Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-14
BY JAMES G. DEANE
,ENOX Mass

An opera Mozart wrote It's
years ago was given appar-
emily its first performance in
the United States last Monday
at Tanglewood, famous sum-
nler home Of the Boston
symphony. 1t was a double
opera bill in which the Mozart
opus, "Zaide," shared honors
with a new one-act opera by
the American composer Louis
Mennini, THE Rope"
%Zaide" Is really an oper-
attic torso. 1t was composed
by the 23-year-old Mozart in
1779 for a travelling company.
but was never quite completed,
ana apparently never per-
formed during Mozart's life
time. 1t did not ever have a
name until a publisher finally
bestowed the present one in
1888.
The plot of ''Zaide' belongs
to a category very popular in
Mozart's time. 1t deals with
a noble European held pris-
oner by a Turkish sultan, a
beauteous favorite in the sui
tan's harem, Zaide, and a
servant of the sultan. Allazim.
who is friendly to Zaide and
the prisoner. Allazim helps
the pair to flee but they are
captured and all three con-
demned to death. AS the torso
was left, this is the point at
which the opera ends.
It's incomplete state, coupled
with Mozart's later creation Of
a fully formed and highly sue
ceSsful opera on q similar
theme. 'Die Entfuehrung aus
dem Serail." is doubtless the
reason the opera has been
almost totally neglected.
Considerably Altered
As presented by students
Of the opera department at
the Berkshire Music Center
Monday night "zaide" was
considerably altered. The
original German libretto by
Johann Andreas Schachtner
was adapted into English by
Sarah Caldwell, a staff mem
Der at the center, and the
original two acts were COM
pressed into one.
Boris Goldovsky. the GEN.
ter's well-known opera i'm
presario. pointed out in a brief
preliminary talk that what
the original story was We don't
know" He also explained. to
the audiences amusement.
that at dress rehearsal I'VE
played the piece with a blood
thirsty pasha,, but, tonight
we're going to play with a
magnanimous pasha."
What the audience in
Tanglewood's rustic theater
saw and heard was a rather
static little sentimental play
with a happy ending coupled
with approximately an hours
worth-something less than
the full length of the original
of thoroughly charming
music.
Tanglewood's student mu-
sicians did commercially,
especially considering the siz-
able revamping done even
after dress rehearsal. A young
dark-haired soprano named
Christina Cardillo sang very
prettily in the role of Zaide.
Other participants were JEFF
ferson Morris and Howell zu-
lick. tenors. and McHenry
Boatwright. baritone. A dance
by three appropriately cos
TUNED harem girls was inter-
poiated into the proceedings
TO good visual effect, even if
Mozart's music hardly seemed
quite sinuous enough for that
particular activity.
Hays Provides Setting
A particularly attractive
seraglio setting OF simplicity
was provided by David Hays.
The ,costuming was attractive.
and the student orchestra, led
by a young Israeli girl mu-
sician, Aviva Einhorn, played
IN a way which would cause
envy among many profess
sional organizations.
The Mennini opera. first of a
series being specifically COM
missioned for production at
Tanglewood by the Kousse-
vitzky Foundation, which has
It's headquarters at the Lii
brary of Congress, was quite a
different affair.
THE Rope" which is based
on the Eugene O'Neill one-act
play, is an ironic and rather
stark character study. Mem
mini, according to his own ex-
PLANTATION. has attempted to
add some warmth in the NIL
sic, asserting that even in
ugliness there is beauty"
To what extent he has sue
ceeded in both this task and
in writing music that is also
appealing there may be dis
agreement. Any one looking
for melody that is whistleable
will not find it., and one
listener carried away, alto
sether, a rather ill-defined
musical impression from the
opening performance. Outside
the theater-in other words,
On a photograph record-the
score might have little mean
ing. But at least in the theater
II contributed to the dramatic
focus, and to that extent 1t
must be counted a success.
(; The cast included Malcolm
Bernstein. Mary Mackenzie,
Lynn Detwiler and Stephen
Harbaohick. Mr.. Harbachick
sang with particular forceful-
ness. Mr.. Hays also provided