New-York tribune., 1918-11-26

By H. E. Krchbiel

made their representations familiar
last season and before-Mme. Homer
as Marina. Mr.. Didur as Boris, Mr.
Althouse as Dimitri, Mr.. Rothier as
Pimenn and others in less consequential
parts-of Miss Delaunois as Teodoro
Can ingratiating performance), Miss
Perrin as the nurse, Mr. Reiss as the
simpleton. MIR. Bada as Schonisky. de-
serves honorable mention for the sake
a newcomer in the person of Miss Mary
Mellish, who halls from Connecticut
and Albany. 1t was debut made un-
der embarrassments, for the novice
was surrounded by ripe artists, sea-
soned in their parts, and the perform
ance an excellent one, though we
should have liked moro spirit in the
/ glory" chorus than Mr.. Papi put into
it. Miss Mellish has a pretty voice.
q better account Of herself later.
Moussorgsky's opera has endured at
the Metropolitan for six seasons, dur
ing which it has had thirty-two repre-
sentations. 1t stands at the head of
the list of the new works introduced
by Mr.. Gatti, which is significant fact
and one pleasant to contemplate, for
it is record of success achieved by
the opera itself, and not because Of the
SINGERS eHPioyeu III IL. 1Ie oPeie q
which comes nearest to it is "L'Amore
del Ire Re-" and this is in the same
case and another cause of rejoicing,
for the greatest need of the institution
in Broadway is stable repertory, a
repertory which shall endure when
popular singers shall depart, as in the
natural course of events they must.
Much has not been done toward this
end during the last ten years. Of the
twoscore new works which have fig
ured in the list one-half were dead as
a door nail at the end Of the season
which witnessed their appearance.
Like Marley in Dckens's "Christmas
Carol" they were dead to begin with.
and this in spite of the fact that Caruso's s
voice sounded in some of them. A few
were operas whose merits were not on
trial, though the taste. judg. g.nent and
principles of the public and the opera
management were. "Falstaf, "Armide"
and "Iphigenia auf Taurs" did not
fail in an artistic, but only i'll a com
mercial test. A few more Of whose
now in case of suspended animation
because of the Warbler Rosenkava-
lier," "Die Verkaufte Rraut" and "Kon-
igslinder"for instance. The production
of five or six of smaller calibre is Of
too recent date to enable one to do
more than speculate about their prob
able fate; but there is no question of
the mortal dissolution of "Amore
Medico," LA Fanciulla del West,
"Lebetenz," Madeleine" "Les Pecheurs
de Perles," "The Pipe of Desire" "Tief-
land" "versiegclt," "Villi" and
"Wally." If they were SO soon to be
done for, what in Apolos name were
they begun for?
But boris Godounoff" has lived, and
lived to a good purpose, for it has ever
and anon lifted the Metropolitan out
of deep grooved ruts and saved some
operate Christians from sinking in
the Slough Of Despond. When it was
first brought forward, in March, 1913,
it was remarked in this journal that
among the unfamiliar things which it
presented to the attention of the pub
lie were dramatic incidents moving
past the eyes within a framework of
barbaric splendor, typical of Won
derful political past, an amazing po-
litical present, and possibly prophetic
of a still more amazing political fu
ture. 1t was timd prediction, but
it was nearly a year and half before
the demon of war tore it's way out of
the worlds womb, and only those who
desired its coming knew Of the i'm
such a spectacle as now horriies
Christendom was in the writer's mind,
which was dwelling on vision of a
regenerated Russian nation, over
whelmng in it's wealth and power
freed from the shackles of imperial
priesthood, its native genius fostered
and gigantically developed by educa-
ton, carving out in affiliation with
the United States the future of the
world. For the present the dream is
gone and the Russian vision is COM
panion picture to that presented at
the opera last Saturday afternoon
when the audience saw the progress
and destruction of anabaptist Bolshe-
vism.
Perhaps opera might be made an
educational institution after ALL Mr..
Gatti might give us historical cycles.
He could begin with Boris Godounoff
who fastened serfdom upon the Rus
sian peoples, put the big bell in Mos
COW, played part in the story of the
false Dmitri, tried to dam the rising
fortunes of the Romanoffs who sup
ported that pretender and whose great
Peter himself would figure amiably in
"The Car and the Carpenter" (for one
season in Mr.. Gatti's list at the New
Theatre). We could have Catherine
the Great in "Etoile du Nord' and a
plebeian transmogriticatio of Frederick
the Great of Prussia, who was the
original flute player when the French
opera was the German Camp in
Silesia." Then, since the wars of re-
ligious sectarians have already been in
troduced in "Le Prophete," we might
have "Kovaretschina," which has been
spooking about the opera houses OF
Paris, London and New York ever since
Boris" opened the door to the modern
Russian school. Now, since we are deal
ing with religious fanaticism, we might
have revival Of the once popular
cpera described by Heine as that in
which Catholics and Protestants mur-
dered each other to Jews music. "Les
Huguenots" would lead quite naturally
to another story of massacre, Verdi's
"Sicilian Vespers," but since in this
Italians slaughter Frenchmen, the
opera might be thought inopportune
at the present juncture in the worlds
political affairs; yet we make no doubt
the music would be quite as interesting
as that of ola Forza del Destino." A
historical cycle, leaving out the story
in which Henry the Fowler Of Germany
rlayed part, for that's German
opera. By the same token "Rienzi''
is taboo. Come-why not?
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