New-York tribune., 1920-11-27
Cath's Forces
In New Version
OF Mefistofele
Audience at Metropolitan
Seems Filled With Spirit
of Glad Expectancy Over
This Great Opera by Boito
innovations Acclaimed
achievements of Noted Sing
ers of Bygone Days Are
Recalled by Performance
By II. f. krehbiel

It may have been largely Imagination
or the product of wish born Of an
old and abiding love for the opera, but
there seemed to us as il the audience
which filled the Metropolitan Opera
House last night to see and hear Nor
to's "Mefstafele." was filled with q
quite unusual sport Of glad expectancy
concerning the work. 1t cannot have
been curiosity merely, for there must
have been many in the audience who
remembered the representations Of
twelve years ago, when the Russian
Chaliapine stirred the Quatic waters
considerably by his singing and acting
in the titular character, but moro by
by his picture of an almost nude and
wholly bestial devil in the scene among
the witches on the Brockn.
Older recollections were more agree
able-those. for instance, which went
back to the first American production
at the Academy Of Music in November,
1880, when Nine. Nalleria created for
us the characters of Margherita and
Elena; Annie Louise Cary, of ever ad-
mirable and affectionate memory, those
of Marta and Pantalis, and Italo Cam
panini and Novara those of Faust and
Mefistotile.
Other Singers Recalled
Still more agreeable are the mem
cries of performances in the first sea-
son in the Metropolitan Opera House,
when Nine. Nilsson doubled" the
parts of Margherita and Elena, Nine.
Trebelli those OF Marta and Pantalis,
and had for associates Campanini and
Mirabella
1t was Nine. Tisson who introduced
the bad custom, from which, we are
god to see, Mr.. Gatti's artists have
departed. of making one woman out Of
Goethe's heroine and the lady who
caused the Trojan war. The vision of
such naradoxically retrogressive re.
incarnation of Margaret after we had
witnessed her death was always dis
turbing to persons Of taste, and must
have been utterly bewildering to the
multitude who were blithely ignorant
of the purposes Of Goethe and Boito.
Those purposes were beautiful, but
they have nothing to do with the story
of Margaret and Faust as it lives in
the popular mind, and particularly in
the mind and heart OF the lovers OF
Gounod's opera.
Pleasant thoughts arise, too, along
With an appealing picture of Nine.
Calve as the peasant girl whom Faust
wooed in the flesh, and lovely vision
of the disturber of peace between the
European and Asiatic Greeks; but they
must not detain Us, for there was metal
quite as attractive in last nights rep
resentation, though it was embodied not
in an individual. but an ensemble. 1t
was an ensemble that brought together
IN happy union most Of the best .ele-
ments over which Mr.. Gatti wields $on-
troll.
Success Is Emphatic
Obviously "MeHstofele" has q warm
place in his affections. We are glad Of
that Glad, too, that the success of the
new production was so emphatic that
it's future story will be more pleasur-
able to relate than it's past, for despite
Nine. Nilsson, Signor Campanini and
Pan Chaliapine, the history of Boito's
fine work mas been q sorrowful one.
The pictures with which it has now
been adorned will bring it the wonder
and admiration OF the multitude. By
the time they have served the purpose
Of winning the careless and curious
crowd it is to be hoped that sound
appreciation will have been awakened
Cor the poetic depth, the dignity and
beauty of Boito's drama and the lovely
eloquence of his music.
The chief defect of the opera will
here work to a good end. No doubt
Boito's original lyric drama had more
dramatic coherency than that with
which we are familiar. We do not
know what "Mefstofele" was like when
il fell under whitening condemnation
at it's first production In the Teatro
ALA Scala in 1868.
But we know from che evidences
which remain in Hs mangled form. as
we'll as from the dramas which the au-
Ponchielli and Botessini ("Falstaff, "
La Gioconda" and "Ero Leardro")
that he was a great and sincere artist.
In trying to compass too much (tor
Goethe's Faust" Is too colossal In It's
scope to be metamorphosed for any
purpose) he may have achieved too
little But It is to the everlasting
glory Of his memory that he saw in
It something more than the story of
sentimental love, which sufticed
Gounod and his librettsts.
Gounod's Work Unquestioned
The ecstatic loveliness of Gounod's
music Is not in question, we are think
& ing only of the stupendous scheme
which occupied Goethe all his life, and
20 which Boilo prompted by the food
l. of Northern blood which flowed In his
veins, attempted TO pay tribute
He failed no doubt In the large
enterprise, but the monument which he
left to his wide-sweeping Imagination
and his earnestness Of artistic aim Is
Il beautiful and enduring one.
HIS work is now q series Of sketches
only but tho sketches are like the
simple crayon strokes which betrayed
Michel Angelo and Raffaelo.
These scenes that are left are many
and varied, and the opportunities which
they offered TO Mr.. Gatti's artistic
forces have been splendidly exploited.
Mr.. Anisfeld's pictures are occasionally
100 garisn, too outspoken, too arrogant
n their color TO please the lover Of
continent harmony, but this, we fancy,
w'as largely due last night to inartistic
lighting.
II 50, tho defect can be remedicd. A
fnellower illumination Of the scene out
side the gates Of Frankfort and
Gretchen's garden probably would
blend the splotches Of color which last
night offended the eye and detracted
from the effect Of the compositions. In
the scene on the Brocton, there was
capital consonance between the rugged
d.