New-York tribune., 1919-12-06
Observation-Disclosures Traces
Premiere of Opera as
Far Back as 1882;
Las, Performance, 1858
Resurrection Is Battling
Critical Historians Believed
Rossini's Poor Piece
Was Dead and Buried
By II. F. krehbiel

SticklerS Tor hlStorlcaI verify 1cir
moved to protest. for in books. which
we fear have accumulated a thick
LAYER OF dust. were records of per
tormauces Of the opera in at leaSt
three Of New York's operate inStitu-
foSmances vc .ancy. though wc have
not disturbed .she dusty Volumes. tooN
place q the Academy o. Music N 1855.
That was siXty-oae years ego and IL ie
doubtful OF any Oh the present patron
of the Metropolitan can recas, Madam
DAngrIs singing in the role of
Isabella. As for the earlier repre-
sentstions OF the opera in Palmo's
Opera House (Which once had beeA
Stoppanis Arcade Halhs) in 1914 and
the Richmond Hill Theater at Narick
and Charlton streets (Which had one
been the home OF Aaron Burr) in 1892
we feel quite certain that no present
occupant Of box. stall. or balcony seat
a the Metropolitan can remember the
.heateTs. mach less the performances
Of the old orela.
Why the Performance Now
The question OF when "LItaliana in
Algeri' was given in New York is less
interesting than that of why it was
given at the Metropolitan Opera
House last right-less interesting and
less perplexing. Critical historians,
who are sections as we'll as resurrec-
tonists. had thought Rossini's opera
dead and buried long ago But it must
have survived and been spooking about
n some Italian theaters. or Madame
Besanzon would not have been able
% arouse the antiquarian interest
which seems slumbering but ready to
awake at touch ir the soul Of Mr.
Gatti. The question why La Forza
del Destino was Incorporated into the
Metropolitan list, or LA Juive." was
answered by the presence Of Signor
Caruso. Signora Besanzoni gives no
such convincing response to the why
and wherefore of "L'Italiana." for we
can scarcely recall singer more fla
grartly miscast for the principal role
Of an opera than she in this. If it
vas thought that the merit of the
opera justified an attempt to rescue
II from the limbo Of forgotten things
We can only ask, in troubled amaze
een-. why not "Cenerentola." or
"pseilo,' .er La GAIA Ladra" Gin
wAch Patti sang within our day at
a Academy Of Music, or La Donna
del Lago (which would have piqued
iAe curiosity Of the lovers OF Sir v al
for scott, or one Of the operas com
Nascd Tor Paris. lie Ccmte Dry" or
'Gailaume Tell which used to be
IN the reQertory of the housed. or
Noise" the ballet music of which
has been borrowed TO trick out the
present production?
Suffers b. Comparison
Why not one of these in preference
TO an opera which must necessarily
pale It's Intellectual fires when brought
mo compan orship with al Barbiere
di SivIgla"9 The Barber TO use a
popular coll0Quialism is 1OS years
young; IN comparison with it "L'Itali-
ana in Alseri.' though composed only
three years earlier than The Barber -
sounds ages older than the oldest opera
III the comic genre that has survived on
nc Metropolitan stage. ages older. in
deed, than La Serva Padrona' whicA
New York has enjoyed within year
N It's English dress as The Maid Mis-
iress"
One reason Why "LItaliana in Al
seri' cannot bear comparison with III
Barbere. or lie Nozze di Figaro or
the still more ancient "Serva Padrona"
g that It's parade of formulas is so
wearisome 20 the modern ear. There
are formulas ln the other operas, but
they are the containers of fresh and
lovely meioGlc contents. In "LItaliana"
we see bottles and bottles and bottles
and only occasionally get taste of
sparkling wine. Our ears are inces-
sanity assaled by formulas. Airs OF
serious and sentimental cast are over
ourdcned with roulades and ornaments
which might be tolerable if they were
well sung But to the singers employed
N the opera the Horid style of the Kos
s'nian period is not native. To most OF
tnem, indeed. 1T is as book OF seventy
times seven seals
Most Familiarity
Those who showed tho most famili-
arltT with it las night W, re Miss Sun
delius, whose utterances were limpiG
and true, and Mr. Hackett who did not
always sacrifice the melodic line and
vocal quality and color TO what should
nave been the adorned line. AS for
Signora Besanzoni, Mr.. Didur and. in 8
less degree. Signor de Luca, their rou-
ladies' and vocal tiourishes were like
stucco plastered on basic material Of
better texture.
L'ltaiiana in Ageri" is an opera
buffa of the type whose finest survival
Is found IN "il Barbiere di Siviglia. -
any one scene OF which is worth the en-
TIRE score OF It's predecessor. Its hu-
Hoi lies tf DtNEu SNIEgCrutiOn and
ooistercus fun so far as the principal
male characters are concerned and
arch, dainty, tantalizing coquetry
think Of Rosina) in the conduct Of the
heroine. The butt of the fun-makers
is gluttonous, sensuous Turk, the
Bey of Algiers, who tries to rid him
self of wife of whom he has tired
and replace her with an Italian woman
whom he commissions a pirate to
capture for him. The pirate finds the
appropriate addition TO the Turk s
seraglio on vessel wrecked on the AL
geran coast. She is taken to Mustafa
Sey. in whose palace she finds her
over. Lindoro, en- whom the Turk in
tends to foist the discarded wife Tad
Geo, suitor for her love, plays a part
some thing like that assigned 60 the
character who bears the name in elias
sic Italian comedy (recall the Taddeo
OF the pantomime in "Pagliacc') and is
asecondary source of fun. He is raised
% high dignity in the seraglio of
austafa. only to find that his first duty
Is to place the woman he loves in the
arms OF the voluptuons Turk. Mean
while. Isabella. the Italian lady.
needles cajoles and makes fool of
.ae bey while plotting her escape with
ner lover, Lindoro.
me escape is supposed 10 be Effected
'nough in the performance It is not
eons1mated) while Mustafa is under
sso'ng initiation into y nlythic soc ety
fappataci," which consists in eat
"s, drinking and contemplating prom