Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-10-21
Menotti's New Opera
Premiere Is Today

with college groups, enlisting
the services Of the departments
of drama, dance. and music.
Menotti, who has been work.
ing on the piece for several
years. although the last sheets
of the music reached the hands
Of the frantic singers only
within the past few days. has
tailored it specifically for the
acoustics and facilities Of the
Coolidge Auditorium.
Now, what are these three
creatures of Menotti's title?
The encyclopedia is as near to
you as to me, and considerably
nearer either of us. if I am not
mistaken, than to Menotti,
not only the composer Of the
music but also the poet of the
text. AS for the gorgon, think
of MeduSa; as for the man.
ticore, think of a beast with
the body of a lion and the head
Of a man. The unicorn is more
ephemeral and subtle. Some
members of the chorus, with a
taste for esoteric research,
have discovered that you can
safely know a little about uni
corns, or that you can assimi-
late the lore Of the ages, but
that a middle ground will turn
a whetted curiosity into mad
ness.
In short, the unicorn Is a
horse with a horn, peculiarly
characterized by a savage
ferocity tameable only by the
hand of a virgin. Whether one
savours the legend of the uni
corn for this neurotic aher-
ration, or whether one reflects
that in olden days the uni
corn's availability must have
been a remarkably Satisfac-
tory test and vindication Of
maidenhood. depends on ones
outlook on the nature of things.
The goSsips of both sexes in
Menotti's opera do not seem
highly impressed by the mark
Of ownership of a unicorn:
One Sunday afternoon the proud
Man. in the Castle Joined the crowd
He walked slowly down the quay
Leading by a silver chain
A. captive Unicorn.
The ,townsfolk stopped to stare
AT the ill-assorted pair.
Thinking the man insane
Some laughed with pity,
Some laughed with scorn,
What scandalous sight
To see grownup man
Promenade q Unicorn
All through the city
In plain dRylightr'
Il one can stroke the cat and kick
4 one can pluck the peacock and de,
e one can ride the horse and hook
II one can tempt the mouse and swat
Why, why
Would man both rich and well born
Raise a Unicorn?
If one can strike the boar with the
And pierce the lark with an arrow;
If one can hunt the fox and the deer
And net the butterfly and eat the
Il one can bid the falcon fly and let
Why, why would q man both rich and
well born
Raise q Unicorn?
4 one can skin the mole and crush
n one can tame the swan on the lake
And harpoon the dolphin IN the sea;
II one can chain the bear and train
II one can sport with the monkey and
chatter with the magpie,
Why, why
Would a man both rich and well born
Raise Unicorn?s
The Coolidge Festival at the
Library. of which the Menotti
opera is the elimination. Is
the JOY of Mr., Spivacke, the
impressario, but it is his de-
spair. Never before. he says.
has a production of the Music
Division created such a deter
mined demand for tickets. Ac-
cording to long established
practice, the number of invita-
tons sent out exceeded the
number of seats available, but
the quota of expected regrets
did not materialize. This aft
ernoon's premiere was supple
Copyright 1855 by Ricordi and Co., Inc,
and used with its permissionl