The sun., 1916-12-23
"FRANCBSCA"-H ",
AMERICAN DEBUT
EendOnsi's Opera Heard at the
Metropolitan BY. a Large
Audience.
FIRST ACT Is THE BEST
0rchestration Is Splendid and
Is Staged With Skill
and Libcrality.


.Erance.ca A, RImini." opeta IN four
,,.-.,5,L -r,.- ,,,-.,, 1t. -.
"o'e''o o' Az" ''e'"'' o'
Riccardo Handonai; was performed az
the Metropolitan Opera House last
cisb, sor ,bs ar., TINA In ,hi. countrv
-.
i"e oook u '"e tragic poem VI o@-
orlele dAnnunzio. adapted by Mr.. Ri-
cordi but without altcra ton of the text
-. ,,hr.,.,., .or,, ,... o,. ~, oon-
sensation. Inc opera was once an
nounccd fJr production by the Boston
,ooers. bu, the promise was not
,..,.,,., ... .,,.,,.
iu'"'' """'e'o"' "u"'e"eo
ssmbled last evening and the perform
ance was observed with close interest
z.naor., h.. ,o,,o~., IN, .x,m,,. ~
., ,.,
Ao"emess' 'h se'eet''S dis'hsu'sned
Italian tragedy to set TO music. But In
icertain details he has gone further than
the composer Of ''L'Amore del Ire Re-"
The story Of Paolo and Francesca is a
family tradition OF the Malatestas. who
were the masters Of Rimini in the age Of
the despots, the fourteenth and fifteenth
centurics.
- Dsntes "issersS."
Incidentally the tale belongs also 10
tns Polentan'. despots. OF Ravenna. OF
which family Francesca was tho fairest
daughter. The history was narrated ia
Dante by the Malatestas and he made OF
u an Incident OF the NTH canto Of the
'fhferno." The oDera In the story Of an
italian family told and sung In music
~ Italians. There should be some hing
distinctive in this at any rate.
In the noble lines OF Dante one hnds
the story among references to some OF
the worlds great lovers-Paris. Achilles
and Tristan The action calls to mind the
mon'xinE OF King Mark transformed
son's Last Tournament
"'Mark's way said Mark. and Glove
Thin through the BRAIN" laurence Par
trett as Lonciotto. called Gioramsi in the
.opera. and Eleanora Duse a. Frarcvsco
s1re also conjured up as shining memo.
iries. but not by anything in last eve.
'nin9's performance.
The. tradition makes the oldest Of the
three brothers deformed. D'Annun1io
goes no further than lameness. But 10.
'rd~mi 10 cruel. while PaoIo is young
sent'e. radiant in manly beauty Poor
Frdncescn Ia trcked by her brother 70,
political reasons. She sees PoOIO, believes
MIN to he her prosoective husband. and
yields up her allegiance.
s,r,,sb, IA IN. hear,
lie wounded her n she a. h..,,,,u
lie IL beautiful, tho Msiatc.,s.
So sings Garscndd. one of her woman
The youth enters her garden and sb,
gives him rose and her life at Nh
same moment. very foolish stag
battle occupies the second act while 1,
. its foreground struggle the two lovers /,
the tightening coils OF fatal psssior
Glimpses Of Gioranni and the youn,
brother. Maldfestino, show us wher
: lurk the forces Of destruction.
ti
Betrayal by NaIntes,Ino.
In the third act tho lovers do tina
when FRANCISCO IN he'll told Dante wa
their undoins. They read OF Launcclo
shd 'ulncNere' ana the story of the kis
brines their lips together. All that rs
mains Is Tor Ndidfesfino. mad with hi
own hopeless passion. N betray the pal
etnnbed both TO death to break hi
Much might be made OF such a s,or
n Il were simply told, But IL is M
The play Is crowded with person. an
movement The music IL no, NhoI,
focused on the principal thcmA 7,