New-York tribune., 1922-02-15
love for Three
Oranges Sung
By yChicagoCo.
Prokofcff's Opera Based
"n Fantastic Fairy Tale
Lacks Elements to Gain
Even Temporary Favor
Nonoiony Marks Music
Prologue Deadly Dull. While
Scenery and Acting Are
sole Redeeming Features
By II. f.. krehbicl

An opera entitled The Love foY
Three Oranges" or since it was
gwen in French. Glamour des Trois
Oranges" composed by Mr. Serge
Profof'ef. was performed By the Chca-
20 Opera Company at the Manhat-
tan opera House last night. The gos-
sips Who frequent the opera houses
are ? busy folk and from them VIC have
iearG much concerning this work dur
i~c the last three seasons but nothing
which conveyed . clear idea of its
nature lts score, we were told. had
hen seen. admired aud accepted by
tre la'e M CamYanini; it was to be
produced: j. had been put in prepara-
.ior. bu, found impossible of per
fornancc; it had been revised; Mr..
Anisfeid hal painted wonderful seen
ort for .t again 1t was put in rehear-
sal: finally the newspapers of Chicago
feqo,ted lis performance in that city
on December so of last year: still we
we're left IN something Of haze CON
ecrnng It's contents and character; it
was announced for q week ago last Mon
DAY at the Manhattan. out the principal
-eror succumbed to the prevalent dis
temper and "Travata" was given IN
stead; It was set down for next Satur-
day ard nov tne whirligig Of time was
reversed and last nights performance
anticipated the announced New York
premiere.
Mesuwh.ic there has been much com
mcn;. ostensibly witty. m it's title.
most Of which was wasted upon those
moderately vcrsed in the literature Of
'he drama when it appeared that Mr.
ProkoiieT, who wrote the libretto as
veil as the music. had done little more
than make an adaptation for operatic
purposes of Carlo Gozzi's "Fiaha dell
Anofe dele trc aeiarancie' Mr.. Pro
h0iicif wrote his ibretto in French and
his music in the ldiom which some en-
ergctic and far from retiring musicians
would haze the world believe is become
tire ldiom Of to-day. and which is as
unlike the musical language Of Gozzis
Italy as the play is unlike the conven-
ticual drama OF today. Gozzi, we are
writings OF Ghiari and Golodoni. which
'aFe no more than a curious interest
80 contemporary students OF dramatic
literatul- Nr. Prokofef mav also
HaNe intended - satirizc something ia
the lile or art O: to-day, but if SO we
lear ,fat he has not made the fact
rloin enough to invite interest in his
.Itta Oh that score. Satire is gem
frailN wasted IN opera. and to ali music
ofrts except those VINO ignore or af-
fsrt To- nave cutgrown the aesthetic
canoas which modernists. futurists.
H'cgr"s sslzts cub,sts and other revolu-
f-o7aries are t4!Ing to overthrow. it
seems 'Nely that the music viii sound
SO parody on music rather than a
'.Iic or anything known % opcratic
literature.
III" Main incidents Of the story
ln the play itself. Ignoring the pos
bic intention Of Gozzi's paraphrase,
Ne were able TO find something more
."r%iD.e ard interesting than in the
music stripped OF u mass Of gro
toS9c'ric. 1t tells the story of hypo-
ehondrac prince Of 80 melancholv q
mood mat ne was inca pable OF a smile.
g his healing depended upon his be-
Hr Induced to laugh When a sor-
ceres through mjshap falls in his
presence. however, sho presents An
argument. pos'oriori, which seems
so immensely comical to him that he
breaks into loud laugh. This in
c'NSos the witch and she puts a curse
upoo him he shall become enamored
'l thfee oranges. t"Lemons." will say
ne "agS trying 20 be witty at M.
f'ohoiieh expense, and so they would
~F1 been n&d Gozzi been more faith
11i 10 the iolhtales from which he de-
ola
Strange aRlict.er seizcs upon tno
pfinrr l!c achieves the fruit thronrh
curious adventure and is transport
ing IL nomeward when. in the midst Of
az "ilu desert in servant oDers two
ehe olanges '.nG thereby releases
nllncesss VINO incontinently die
"' 'ni'- ne prince himself opcns
miro and third princess appears
NNore NE Is saved by the pron,ot
,'1on oi water. She receives the
pf'nce ador5tion. and though sbo ;s
turned INTO "a rat by the sorceress
y e'o0'1&iy restored to her true forn,
e, - ts'atc and the story ends
'''' 'i AIRY tales cf its kind.
Vslsin Of Soruc OF the S,or,.s
Elements
Jtents Of folklore will rococr;.o
rAlc. clements which Coz1j ,sad "asd
MS 'ahIa 30 doubt this had y
f'sF and artistic moral when it
N.4'ton. but it oludes us in .he
'P''a' whose proper and Incl
n'S aie all taken out OF tho hoax
O. Extravaganza. The fairy tales of
"'@"S peoples tell Of princesses who
were e,thef speeches. or incarahlo
o. laughter and were cured bv in
ce,'o"a devices employed By simple
'o-N who Won them as brides as
reward In Bohemian folltaie
princess who makes believe that she
0"'.hot speak is provoked to answer
/" 'fol question. which a peasant lad
puts TO her dog. In another Slayi,
story q roatherd through the maei
ca property possessed by his goat of
oomPe ,ing anybody whom he wished
10 follow HIM. gathers so motley q
procession IN his wake that the prin
cess VINO could not laugh bursts into
SuHaw that shakes the earth. After
performing number of tasks with
noagical AID the goatherd wins the
princess in marriage. These are two
typical Instances Of many introduc.
iHe the first element The second
has quite as many prototypes In a
hindu tale the Princess AuDergine is
released fro man eggplant by the wife
ot poor Brahmn; in another Indian
tale, the heroine sleeps in pome-
ranate, which is pluckcd by the hero
"oh thus restores her to her human
farm.
Iicroincs of fairy tales freouer+l,.