NEW YORK, THURSDAY, March 30, 1922.
/V\usical(ôurier
VOL. LXXXIV—No. 13. Whole No. 2190.
was about to shed the earthly once more, said that, though the singing at the Metropolitan of “Cosi fan tutte” was of the very first order, it—while still in the flesh—had listened to other finely sung performances of the work; but that never, never had it seen anything approaching the beauty, taste and elegance of the production at the Broadway house. Joseph Urban has done many beautiful scenes for the Metropolitan, but nothing as consistently fine as these “Cosi fan tutte“ sets. There are five of them, an exquisite garden with a beautiful Italian bay in the background that appears three times with different lighting, and four different interiors, each more colorful than the other. Then all this is set on a small stage slightly raised, built up on the regular Metropolitan stage and about half its. size. When the big curtain rises, there is seen the great rococo curtain and side hangings which mask all but the apron of the small stage. This apron has a row of old-fashioned, long-chimneyed footlights around it and from above hang two great chandeliers of the period. And to start with, on come four footmen who light all these lamps. One is cleverly carried into the spirit of the piece at once. Nearly all the scenes are played, however, on the back stage, the apron being used only occasionally for a single number while scenes are being shifted and the side hangings as a place where certain of the characters may do the eavesdropping that is required of them. There are four quick shifts of scene, all managed with a celerity which happily does not retard the action. Speaking of that, Bodanzky has already cut about forty minutes out of the score, greatly to its advantage, and a further cut of ten minutes in the second scene of the third act would help still more. The costumes, from designs by Gretel Urban-Thurlow, were exquisite and quite up to the standard set by the scenery. Of late years the Metropolitan has set, as a rule, such a high standard of production that occasional lapses—like the “Loreley” scenery—are readily forgiven; but perhaps no single production has aimed so high and so consistently achieved its aim as “Cosi fan tutte,” thanks to Urban’s unfailing taste.
Odds and Ends.
Now, to mention a few odds and ends, Samuel Thewman should be given credit for the best work he has done as stage director, though one imagines his task was a light one with such intelligent actors in the cast. Paul Eisler accompanied to recitativo secco on a clavicembalo, whatever that is, and did a good job. Fortunately there is not much of it. The chorus had almost nothing to do and did it well.
All in all, nothing could have introduced “Cosi fan tutte’ to America more auspiciously than the Metropolitan performance. (As far as records show, it was the first performance here.) The writer can testify from personal acquaintance that it exceeded from every standpoint the famous Munich Mozart Festival performances of the work. The audience liked the piece immensely, laughed heartily when it was funny, as it frequently is, and applauded uproariously at the act ends, calling back the principals and everybody alse concerned repeatedly—good, genuine, general applause and no claque work.
Facing the audience on a specially constructed cover for the prompter’s box, there was a painted white medallion of Mozart, which looked for all the world like a tombstone. This, said the spirit of that master, just taking the express for the celestial regions, was the one thing in the whole evening of which he did not heartily approve. Otherwise he was satisfied with a complete thoroughness; never before, indeed, had he fully realized what a masterpiece he really had produced. H. O. O.
(Additional reports on page 32.)
