New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-16

provided with a sererade. but an in
strumental one. which In the eharac-
ter Of the band and the style % the
music recalls the kind OF compositions
which were variously called sercnaaes'
divertimeuti and cassationi in the time
OF Mozart and Haydn. The duet be-
tween Hortensio and Lucentio IS one
o. the few instances In which the
comedy style is approached capital
throughout The heavy Teutonic hand
does not appear until Petruchio's en-
trance. and with him come occasional
limitations that u rs something only a
little less than the crack Of doom tnat
is impending. Goetz's orchestra takes
Pctruchio's temperamental masquera1-
ing altogether too seriously, and the
song in which katherine first diseloses
that the blind boys bowshaft has
struck her comes a. q welcome relet 20
the orchestral turmoil. Petruchio
song, which ends the act, is from Nag
uer, Of the "Lohengrin" vintage. Inc
entire scene Of Lucentio's mock IN
struction OF Blanca in Latin and HOT
tensio's music lesson Is delightful IN
its ingenuity and musical eNectiNe-
ness. Widmann has Lucentio aneet 70
translate the opening lines OF y! IT.
r.
verses from Ovid's "EpistolR Herol-
DUN" which served Shakespeare
turn, and when the operate HoT-
tensio teaches Blanca the gamut
he does so in a song in which IKE
Guido d'Arezzo's hymn 70 St Jonn C'Ct
oueAnt laxis"), every line begins on d
consecutive tone OF the scale ascend
ing. The concluding duet with its sig
nifcant echo Of Katherine's soul con
fict in the second act IS good, ORA
matte music i somewhat too tragic for
the situation. There are suggestions
OF Wagner which initiate against q
conviction Of Goetz's originality as a
rnelodist. but the method throughout
is Wagner In his "Lohengrin" period,
rather than that Of Die Meister-
singer" The system Of leading mo-
tives." or typical themes, is not en-
ployed, and that Of reminiscent
phrases sparingy.
The performance Of the opera last
night did full justice 10 the score
whose orchestral excuses Mr.. bodsnz-
Ky tanned with a loving and discrlm-
mating hand. The stage sets, all but
that OF the first act, built up masslvely
70 enable a dozen women TO appear 81
as many windows during the melee
UrONOEtQ UN the TtFplAiNE SCI az - 90
obvious draft from Wagners comedy
must by its garishness have grievet the
soul OF Mr.. Gatti, who knows his Padua
from childhood. He tolerated the ex-
hibition Of German taste probably be
cause Mr.. Bodanzky wished 20 copy the
Mannheim representation. But the IN
terror scenes were a sorry comment on
the Teutouic notion % Italian art.
Nine. ODER bodied forth a capital con
ception Of the shrew, though the admi-
ration which her acting compelled was
not unmixed with regret that ner love
~ voice was Necessarily expended 30
persistently in acidulous shrieks. Com
ment OF q similar nature was invited
By Mr. Sembach's too forceful singing,
though that had less 20 excuse IL
Petruchio having been made a vocal
tornado. Mr.. Whitehill. who acted the
part with genuine dramatic skill, could
not but strive TO hold his own against
the orchestra a. all hazards. When
lyrical opportunity offered itself he
made the most q 10. Good comedy in
stincts also informed M Leonhardt's
impersonation Of Hortensio, while Mr..
Reiss. IS the tailor. approved himself,
as always, as q real creative spirit IN
comedy. Mr. Goritz made no effort 20
check his tendency 20 fill the part OF
Baptista with Beckmesserian bur
lesque Nine. Rappold's Blanca was
colorless: 10 ought 70 have invited sym
patty. but did not The opera was re-
ceived with denominations OF resi- ect-
ful appreciation, scarcely with enthusl-
asm. This was the distribution o.