The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-11
Il Amore del Ire Re- Called the Re-
Mobilization of Italian Opera...Lu.
crezia Bori Revealing Herself
as q Real Artist

not rise to such levels OF artistic purity
as the immortal "Orfeo" Of Poliziano,
hut II has some consanguinity with the
dramas Of Fuscoio and MansOni At
any rate II shows traces of the In
f1uences operating In the second revival
NJ ftslian literature.
The dignity Of this iibretto and its
clearly marked nationslism Of style
make the Italians proud OF II. Monte.
me39is music Is Just as intensely
Italian as tho book, and. like II, this
| music has harked back TO the finer
| models Of the Italian lyric stage. The
forceful expression Of emotion In present
In plenty, but this expression Ia In
variably artistic. poetic. noble. There
II no page Of vulgar fawninR at the
! feet Of the ignorant. Montcmczzl makes
no essay at tickling the ribs Of the
mob. He COMFORTS himself always as
| an italian OF culture. making his ad-
dress to his peers. II others do not
enjoy what he has to say he will he con-
tent to dwell In a circle a. exclusive as
that Of the medieval court Of MRntua,
which saw the birth Of Italian opera.
! hut Monemexxi's music, lofty in
style. chaste In eSteriOrs. passionate in
| feeling and intellectual In method. ap.
peals to all these present Italian men
and women Of culture with force not
to be perceived by those whb are UNI
| acquainted with the discomfort sur
rounding The late developments in
italian lyric art. In Italy. for instance.
"Pagliacci' has no such standing as II
has here. II is not performed In any
Of the first opera houses. "Cavalleria
Rusticana" In accepted In them. but In
the Leoncavallo work there II a certain
coarseness OF fibre which relegates II
to the popular theatres.
While Mr.. Puccini's operas are in
cluded in the repertories OF the great
houses there has always been an under
lying tone Of regret in the private dis
cussions Of these works among italians
at the most scholarly mind. They have
deprecated the melodramatiC methods.
the cunning theatricalism Of the Sardou
school which Puccinis music reproduces
in several operas with such consum-
mate skill
Therefore when the word ''rehabilita-
ton" was used II was no exagEeration.
II embodied in itself the jubilation OF
a fine italian mind over the American
triumph Of n work which puts aside the
mere mechanisms Of the drama and In
Ntcs OpeTd HOSTs OnCe ulOTe 10 BV IN
the atmosphere Of lofty lyric tragedy.
One Of the Joys Of the observer Of
musical doinEs Il TO watch the devel-
opment OF artists. II In no small con-
tribution to the happiness Of q human
life to have seen Lilli Lehman de.
velop into the tremendous Isolde and
Brunnht1de Of her mature years In art
1t liz a Gift OF the gods to zee q Jean
de Ress)ke grow from the most elegant
OF FdWsfs to the ideal Tristan. II ID
something worth living for to have
heard the hrst American Lucia OF Mar.
celia sembrich and her last recital Of
songs.
So. too, Il II deeply interesting In
these days to keep eyes upon the ca.
reers Of such singers a. Geraldine Far
rar and Lucrexia Bori. There need be
no approach to . comparison between
these two young singers. They 20 their
separate ways and have their separate
excellences: hut Miss Bori Ia the newer
Of the two to New York audiences. and
her recognition seems to be in danger
Of delay.