New-York tribune., 1922-11-19
aliapiinMakes
N Mefistofele
Regular Devil
Essalsie Qualities Given
More Emphasis Than the
philosophical Ones by
Russian at Metropolitan
;,,gs Part MagrlificentIy
ptologue Setting Has Him
Mounting TO Clouds With
Palms ON Mountain Tops
Bx II. E.. Krehhiel

~ ~
E v,sre vas a great deal more of the
4 81, ;r geS.i's aMeiissefeie" as per
s.,msa at the Metropolitan Opera
rssss Yesterday afternoon than the
s..seo;uposer and Goethe dreamed OF,
81 ..s ,bs excess was all Mr.. Chaliapfn.
q. ao not refer to his stature partic-
r,sYlv saough that comes fairly in.
4 ~ confederation. We are uninforned
Fl .saat tAe physical dimensions of Meph-
|H sssoaheies, and even IL he were not
q AZ prince Of devils but subordinate
81 og Beeizehub We are willing to grant
Il NM the splendid physical attributes
(which we're so ungrudgingly and un-
ssshervediy exhibited to US at yestsr-
FL Avs representation. Not quite his
stature, comparatively considered as
81 ue saw II In the prologue, however.
&This prologue plays in heaven-as is
3Sose In Goethe's dramatic poem and
|A;ts earliest prototype, the Book of Job.
81 Hitherto, unless memory fails US, the
6epefatic stage manager has exhibited
81 lie celestial region to US as forrnless
q sbaes amongst the drifting clouds.
Il fesre ephistopheles, as erstwhile
sfssn, holds converse with the Almighty
sad his ears are filed atsinterxals with
as eanticles Of angelic: phalanxes and
atle cherubim .whe sing, much, to his
ssneyanee;. in sfngacieus dactylsss
81 ssphistopheies gis both visible and
tadible. Hessstandss in a spotlight
81 saong the clouds. How, he got there
n " never knew before yesterday when
q Vi saw him climbing upward over
81 .hsin Of mountains from Stage to
Il sage L, helping himself along by rest
q lng his hands. on the Himaiayan peaks.
= ssce he was Immediately behind them
n lad touched them in passing and they
q supposedly were few thousand feet
II izh, he must have been many times
n lie stature of Millions Satan.
b spyone on the food extended long
1 srd larger lay floating, many a road =
Il III was d puppes-shew picture, this
wrt, which 1T was difficult ito, get out
n q mind because of its9eyidence of the
sfsntile Imagination : of the scenic
Il ,aister, who, perhaps may, be paydoned
il he was bent only on helping Mr..
+ Chsiiapine to a spectacular entrance.
There we're several other things in the
etrfprmance which gave passion to
i taaeeptions based CON the poetic con-
eEts Of Boito3 and his predecessors.
Gseshes devil, we remember, was a
rod deal Of a gentleman in ~appear-
y sace After HE eHerges from q pudeI
Fl ID monk In Boite's book he was so
ks an ordinary cavalier that he says
81 d himself. "a 10 f..i.r
met if he had them by the neck
Il would e'er these people scent the
81 asyiln Mr. ChaIapine. as we had oe-
81 aGion TO observe some fifteen years
n sgs hss no regard for such nations
81 gsihsr does he think Of him as Boito
81 spsshat fantastically did. asa type
# nan athirst for knowledge, for whom
al pototypes might be found in Solomon,
III Aone.heus, Manfred, Don Quixote,
u Hsnites, Falstaff and the Serpent
81 @ith tempted Eve. Mr.. Chaliapine
81 @ regard for literary amenities.
81 Hhen he throws off his cowl in Faust's
81 Edg he is the fantastic fiend of the
81 Htture books. Given a tail he would
81 skye as a model for any medi@val
81 Ynral painter. When he appears
q sNongst his kinsfolk and subjects, the
q Eitehes and warlocks and ilnps in the
ssens en- the Brocken, he is, despite
as discourse on the nothingness of
81 ses world and its human denizens,
nsrely The incarnation of bestiality.
81 yhen Goethe's Mephistopheles goes 60
i 'ae witches reyel he INDUCES in Lam
3 @age which the poet indicated by
i gshes, which IL they could give out
4 %or would make the pages of his poem
i p-sme!liag. But, SO far as we know,
n Keeps on his clothing.
4 EMhea Mr.. Chaliapine was here in
HM ne barred his breast and. arms
BsA eeeorum in the presence of Macs
Xo flvlno. but in the company of his
Xtny subjects on the Bruckin, the cast
MS cloak resembling Pagageno's
Folilment of feathers and barred his
i ay 70 the rumps. A superb body, of
81 purse, like that of an ancient giadia~
& Er which would have challenged wages
81 Z thousands of sesterces from the
81 yfsy-locked young bioods of Rome.
n festerday he went only half way, but
H Aaae splendid spectacle on which
Il Ts grand old fighting man Of France
q Nno saw him from Mr.. Gatti's box)
4uss have smiled in admiratoin. Pic
d Tsesque, splendidly picturesque, but
4 FANATIC Was it in keeping with
4 SnEos poetic and philosophical scheme :?
4 Ehy trouble to answer. It evoked a
I fricane Of enthusiasm. Therefore it
Ein the scene of the classical Sab
etn however, Mr.. Chaliapin violated
MSnstic sense and propriety in order
T aeia the middle of scene i'm which
gsito d,d not intend that his devil,
Ekno is his hero, should be visible at
! r.. ne has promised to put Helen of
10y INTO the arms Of Faust, and he
kaas MIN into the Vale of Tempe, on
] IN banks of the Pineus. There Helen
~ rantaius sing in meiiifuous meter
~ ought TO. Miss Peralta and Miss
nhlr who stood for thSm, threw in
.asfn aceentual stress and divided
H. iong. smoothly flowing line into
&saps OF three notes each in spite of
text and his expository note
~. onofistld's dance in graceful mea-
ne placid beauty is intcierable
.ph'stopheles, whose nose is for
S,ssssihoas Ssr,.s odors and sthe more con-
H. eompanionship to be found in
~ ZZ AsfS Mountains. He and Faust
III company at his own suggestion,
ae goes away from there--cr
aass says he will do so. But curtain
bJs,,rslll rslllnout Chaliapine is most "in-
xis is ssnis and not to be endured in
e. aa; and so when the lovers hav-
m|,,ssa saeiuded their song, which SYM
kssN eae union of classic and ro-
Spsa afs, the chorus has chanted it's
~ ss.sa aaa faust and Helen walk out
6h.I;sssnas into the leafy coverts, Mr..
&jess.saae Git can not be Boito's
xreieO xross comes into, the .dispised
Tas aSain and walks down To the
sam. s1s. What for? "A curtain cali,
Aass ts But though there were Rus
ausria the house who had become
xant;a. ~ .he face with eutaneous ir-
ID &s $3.50 oi applause, the audience saw
seSsoa for a deuoretr.+;c as,.m =