Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-26
"FORZA DEL DESTTNO"
STILL A VITAL OPERA
Brilliant Performance of \erdIs
Work Given by the Metro
politan Opera Company
IA FORHA DEL DESTIITo

The Metropolitan opera Company scoreu
heavily last evening with a work Of Giuseppe
Verdi. written almost sixty years ago and
so far as this country Is concerned, deau
letter for almost forty years. The scene at
the opera house resembed that of a fuc-
cini premiere at la Scala, for every seat was
sold and the crowd stood ten deep pehina
the brass rail So much for what melodious
opera and Caruso to interpret the leading
male role can do in Philadelphia.
The opera, which. by the way was La
Forsa del Destino" was beautifully sung
and staged, despite some very marked cuts
in the third act, apparently in the interests OF
brevity. These were quite necessary oe-
cause the work as given lasted ABOUT "''eo
and one-half hours.
The opera contains an unusual number oil
leading" characters. Naturally ME-
Caruso. as Don Alvaro, was the CHIEF OF
these, for he was in good voice, a'lhous"
he has been in better form this season. anu
sang his many solo numbers with fau'tiess
technique and musiclanly feeling MISS
Ponsele, as Leonora, was eNceIIeht 2le
has gained immeasurably in her art since her
debut here as Santuzza some months ago,
and bids fair to become one or the leal
sopranos of her time. Her prnclpai gam 10
in her stage bearing, in voice control ana III
that indefinabe confidence in her own po"e'S
that only repeated public performances can
bring Close to these in popular taNor was
Giuseppe De Luca, as Don carlos Mr.
De I,uca was in better voice than he has dis
played in Philadelphia this year, and did the
serious part surprisingly we'll for one VINO
has taken comedian parts with such con
spicuous success as to lead most opera-goers
to conclude that these are his best mediums
of histrionc expression. 1t is true that
the fifth scene of the third act was omitted
and in this he would have had the oppor
tunity TO show his real abilities IN real
dramatic acting. However, it Is scarcely falr
TO expect man to sing as De Luca sang
last night for he was n fine second to Caruso,
to act comedy parts as he has acted Figaro
in THE Barber and the title role in 'Gianni
Schicchi" and then also demand The tragic
action Of Don Carlos.
The other parts were also we'll taken. The
magnificent voice and benign stage presence
of Jose Mardones as the Abbott the
grace of Raymonde Delaunois as Preziosilla,
the gypsy, whose capella song at the close
OF the third act did not receive anything
like the appreciation which 1T deserved;
the skllful comedy of Thomas Chalmers as
Father Melitone, humorous character
forcibly injected into four acts of tragedy.
and the work of Giordano Paltrinieri as
Trabuco, who has an exceedingly difficult
from the action entirely left nothing to be
desired either in voice or in dramatic ac-
ton. In short, the opera was one of the
great successes of the season.
La ForZa del Destino" was composed and
produced in 1862, being nine years after
I'll Trovatore" and exactly the same length
of time before. Aida" Therefore, in a
way. it may bs1kald, with Don Carlos" to
form the connecting link between what are
now generally conceded TO be twos Verdi
periods, besides being one of his ''poltical'
operas. Muslcally, the opera can scarcely
be classed as of tho best of the great
Italian composer. There is melody In abun-
dance, but 1t is not melody of the passionate
nature Of I'll Trovatore," nor yet of the
kind that prevails in Aida" or "Othello'
(reserving "Falstaff' as an opera Of a still
later perlod).
Melodcally, there is much that Is eX-
quisite in LA Forza del Destino" and there
is also much that Is also commonplace, if
not actually banal. The experienced hearer
can readily forecast the meodic and har-
monic sequences as they occur, and yet,
occasionally, there Is a dramatic touch that
is entirely unexpected. for Verdi never fails
to rise to dramatic situation.
The opera is essentially Italian, projected,
for political reasons. into a Spanish at
mosphere OF Spanish color there is little,
except in the dances. The stage settings
were excellent. as they always are, with Mr.
Ordynski in charge of them. Mr. Papi con-
Quoted with emphasis on the dynamic and
dramatic accents of the opera