New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-14

ing IN fhrlh. La Joll'f nv ""
Perth" and "Djamileh" came later
there has been no thought OF produe-
ing them here, though it Is reasonable
10 suppose that they are ripper products
Of Bizet's genius.
II IS probably because Italy took w
Les Pecheurs" after Carmen, Tx
ing some of its simple tunefulness. per
haps. and tried TO habilitate II in that
country and at Covent Garden. in Lon
don. that we now have II here, That,
together. perhaps. with Mr.. Gattl's
confessed fondness for it not entirely
devoid Of a sentimental havoN since 1t
was one of his early productions as
manager. and the fact that Signor
Caruso and Signor de Luca had ap-
peared together in the opera years ago.
In the case of Mr.. Gattis predilec-
ton il is also possible that his belief
that the opera gives evidence of spirit
ual afiliation between Bizet. repre-
sentative French composer. and Verdi
the highest embodiment of the modern
Italian manner. was not without iniiu-
ence.
Musicians Who Lauded Wagner
On Bizet's return to Paris. after his
soiourn in Rome as a winner OF the
government prize, he belonged TO a
coterie of musicians that continued
the Conseryr toire and its methods ana
lauded Wagner-Wagner and verdi o
Jouvin, who refused to swing the CEN
ser for the German composer. Bizet
once said: "You love VerdIs music;
very well. Wagner is Verdi WIN
STYLE" ~
There is nothing inconsistent III
liking or even loving the music OF oo'h
Wagner and Verdi, but it seems 10 US
that it requires big stretch OIL tne
Imagination to find either Wagnerisih
or Verdiism in the music OF el''e !,
lies Pecheurs de Perles" or carmen
The dramatic language OF the iaIte'
where il is most eloquent is most mar
vidually Bizetesque; the dramatic IAN
quape of the former, of which there<'
little. is a hotch-potch OF empires;
II ranges from Herold through Gouuod
10 Neverbeer and Verdi at their wo'S''
We think of both of these more IN the
finale of the first act ("Dans lie cle,
and "Ah. chante, chante encore
which is about the paltriest ana nv
tasteIess piece of music to whlch tile
walls of an opera house have resouh"
ed---except at Lambs Gampol'
We have a premonition Of Carmen
in the cavatina of the second act
"Comme autrefois dams la NUT som
bre." even down to the horn melody Du.
il is only because both the cavatiha anu
W;caelais romance belong to type
With the creation of which Beet had
notbinq TO do, and because lot the
time being the chaste priestess Oh t,le
nj. onera Sins into the skin OF the
insinid maiden of the later, VINO was
nroatod only that there should be
little admixture of virtue IN the
wickedness of the fierce Spanish STORY
II is inconceivable if there had Deeh
tho faintest stirring OF the genius
which created the music OF Oarliiel'
-anvthinp more than love LOT an
occasional piquancy of harmohizaolI1lII
or orchestration-th bizet sh1uiu
have undertaken to set so comhoip pc e
and foolish a play as that OF Les
Pscheurs de Perles." He VINO trea'eu
local color in so mastery mamie -,
"Carmen" and "L'Arlesienne does nv
soem even to have taken me Vrougie ~
study the palette of felleleh La" ~ ~
while setting the Oriental story. i 10
efforts at Orientalism are alihosV ~. 'n
fantile and show maturity ohly !" ~ -
ballet music Of the last act Whlcn, ~ %
said. he wrote for his 1ather, h,,
Halevy's. opera "Noe'-though WY
antediluvian women shouiu "
danced like Gaditanians we 10 NV
know. rd ANN of a
LII 1slightly suggestive OF tne
"aye Maria" wrongly accredited ~
ArcsdeitC which is associated with the
iove ~ Leila and Nadir, and which Is
sung ecstatically by the lovers when
thew leave the scene of the last time,
probably was considered dQheTismc
when il was first heard, but such the
matte "reminiscences were an ora ue
vice when Wagner set out oh HIS
career as a composer
Story Of the Opera
The story of the opera has been told
at a length in The Tribune which ala
credit to the ingenuity OF the writer
II has a bit of Norma" in 1t IN that
a vestal virgin is found to be not all
that a vestal virgin ought 10 De
though Leila does not seem TO nave
gone to the extremities OF the Druldlc
priestess. She having sworn not to
/ love a man or show her face TO one
she is discovered to have loved the
tenor and been loved by both him ano
the BARITONE. Wherefore the implaca
Bile Ceylonese pearl fishers, to whon
she was to bring luck by her singing
IN the ford Meyerbeerian manner
condemn her to death by flre;
But their chief, who is the swori
friend of her lover, though his rival
| discovers at the last moment 10y mean
of string of beads like those OF th'
blind woman in "GiocondaD that sh'
had saved his life. SO to save hers ne
sets fire to a village and tells her ant
| her lover to run away from there "hii'
the Ceylonese are saving their mouse
hold goods. They escape slowly 10 th'
operas musical LeitnlotU.
| Books and stage managers DO no.
agree as to what happens after that
/ Originally the Ceylonese, wanting e
burn somebody, burn Zurga, their chiei
who had been particeps criminls IN th'
escape. But last night Nourabad, th'
! high priest. put a knife into Nadir'i
| back. and the curtain came down or
him writing on the ground. But tina
doesn't matter; the story never de
yelops a dramatic interest, and any
way of bringing the final curtain Il
acceptable.
Triumph of Scene Painter
The most enduring interest IN las
| nights perfoi nance was created by th'
scene painter, whose pictures IN th'
| first two acts were triumphs IN design
= and color. After that the beauty o.
Caruso's singing in the romance J'
/ crois entendre encore" and with Signoi
IL Of he a..