Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-11-22
NEW RUSSIAN OPERA
DRAWS VAST CROWD
prince Igor" by Metropolitan
Company, Attracts Socially
Prominent Throng at First
Presentation Here

with metaphorica1 trnmpets sounding,
society there in throngs, and coins cliniting
into the box office. the Metropolitan Opera
Company Of New York came into Philadel-
phla last night. and, with its usual display
OF elaborate accessories and its hand on
the popular pulse made the city forget that
"the season" really had been officially
opened last week.
All the adjectival fora and fauna which
flourish on like occasions flourished again
and were justified In the brilliance of the
social list, in the productlonof an absolute
novelty and in the superlative excellence
Of the cast
Tho opera was prince Igor" composed
by Alexander =. Borodn, with italian text
by Bega and Setti. II had never been
given here before. This was the cast
igor syatoslavtch. .......... .Pasauale Ame1io a1io
vnSirnir 'isoreyiic6 PAU 1lthepso
Prince Galitzky. ky.....,.......... Adamo Diddur Diddrr
kontschakovna .........'....,. Flora ,rddTss1,a1
sSopia Andres DO seegroa
Erochkr .,hnge ,hngeior or.sper 2g
4 Young glri . Rayfnonde Delaunols
Conductor Giorsio Poacco
Russian music, Of sorts is abundantiy
popular here. II Is often played at sym.
phony concerts and the like But this city
is not especially in touch with Russian
opera The only work OF such classlfca-
tion that is very frequently done Is NOUS
sorgskys Boris GodunOw." Twice 1t has
been sung at the Metropolitan, and by II
must the scale be adjusted to other operas
at least for the younger generation" COM
parison OF Igor" with Boris" is there
fore inevitable Never were two fellow
countrymen more dsslmiar
Igor" based on an old Russian epic,
deals with the princes expedition against
the Polovtsi It's history becomes "curloser
and curioser" when one learns that II was
in hal lfh1f far
Borodin, one OF the famous Five" the
Slav musical clique, worked on II at such
times as he was not giving medical lectures
He died before II was finished and Rimsky-
Korsakow inserted the orchestration, while
Gazounow another friend of his, assembled
the overture from memory
STORY LACKS FORM
These facts are enough to show that
igor" is not a singlo-minded clearly de-
veloped art form. Not only is 1t amor
phous where Boris" was strangely com
pact, even In its wlldness 1t lacks the
heroic glare which flashes, beacon-like.
from every note of Moussorgsky's score.
So unshaped, so episode, is II that the
Metropolitan did not hesitate to cut out the
third act, thus reducing the whole to an
entertainment with a reasonable time limit
The artistic sensbilities were not vastly
shocked by this process.
For the epic" consists merely of the
foes. his failure and capture, and his some-
What ignominous return to his doting wife,
Perhaps ones interest in this sorry hero,
80 different from Godunow shod with great
desires and crowned with disaster, might
flame up were the music itself more native.
more ferocious more appalling. Instead
we have n composition recalling nothing so
much as a worthy, but not very dis
tinguished. Italian opera of the later school.
OF such melodic metal Is the princes OPEN
ing air, the plaintive strains of his Pencil
pe-of-the-Steppes the love duet of his
son and the Khan's daughter. the. rather
opera bouffe duets of the tipsy rebels and
the familiarly developed part-slnging of
the womans chorus But there are times
when the Cossacl1 blood beats wildly in its
veins, as in the orgiastic and stirring
dances. which thrilled and stung last sea-
son when the de Diaghleff ballet did them.
Last night they were even better done,
with an abandon and animal grace and
breathess fury that shook the house, as
much as did the wonderful mis-en-scene.
VICTORY OF PAINTER
Throughout Igor" was victory of the
painter and designer The curious, formal,
cold decors OF the first act, the exquisite
combination of shimmering green's and full
oranges in the second. the ruddy glow of the
Tartar tents, with an opalescent lake in the
background Thy the way, why did the
stagehands emulate Miss KelIermann at that
point?) and the towering stone buildings
Of the last act were pictures of delight.
If the scenery seemed the star, It was
only because we are used to the singers and
their tried merits. Mr.. Amato, in full and
recovered voice sang superby. Nine Aida
sang at least prcttily. Mr.. Didur (ah
Boris y acted two roles with consummate
art, and was in good vocal fettle. The
Carusnian outbur.t of Mr.. Althouse was
wildly applauded, and minor parts were
sung in a major way. Best of all, Miss
Call and Mr., Bonhgio danced like Morse
Bacchanals In that wondrous ballet Against
all this opulence of voice and visual intri-
cacy, the dlrectoral work of Mr. Polacco
was seemingly subdued. yet 1t was finely
intelligent. But it was a night of dancing
above all. b. D.