New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-23
"FranceSca da Rimini'
Given Its First Amer
lean Production
NINE. FRANCES AIDA
SINGS TITLE PART
SignOr MartineIIi as PaOlO
in Musical Setting OF
Italian Drama
b. GRENyILLE VERNON


Signor Gatti-Cssazza had announced
as his third novelty Of the season. WAS
presented last night for the first time
i'm America at the Metropolitan opera
House The tragic loves OF Francesca
of Rimini and Paolo Malatests have IN
spired many poets and many composers
al least seventeen operas have oeen
r.ritten on tho subject Out OF the lev
lines OF Dante. lines having only the
slightest historical foundation, yerl,
table literature has arisen; Paolo and
Francesca have become canoni1ed IN
the liiany OF love. The saints OF the
amor.stic calendar being IN nature the
stuff out Of which operate heroes ana
heroines are made. the choice or the
sovent On composers becomes perfectly
clear. and when one OF the greatest o.
living poets presents a drama on me
subject. a drama OF rare beauty ana
poignancy. in which the veritaole
aroma Of the early Renaissance IS MIN
gled with a faint odor Of modern deca-
Gencc. 10 l., small wonder that the com
poscr's heart should respond.
Ricardo Zandonai is still young
man. barely thirty-three, but he al
ready occupies an important place IN
Italian operate life. 4 previous opera,
"Conchita." was presented at the Metro
politan By the Chicago Opera company,
but failed to arouse any particular IN
terest aside from an acknowledgment
OF it's wealth Of orchestral color. A.
drama it was feeble. the iibretto sordid,
and AZ the end positively ridiculous
francesca de Rimini," with all It's nm
itations, is q work OF different order;
The new opera was first performed
in Turin on February is, 1914, lol-
loved By production at Coyent Gar
den on July Is Of the same year. Inc
libretto is by Gabrielle DAnnunIio'
whose drama is known TO America
through it's performance by Eleanor
Duse. For operate purposes IL mas
been abridged and adapted by TITO
Ricordi, but its words remain eNciu-
sivelv those of Signor DAnnunzio:
The story. AS D'Annunzio has expanded
IL from the short passage in Dante, II
we'll known both through the acted
drama and through the excellent Eng
lish translation made by Arthur
Symons.
Francesca for reasons Of state Is TO
be married 70 the lame and hldeous
Giovanni Malatesta. Knowing that she
would refuse to marry him II she ga"
him. a trick is played upon her
Giovanni's handsome brother Psolo
being passed off upon her as her des-
/ tined husband. In the second act. dur
ing a fight on the battlement Of the
B castle OF the Malatesti, Francesca re-
proaches Paolo for the fraud. Paolo
protests his innocence and reveals ms
/ love. but leaves for Florence. where he
has been elected captain OF the people
IN the third act comes the famous
scene. as told by Dante. where iran
cesca and Paolo read together the story
/ OF Lancelot and Guenivere, where
/ tbeir love overcomes them and their
Inns meet in a first kiss. In the last
act Malatistino. Giovann's youngest
brother. who is also in love with Fran
cesca. betravs Paolo. and the outraged
husband kills the lovers in each other >
AIMS. -.
The beauty of this libretto. its color
and play of lights. and its gorgeous I'M
agery. are now part OF literary ms
tory. D'Annunzio's Francesca "a
Rimini' has already entered INTO llteia-
ture. II is. moreover, and TINS despite
its original proliXity, drama wei
suited for operate treatment. IN IT'S
essence it is simple; undisturbed by III
tellectual subtleties, II marches IRE
sistibly toward it's fated conclusion
Passion is its beginning and ITS ehd'
passion expressed first through sup
pressed longing. then flaming into IRE
in passages OF exquisite lyric beauty.
The characters are we'll cut and well
contrasted. cvoking both in their words
and acts the superb spirit or their age
an age at once so vital and so deca-
dent. Such is the stuff Of which a
great opera might well be made.
To the task which he set himself
Sienor Zandonai brought many excel
lent qualities. lie is master or the
orchestra. OF poiyphonic expression.
His palette is rich in colors. lie knows
the value Of contrast. yet in his search
for il he never attempts the ugly. lie
IL a true Latin in his love for the
beauty Of line and Of proportion. Inc
school OF the voritists has IN iran
cesca" left no trace Of its virus. Slgnor
Zandonai is evidently A child of the
later Verdi. the Verdi of "Otello.'
lust as Verdi modified and adapted the
Narnerian idea 10 suit his Italian tenn
nerament. so has Zandonsl strlven 10
make his opera a true music-draina.
This purpose he possesses IN common
with ltalo MontenezZi; IN fact, the re
.en,blances between Francesca ia
Rimini" and "L'Amore del Ire Re- are
az times startling. These two, the Two
Youngest and most talented OF the
Young Italian composers, are appar-
entity convinced that the way 10 opet-
attic salvation lies neither through
Puccini nor Mascagni. They are seek
ing a new expression, new idiom. and
n = first hearing Of Francesca" gives
the impression that il - not Iandonai
but Nontemezzi who has more nearly
succeeded In reaching il, Francesca
is none the less a work worthy OF serl-
Gus artistic consideration.
While displaying no particular GIT
Of spontaneous lyric expression. Mon
tenezzi in "L'Amore del Ire Re" gave
well nigh perfect musical inyestiture
TO the drama. the love scene in the
second act, through us very simplicity
Of treatment, being raised 70 a superb
height Of tragic beauty. Now u -
lust here where Zsndonsi has failed.
His melodic inspiration is certainly no
greater than that Of Montemezzi, and
/. IS probably less original; his power
o. dramatic expression IS infinitely
less
Throughout the opera there are
charming bits -the duet between Fran
cesca and Samsrstina. the chorus o.
women. the first meeting with Paolo,
the little air played or the bal
cony by the viola pomposo. the Lutte,
and the two old-fashioned wind instru-
r,ents. and Paolo's big air. There are
also many charming little details in the
orchestrs. many OF them reminiscent Of
other thing., OF Wagner, Of Verdi. But
these things remain separate. they 30
not really tell. The scene where the
lovers read from the book has beauty,
but the comment in the orchestra
somehow seems inadequate. Above all,
ir this supreme passage. passage