The New York herald., 1922-11-16
ChaHapin Sings
in Noble Style
as Tragic Boris
Elemental ImpersonatiOn by
Russian BassO at the
Metropolitan.
Nv w. J. HENDERSON.

Il
Mr.. Gatti-Casazza offered the patrons
of the Metropolitan Opera House
nothing less than Moussorgsky's SOM
ber opera Boris Godunov," with the
mighty Feodor Chaliapin as the
usurper. The impresario's policy of
hitting the public squarely between
the eyes in the very opening Of the
season betrays delightful confidence
in his ability to hold his own till the
close Of the twenty-three rounds OF
opera. Mr.. Chaliapin. OF course. is not
to have any monopoly of the role of
Boris or Of Mefstofele, in which he is
80 appear on Saturday afternoon, and
possibly his engagements in other
parts Of the country made 1t impera-
tive to put him forward thus early.
He was first heard here in Nous
sorgsky's tragic work on December
of last year. His inpersonation better
deserves the term elemental than does
the opera, for it Is a piece of acting
in which the sheer Overwhelming
force of untrammeled virility Is the
conquering agent. There is much art
in the delineation and in the singing
Indeed Mr.. Chaliapins vocal methods
often on the stage and generally on
the concert platform result In shat
tering of melodic lines and alteration
of lyric scansion, but his irresistible
personality and-his power as an actor
make him a huge operatic figure.
When he revealed his Boris last
year. 1t was said In this place that
much of the dialogue and much of
the monologue ran to parlando and
often to actual speech. But the ut
terance was always filed with passion
and power. There was no phase of
the anguish Of the remorse tortured
soul that escaped the searchlight of
this brutal art" 1t is no exaggeration
to say that the operatic stage has fur
nished no such portrayal of the
agonies Of a soul since Tamagno's
Otello.
That Mr.. Chaliapin can sing musi-
cally, broadly and in a fluent legato
style when he wishes to do so was
proved by his delivery of the speech OF
Boris to the people in the first act.
defamation, equaled only by his voic-
ing of the monologue in the chamber
scene. But 1t is superfiuous to follow
out In detail all the revelations OF this
characterization. The opera going pub
lie should not miss it.
All of Mr.. Chaliapin's associates in
the cast had been seen and heard be-
fore. Nine. Matzenauer was the same
stately Marina and Mr.. Harold the
same explosive Dimitri. The sonorous
bass voice of Mr. Mardones filled ade-
quately the measures of Brother Pi-
mem and Mr.. Bada again enacted the
traitorous Schouisky. The Cars little
family party consisted of Nine. De-
launois as the heir to the usurper's
troubles, Miss Dalossyrepresented the
unimportant daughter and Miss Perini
was their nurse.
Mr. Papi conducted the performance
with diligence, but hardly with dis
tinction, though the orchestra played
we'll Giulio Setti's capable chorus
contributed to the impressiveness OF
the performance by some really ex-
cellent singing.
Mr.. and Mrs Robert Goelet's guests
were Mr., and Mrs. Beverley Bogart and
Mr.. and Mrs William May Wright.
With Mr. and Mrs. Stephen II. p.
Pell in the Kahn box were Mrs. Law
renee Townsend. Mrs Truxton Beale,
Prince Eugene Lubomirski. nephew OF
the Polish Minister. and the Marquis
Buguone.
Mr.. and Mrs. John w. Davis. Col. and
Mrs. Edward NJ House and Mr.. and
Mrs. Lawrence l.. Gillespie were with
Mr.. and Mrs. James b. Clews. Mr.. and
Mrs. George Barton French's guests in
the Steele box were Mr.. and Mrs. En-
rique Zanetti Mrs. Lawrence Dilworth
and Mr.. Frank II. Markoe.
The viscountess Maitland and Mrs.
Frederic Parsons of Paris were with
Mr.. and Mrs Stuart Duncan.
Mrs. J. Russell Soley, Mrs. Henry s..
Redmond. Mr.. Stuyvesant Fish and Mr..
Franklin A. Plummer were Mrs Hamil
ton NICK. Twombly's guests.
Mr.. and Mrs. Charles Hilton Brown
and Mr.. and Mrs. Herbert NJ. Hyde were
guests Of Mr.. L. Francis Hyde.
With Mrs Arthur Ryle were Mr.. and
Mrs. George Pratt. Mrs. Philip A. s.
Franklin. Mr.. Frederic Potts Moore and
Mr.. A. Morris Bagby.
Mrs. George G. Dewitt, Mrs. Arthur
II. Twombly. Miss Sarah A. NJ. Brown,
Messrs. George Ledlie. Percy Bramwell
and Charles II. Sampson were with Mr..
Shipley Jones.
Mr.. and Mrs. Clarence Michalis. Miss
Dorothy Stewart and DIR. George ID.
Stewart we're with DIR. and Mrs. Ernest
Fahnestock.
DR. and Mrs. Preston Pope Salter
White were with Mr.. and Mrs. Il. Reeve
Merritt.
with Miss Louise Sands In the Hunt
ington box were Mrs. Felix Doubleday.
Mrs. Cole Porter, Mcssrs. Alfonso de Ma
varro. Archibald A. Hutchinson, Jr., and
Ashbel II. Barney.
Mr.. and Mrs. Charles Robinson Smith.
Miss Gertrude Robinson Smith and
Count Vincent de Wierzbicki were In the
Belmont box.