The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-26
GIORDANO'S SCORE NOT
ABOVE PREVIOUS LEVEL
Madame ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Opera House.

Madame Sans-Gene," opera in four
acts, the book by Renato Simoni after
the comedy by Nictoricn Sardou and f.
Moreau. the music by Cmberto Gior-
dano. was performed last night at the
Metropolitan Opera House for the firs:
time on any stage. The comedy should
be remembered by local theatregoers
from its interesting representations
with Kathryn Kidder in the title role
and from the production in which Nine.
Rejane was the principal actor. Inn
berto Giordano is the composer OF An
drea Chenier.' an opera produced at the
Academy OF Music by the late Col.
Mapleson on November 10, 1895; Fee
dora" produced by Heinrich Conried
at the Metropolitan on December 5.
1906, and siberia produced at the
Manhattan Opera House by Oscar Ham,
mersteln on February 5. 1907. Not one
Of these three operas made any serious
impression or effected a lasting occupa-
ton of the local stage.
Last evenings production was wit
messed by large and eager audience.
The brilliancy of the stage pictures,
the swift movement of Sardou's skill
fully planned action, the disclosure OF
Geraldine Farrars gifts in a new in
vestiture and tho new demonstration
OF a pleasing skill within a limited field
Of mpersonation on the part OF Mr..
Amato. for which ne has few opportuni-
ties, all served to hold the interest OF
the assembly and furnished food for
much animated discussion in the
entr'actes.
a..
But there was no ground for belief
1 that the opera had made any deeper
conviction of creative power than its
predecessors from the same pen. II the
work obtains any vogue it will be en-
tircly due to the achievements of the
principal impersonators. And 1t must
bc kept in mind that this can conf
IDENTIFY be said in spite Of the fact that
| Arturo Toscanni. the foremost opera
conductor of the world, has devoted to
the Interpretation of the work his
unique endowments and his inexhaust-
! ible energy.
OF the liberties taken with history py
Sardou and Moreau in their comedy moth
/ ing need now bs said. Mr.. Simoni has
maze as good opera book cut os ;55
play as could be expected. He has kept
+ close to his original, and his labor has
naturally been chiefly that OF omission
/ and condensation in order that the piece
might he reduced to practicable proper
/ tons. II the ibretto Is not great one
II can hardly be called the fault OF NJ.
/ Simoni.
II Is too crowded with incident and
action. An ideal opera book would sell
/ dom he able TO stand performance with
out the music, because it would be to-
''talky." The numerous sustained lyric
utterances which are the lie OF an opera
are the death of a play. On the other
hand "A composer cannot work to ad-
vantage when he Is encountered with a
mass OF details OF stage business. What
he requires for his purposes is a few
grand dramatic situations in which the
elemental emotions are to be expressed
not by doing but by speech which he
is to translate into song.
The first opera makers tried to con-
struct this type OF poetic drama by car
rying on their explanatory dialogue in
rectative and publishing their emotional
states In arias. Their purpose was de-
feated by the decadence of their method
into "A mere stereotyped formula. Later
masters sought to reconstruct the form
by modifying the large difference between
the recitation and the air still later
composers abolished the conventions OF
the recitative entirely and wrote the ir
dialogue in a continuous meloS, known
technically as ariosO When they needed
the larger lyric utterance they gave IT.
but not in any conventional pattern such
as that of the eighteenth century ara
Memorable Great Acts.
But no great operate masterpiece has
ever been created which contains no mo
mcuts OF rapturous melodc song, OF pure
lyric utterance. Without pausing x
search the archives of the mind any
operagoer will think OF the great thirt
act OF AIDA" Of OteIIos farewell I,
the pomp. the pride and circumstance
OF war" OF the dialogue OF Pelleds anC
, MeISdHdc beside the fountain, OF 20 SINK
hernieder" and mild und leise" in ''Tts
tan" of Wotdn's farewell OF BrucHn
hIde's immolation. These things are mu
he good one must not only make room
for great music but must inspire IT,
If the objection be raised that Gior
r dano's work Is comedy and we are quot
[ Ing tragedies, IL Is necessary only to re
e call the frequent and beautiful instance
- of lyric utterance In a bakers dozen o
a works, among them RossinIs Barber o
Y Seville" Mozart's Marriage OF Figaro.
q Wolf Ferrari's lie Dome Curlose," SINE
n tanas "Bartered Bride" Wagner's "Di
Meisters niger and Verdi's "Falstar.
g Surely Comedy with her smile and he
Il rod of Satire castigation has done a
: much for music as Tragedy with her grin
l. portents and her agonies.
: The book of Madame Sans-Gene
| supplies only few dramatic points 70
= strong and vital music The point a
10 which the development OF this vivac.ou
J., | comedy calls for the most moving emo
= tlonal utterance is in the second ac
when LoJcbprc repeats TO his wife tn
Emperor's suggestion of divorce. Fo
the rest there are some delightful bit
of comedy in the book and some OF ther
" clamOr for that style OF delicate and fan
J. cful music with which Massenet ha
n delighted our ears and our taste in hi
"Manon," music which wears tn
Il powdered wig. the exaggerated gallantr
lie and the pirouette of Paris of the clos
of the eighteenth century.
II That Giordano has written his score /
- a workmanlike manner goes almos
= without saying. The routine OF operati
composition is we'll known to Italia
g composers. In fact they know MOI
le about this than about anything els
lie and much OF the lyric art which en-
}" arates from the land OF tho drama pc
ct musica" discloses its inheritance OF III
blood OF IA generation in which ono VIII
W could write an effective opera finale wa
re called skilful contrapuntist. Giordan
is "A competent routinier; he knows no
Ia to put an opera score together.
II His method has no new features. 1t
o.