The New York herald., 1922-05-14

pOlltan, not In nuSSldu out ltdildn,
and chiefly by Italian singers, the
theater was crowded with Russians.
They jammed the space behind the
orchestra rail customarily occupied
by Itslians and filled the air with
their shouts of approval.
New Operas Fail to Draw.
When Mr.. Chaliapin sang at the
Metropolitan Russians again were in
the ascendant. Their cries of delight
sounded through all the spaces when
their distinguished countryman made
his first utterance in their native
tongue. All the other singers used
Italian, but the Russians appeared to
be content. Yet last Monday evening
they were offered an opportunity to
hear an unfamiliar work by one OF
their most distinguished composers
sung entirely in Russian by COM
pany composed wholly of Russians,
and the theater was not more than
two-thirds full. On Tuesday eve
ming Rirnsky-K X Korsakov's Tho Tsar's
Bride" never before heard in New
York. was brought forward and the
singers were confronted almost with
the proverbial "beggarly array OF
empty benches" The theater was less
than two-thirds full.
1t seemed a pity that two operas
hitherto unknown to the local stage
should have to be produced In such
discouraging circumstances. Yet the
performances of these works let a
flood of light stream on the possible
status of Russian opera in this town
Two or three points may be made as
indicative of fundamental differences
between the majority OF RUSSIAN
operas and those to which the Ne"
Yorker is accustomed
First: Many Russian operas nave
not much action, but very long Vocai
scenes, especially those scenes IN
which trios, quartets or ensembles are
possible
Second: Low voices are much more
,,sed in leading parts in Russian than
an other operas. In "Russalka" ano
.srbe Tsar's Bride" the tenor Is al
most a nonentity. In the former the
graat mart is a bass and In the second
q hayvtoue. In several other operas,
.sRor,a Codunov" and "Ivan the Ter
r,b,e" among them, the bass Is the
star.
TIRE Of Too Much Chorus.
Third: There is usually much choral
,,ritinr- In Boris Godunov" this was
a novelty to us, but when we see tne
chorus persistantly walking on anu
IN tbs stage and remaining only 10
sing long pieces which apparently 20
rot affect the development OF the story
we become tired.
Eourth: These Russian operas are
nearly all on Russian stories and the
continued exhibition of onion crowned
ninarets and long embroidered coats
far,inine head dresses of ecclesiastic
c,,t mems boots with the trousers
tucked in becomes in the course OF
t,y,e xvearisome to the eye. One yearns
for Spanish Don out of a Verdi opera
or a Portuguese adventurer ike Vasco
al CANA, or even hungry bonernian
from the world Of Murger.
And how they drink. in these Kus-
sian operasl II the action In the nrst
scene of Rimsky-K opera on
Tuesday evening meant anything at
ali, N included the easy absorption OF
something like twenty gallons of wine
in an hour by party of about forty
nersons. One knows, Of course, that
The Russians used to be brave drinkers,
hut their songs generally lay the fault
~ intemperance at the door of the
peasant. However. let it be said that
IN spite of all the ubations no one was
intoxicated on Tuesday evening till the
end of the second act, when an incon-
seouentiaI and apparently meaningless
chorus of belatcd "drunks" going home
I'm the moonlight brought the act to
its end.
Reverting 70 some of the points
above made, IL can be said that In
many Russian operas there is SUR
vival OF the seventeenth century tradi-
tion OF the Italian stage, namely, that
everything In an opera must lead
quickly up 20 a protracted lyric num-
ber and that the chief business of an
opera writer was to provide such
numbers. The Russian lyric drama,
however. came into existence at time
when the custom of the seventeenth
ana early eighteenth century italian
composers OF giving almost everything
20 the solo voices had been outgrown.
The taste OF the Russian people would
hav< demanded n change at any rate.
To lense the people Of tho once great
empire on the Cars there must always
ba plenty OF choral singing and the