The sun., 1918-12-15

Golden West" became a living lyric
drama there, and a great audience &C.
claimed the composer, who was pres.
ent, and David Beslasco, the author OF
the play. who appeared before the cur.
tain with the musician.
Last night, although Mr.. Puccini
was in Italy. an equally great audience
welcomed with plaudits his three new
one act operas, given for the first
time anywhere. The titles Of the works
in the order presented are I'll Ia
barro," "Suor Angelica" and "Gianni
| Schicchi." The book OF the first is BY
Giuseppe Adami, after French drama
OF the Guigol school called la Houp-
pelande," by Didier Gold. Those OF the
I second and third are by Gioachino
| Forzano.
Within the limits of a morning re-
view the qualities Of the italian tril-
ogy can barely be indicated. For the
moment the three dramas will be
| sketched briefly as separate concep-
tons. We may pause however, to note
that the sugared signs and honeyed
languishings OF La Boheme" and MA
DANA Butterfly" have but distant re-
lation to the painting phrases and pull
sating rhythms OF the new scores
Short operas demand swift methods
and these works pursue their courses
with speed.
Yet in the first there is time for
some portentous broodlng ere the
catastrophe arrives, and In the last we
! ind Puccini cnperfng in the widest
1 intoxication OF farce.
This Puccini of the new comedy IL
! not the humorist of the Bohemian
garnet, but one who has stepped his
spirit in the juicy fancies Of Boo
caccio. albeit he has caught his theme
from the majestic pages OF Dante.
| The story OF I'll Tabarro" 1.-THE
Cloak'O is simply that OF tho often
! retold triangle, but with the action
! transferred to the deck Of a Seine
canalboat. This gives us new
scenic perspective. with tho bridges
| and the quaysS seen from below, and
rising behind all the towers of Notre
! Dame. 1t enables the opera makers ia
/ introduce the strange inhabitants OF
the water front, and to acoentuste
their passions by contrast with the
! innocent activities OF passersby on
the streets above.
| There are suggestions of. Charpen-
tiers Paris in this. but the voice ia
Puccinis. When the inevitable meet
! ing Of the lover and the false wife
is planned 1t is the injured husband
the padrone OF the canalboat, who
meets the lover and strangles him.
! Wrapping his great cloak around the
/ body, which he holds in his arms, he
seats himself till the wife appears
| Then he opens up the coax and lets
the lifeless form fall upon the deck AS
the curtains close We see him forcing
the lips Of the living and dead to-
gethcr in his frightful vengeance.
Theatrically this is the most ef-
! fective opera Of the three. 1t Is OF
the type of the shilling shocker, to
be sure, but these modern lyric melo-
dramas all are It belongs to the
same school as "Cavaneria Rusti-
cana" "Pagliacci" and "A Basso
Porto" 1t most resembles the last
for there are certain superficial poetic
traits which redeem the squalid trag-
edy Of the clowns. while I'll Tabarro,"
despite the rhythmically confessed
hunger of Gior0ettd's soul for amor
GUS intimacy in the Bois de Boulogne
or Michele's fervid apostrophe to the
river, is one succession OF pages as
dark as the subpontive memories Of
Rogue Riderhood himself.
In the score Of I'll Tabarro" Puc-
cini has written with theatrical skill
and musical color. II not with power.
a nSh fn-l ~.