vas niue
n ina; 20 be heard. pvt long lassaSeS 81
heightened speech half dec.am3toiN, h"H
musical s multitude cIlnecd before up
raised kncuts and fell OH its knees before
the approach OF q man Whose agents
sNung the knolted cords: then acclaimed
inc man who sought 20 usurp throne
and overwhelmed with ridicuic "a Village
,mhecile who was vet supposed because
n his mental weakness - be possessed
Of miraculous presc.ence. and therefore
had provision of what vas to folio"
tho uslruatiou. They "a" the incidents
Of the DIANA moving past tire eyes Wl'h"
a framework of barbaic -rlcndor typical
Of q wonderful political past an amazing
political present and possibly prophetic
NJ = still more amazing political future.
And therefore they reioiccd.
These happily ingenious spectators sa"
an historical parsonage racked ny con
science nerve torn by spccues. ohsesseu
tv s.perstitions. strong ia position
sch~e9 Vet patheticaIy sweet and
moving I'm his exhibition of patelHal low
ard Going 10 destruction through Ienorse
for criu. committed. They were troubled
ty no curious Questionings az 10 the ac-
ciracy of the historical representations
The Boris GodounOw before them was
rsmorge stricken regicide. whose eooo
works. II he did any, had 10 3e summed
IN for their Imagination in Ire TACT thdt
he loved his son. In all thiS' ana also III
some OF it's music. the new opera was "
the opera operate. But 10 the uhhappl!
disjngenuous Tor perhaps IL ouid be better
10 say 70 the instructed there was mnch
more in the new opera: and il was TINS
more which so often gave judgment pause
even while il stimulated interest ana I'M
tated curiosity. II was PLY tnat an eN-
tlaordinary recent Outburst of enthusiasm
about q composer and an opera shouid
have had the effect OF distorung lheh
vision and disturbing their judgment
There was a reason 10 bee suspicious
touching this enthusiasm, because OF 's
origin IL came from France and not
from tho homeland of the author of the
plav or the composer of the music. MORE
over IL was largely based upon an element
which has as little genuineness in France
as a basis of Judgment (and which must
therefore be set down largely as an anec-
tation) as here Loud hallelujahs have been
raised In praise of Moussor5sky because
discarding conventional law, he vltallzCu
the music Of the lyric poem and also the
dramatic line, by making ii the emotional
towering OF the spoken word. when II
became necessary for the precious inner
brotherhood Of Frenchmen who hold
burning incense sticks under each others
noses 10 acclaim "Pel6as ct Mtiisande'
as a new and beautiful thing in dramatic
music. il was announced that Moussorg-
sky was like Debussy in that he mad
demonstrated in his songs and his operas
that vocal melody should and could be
written in accordance with the rhythm
and accents of the words. May heaven
forgive our ignorance. but ne mad sup
posed that we had learned that lesson
not only from Gluck and Wagner. but
from every true musical dramatist that
ever lived, And when the Frenchmen
land their feeble echoers In England ana
America began to cry out that the worid
make obeisance to Moussorgsky on that
score. there was no wonder that those
whose eagerness to enjoy led them 10
absorb too much information shouio asA
how this marvellous psychical assohahce
between word and tone was 10 De con-
veyed TO their unfortunate sense ann
feeling after the original Russian word
had been transmogrihed into French OF
English. Last night the opera which we
know 10 be saturated I'm some respects
with Muscovitism. or SlaVicism' anu
which We have every reason 10 believe IL
also 80 saturated in its inusico-verOal es-
senee. was sung in Italian. with the
change some of the character that ought
10 make it dear TO the Russian heart must
have evaporated. 1t is even likely that
vigorous English would have been bet
ter vehicle than the soft. bastard Latin
for the forceful utterances OF the operate
people
II is a pity that suspicion OF disin-
genuousness and affectation should force
Itself upon ones thoughts in connection
with the French enthusiasm over Nous
sOrgsky hut n cannot be avoided So far