The New York herald., 1922-04-16
American Officer Hero in
New Production in Paris
Modernity Continues in Lighter Sort of Plays-GaIa
Performance Of Opera in Honor of the Memory
of Cesar Franck, Belgian Composer

that 10 to say. with lady known a
Rosalba. who. feeling her sway weak
ening and having, we may suppose. read
French history. decides to bring little
niece from her nunnery in order to act
as innocent watch dog against certain
too enterprising rivals Naturally
Nonette stars love affair Of her own
with a French gentleman. tho Sieur de
Brantome-a name almost as familiar
as that OF the Grand InQuisitor--and the
intrigue follows the usual course. Truth
to tell there Is nothing very original In
the lihretto, while M. Cuviliiers music
IS light. agreeable and melodious--
everything that could be desired. indeed.
but scarcely likely 30 set the Grand
Canal on fire.
New Farce at Palais Royal.
"Mors 10 changes, the more It re-
mains the same" might well be the
motto Of the Palais Royal farces, Ia
miIiar to our fathers in the far of days
when Paris was still considered by
uninitiate Angio-Saxons to be $50
French" There 1s a new farce at the
Theatre du Palais Royal taking tho
place OF the "Chasseur dc Chez
Maxim's." and It Is not really very
different to quite a number which have
preceded 1t. 1t Is called THE Second
Wedding Night: It Is in three acts and
1t Is the joint work of NM. Maurice
HenneQuin. Paul Bilhaud and Pierre
Weber. 1t is decidedly French in that
the plot Is based upon an incident In
the subway--which is to saw the Metro
where young woman believes her
self insulted by a young man and finds
herself mistaken, with the inevitable re-
substantially spealSing-of q iovo
affair. Equally Inevitable IL 1t. dra
matically, that the young woman Is
already married to an elderly member
Of the Academy OF Sciences. Thereafter,
naturally. divorce The academician
becomes In consequence zone Of the
bhoys." patronizes fashionable tailor.
cuts out his successful rival remarries
his former wife and SO on and SO forth.
1t gives the opportunity to pass quite
pleasant evening for those who de-
sire to study French psychology as II
never was and never viii be, except
upon the stage--and that after all Is
It's end and object.
An interesting example OF how widely
international are the foundations of art,
however politics may intervene, was
provided In the production by the Con
cert Society at the Conservatoire OF an
unpublished work by Signor Ot.orino
Resplghi. the Fountains of Rome"
Signor Respighi, who Is certainly COM
poser with future, was born at Bo-
iogna, where ne studied under Sarti.
Torchi and Martucci Later he studied
at Berlin, under Max Bruch, and then
at Petrograd. where RinslSy-korsakow
taught him the principles OF orchestral
coloration. AS the result, curiousiy
enough, he has remained an Italian ana
an Italian modernist, though not an ex-
trernst like his compatriots. MalIpleri
and Casella. His Roman Fountains
Is little descriptive symphonic poem
Of very definite charm, evoking the
psychic no less than the material at
mosphere Of the Rome in which the cour
fountains, OF Vale, OF the Triton of
Trevi and of the Villa Mcdicis. unite
the falling OF their waters Finely rem
dered. its solid though fluid orchestra
ton earned II deserved ovation from
the audience
OF more mature interest was NJ paul
Dukas's Symphonic en- ut Major" pre-
duced at the Concert Colonne with M
Andre Messenger conducting. This work,
by ono OF the masters OF contemporary
French music, has been oyermuch neg
lected. and, niagnificently rendered.
brought home to the audience the vast
and too generally neglected wealth OF
the present day school OF French music
composers.
Honors Memory OF Cesar Trancs.
To judge by the more important pro
cuctions in Paris recently. both I'm nlusic
and the drama, 1t might very we'll ba
supposed that the old world was trims
little OF postwar modernism and look
fng back little regretfuliy at tho older
world. Quite number OF such retro
spective productions have set the note
OF the past week, the most Important
Continued on Page Twelve.