New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-26
Production of Giordano'S
Work GloriheS Gatti'S
Administration.
STAGE PICTURES
THRICE ADMIRABLE
rartar. Martinelli. Amato and
Dozen Others Win New
aurelS.
By II. z. KREHBIEL.

excite our special wonder new
o,srs. by - composer who made his
mark a score of years ago. had ITS first
,erfo-uancc OH any stage.
er.r occasions have been more
..--o-.r- Within the last decade than
.tc. y.eG to be- when we first began 10
t.,.t cr the superiority OF our operate
.,sttrt.nr. but N we have the finest
.,e~.t,r organization iu the world and
-.,-,,r,re -t more literally than any
..to~ pcor'c. $50 ought also 20 be IN the
zen sd faras thC productions OF nsvei-
E .-r concerned We have done
..,,e.t.rr ,n that linc. and lt is much
~ o.- credit that some of the operas
.ti,b SAW che Hcht Of the stage lamps
.- Nov. York have been worthy OF pro-
5.c--or and nave proved 10 by remain
rrat IS not always expected Of works
,ro6uced az the opera houses OF Euro
,esr CAPITALS operate conditions are
rof norma. 300 Europe Just now, nut
,bst fact had nothing TO DO wltn the
,ho,ce a. New York as the place M
ob,ch Imbcrto Giordano's Madame
Ssrs- Gene" should have It's first repre-
.c7tstion: 10 would have seen ITS ma
,orial birth here had a war. begun 10
promote civilization as conceived by
ogr Teutonic cousins, not interviewed
N nut q barrier 20 artistic culture IN
Tbo only effect OF the crime commit
,,ng against culture I'm the name OF
culture was 20 keep the composer away
4rom the first presentation OF his
work: and that circumstance Is entire.
~ ircorsc0ucnual. The presence OF
S,cror Giordano might have Quickened
,te ruIscs Of the people who heard ms
oncra: 10 could not have helped the
work. which had as admirable a repre-
,cr.s..on as could well be conceived.
,rt which certainly could not have
I,C, hotter had the scene o. the
.ro-ld premiere" been laid in Milan,
London. Paris. S. Petersburg, Berlin
D. -'or-fcd the administration OF
c.rror Gatti-Casazza. bound new Tau
rei. around tho brow OF Signor oscS-
Mini and his helpers, where they al
resdv cluster thickly. and won freSh
-gerdon for the metropolitan comPah!
and its artists. -.
unanimously set forth, IS an operate
version of the drama which Sardou de-
yelopcd out of q little one-act plSs
dealing with "a partly fictitious, partly
f,.tor,csl rlav Of which Napoleon and
ia marshal. Lcfebvrc, and laundresS
we're tho figures
Whether or not the great Corsican
could be justified as a figure IN a lyric
drama Uas a question when Giordano
conceived the idea of making an opera
out of the play. 10 is said that VERDI
remarked something 10 the effect that
the question turned on what he was
called 10 sing and how he would be eN-
nerfeJ 10 sing it. The problem was
Ieally not a large or difficult one, Tor
All great people are turned into
maroucttes when Transformed INTO
operate heroes.
IN the palmy days OF bel coRtO no
one would have raised the question lot
flcr the greatest characters IN history
sang the conventional arlas. Inc
change from old-fas hioned opera 70
regeneratcd lyric drama might nave
smplifed the problem. even u Glor-
dsuo's lbrcttist had not already done
20 bv reducing Napoleon 20 ms lowest
term from a dramatic point o. view
The old heroes Of eighteenth century
opera were generally conventional
lovers and no more. Glordano Ma
poleon is only q Jealous husband, VINO
helps out Don the denOuement OF a play
chiefly concerned with other people.
In turning Sardou's dramatic people
into operate marionettes great deal
Of bloodletting was necessary and
great deal Of its characteristic charm
was lost. especially IN the cases OF
Nine. Sans-Gene herself and the En-
perors sister. but enough was LETT TO
make practicable opera; and what
more could be asked ~.
There were the pictures OF all the
plebe.sns who became great tolk later
concerned IN the historical incidents
which lifted them up. There were also
Tho eoptraetinp pictures which result
cd from the great transformation, and
there WAS also the ingratiating lnci-
dent Of the devotion Of Letebvre 10 the
s'out-hearted. honest little woman OF
the people who had 10 try 70 be
duchess. All this was fair operate ma
terial. though music has strange ca
pacity for refining stage characters.
Giordano could not do himself JUS
tice as a composer without refining the
eypreseion OF Caterina H.lscher, and
20 his Duchess Of Danzig talks a mu.
steal language, at least, which Sardou'
vashcrwoman could not do and remain
within the dramatic verities. And SO
we had MADAME Sans-Gene' with q
difference. but not one that gave any
more offence than operate treatment
Of other fine plays had accustomed
us 20.
To disposc Of the artistic merit Of
the new opera as briefly as can be
done 900 necessarily imperfect review
10 NAV be said that IN more ways than
one Giordauo has 300 TINS Work harke,
back 10 Andrea Chenier,' the first OF
his operas. which had a hearing IN
America nearly twenty years ago
The parallel extends 20 some OF
the political elements OF the book
a. well a. It's musical investlture
with Dos echoes Of the popular airs
of the period Of the French Revolution
The style Of writing rs also there
though applied. possib bly,, with more ma
lure and refined skill We cannot say
With as much righteousness or fresh
ness of invention, however. Its spirit
il the first act, and largely IN the sec
ond. is that OF the opera bouhe, bu,
there are many pages OF "Sans-Gene
which we would gladly exchange fol
any one OF the melodies OF lie Coco
lei us say, in ia File de Madame
Angot."
Like su good French music, which il
uses and initiates. it is full Of crisr
rhyihms. largely developed from the
old dances which, originally innocent
we're degraded 10 base uses by tho
sGps-ctiOffCs. and 80 there is an album
dance Of life and energy in the score
though little Of the distinction, Gle
gsncc and grace which have alway'
been Characteristic Of French music
whether high born or low.
The best melody In the modern ltal'
IAN vein flows in the second act, when
me genuine affection and fidelity OF
tsterina and Icfebvre find expression