MOZART’S SPIRIT SEES SUPERB PERFORMANCE
OF “COSI FAN TUTTE” AT THE METROPOLITAN
Huge Audience Is Carried Back to Earlier Days and Given a Royal Treat Such as Is Seldom Offered at the Broadway Institution—Easton, Peralta, Bori, Meader, De Luca, Didur and Bodanzky All at Their Very Best—Plenty of Laughs and Clever Acting—Scenery Excellent
Among the men, George Meader, as Ferrando, had his first big role at the Metropolitan and within five minutes after his first entrance had justified his engagement. Tenors who can sing Mozart with the necessary lightness and surety are rare today—the classic example is John McCormack—but Mr. Meader not only sang the often times florid music perfectly but also proved himself to be a comedian of no mean talent. It is something of a feat to chase rapidly about the stage all the while one is singing the difficult vocal line of Mozart and adhering to the strict tempi. Of De Luca it is only necessary to say that he was at his best as Guglielmo and, either as singer or comedian,
GIUSEPPE DANISE,
Chicago Opera’s Portland Triumph
Portland, Ore., March 26 (By Telegram).— The Chicago Opera Association season of five performances closed here last evening with a magnificent presentation of “Aida.” Not only was the visit a tremendous success artistically—• quite the greatest operatic event in the history of the Northwest—but it also showed a substantial profit. There were many visitors from Seattle and neighboring cities. The first night audience numbered 6,100. The operas presented during the season were: “Monna Vanna,” “Lohengrin,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Thais” and “Aida,” and all the principal artists appearing, Garden, Muratore, Raisa, Mason and Edward Johnson, received enthusiastic demonstrations which amounted to ovations. Edith Mason had the honor of christening the broadcasting radio set of the Portland Oregonian, her voice in “Romeo and Juliet” on Friday evening, March 24, being heard over the entire northwest wherever there was a wireless receiving set. The company left Sunday morning for San Francisco.
(Signed) J. R. O.
the distinguished baritone of the Metropolitan Opera Company, whose splendid performances this season have brought forth unusual praise from the critics. Before singing in America Mr. Danise sang at La. Scala in Milan, where he created roles in “Francesca di Rimini,” ••Battaglia di Legano,” “Prince Igor” and ‘‘Fernando Cortez.” Not only has he scored successes in leading roles of the Metropolitan, but also in the revivals of “Ernani,” “Andrea Chenier,” “Le Roi d’Ys” and in the new production of the “Loreley” there. Although gifted tvitli a wonderful natural voice, it is interesting to know that Danise first became a lawyer, later being prevailed upon to abandon his career for that of a professional singer. Practically all of his musical education was received at the Naples Conservatory, where he studied voice under Colonnesi, the most famous baritone of his time.
Furtwaengler Succeeds Nikisch
Berlin, March 24, 1922 (By Cable).—Wilhelm Furtwaengler, the young conductor who has come up so sensationally within the last few years, has been elected to succeed the late Arthur Nikisch as conductor of the famous Gewand-haus concerts in Leipsic, over which Mendelssohn once presided, and also of the annual series of the Berlin Philharmonic, formerly conducted by Nikisch.	L. K.
there is no better best on the operatic stage today. Didur, as Don Alfonso, had no opportunities for that forcing which has marred his vocal work of late. He sang what fell to him quietly and with a finished art which one had begun to think had deserted him forever. His acting of a rather colorless role was quietly effective and helped greatly to make the ridiculous plot of the opera plausible.
Down in the pit Artur Bodanzky had an orchestra of about fifty odd men, on a basis of twelve firsts and five double basses. This is a larger band than Mozart had in mind, but it sounded of quite the right proportions in the great Metropolitan auditorium. Without question Bodanzky’s own work was the finest bit of musicianship he has shown at the opera. To conduct Mozart well is at least one hundred per cent, more difficult than to conduct Wagner superbly. There is such constant play of dynamic nuance called for, such careful and minute differentiation between tempi that are almost alike, but which spoil the spirit of the work if taken the least bit too fast or too slow, that the hand of a master is called for—and Bodanzky proved to have that hand.
Mozart Strong for Urban.
Interviewed by a Musical Courier representative, the spirit of Mozart, already referred to and caught just as it
The last one out of the Metropolitan Opera House last Friday evening, March 24, was the spirit of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. And as it started on the long flight back to that particular corner in the celestial regions where the great departed of music have their own little Stammtisch, it was heard to remark that it was well worth while breaking the habits of a deathtime of 130 years to make a trip to the earth when such a performance of “Cosi fan tutte” as the Metropolitan offered on that evening was to be seen. As a matter of fact this particular work was not a great success in Mozart’s lifetime, nor has it been since. It is not quite in the class with “Don Giovanni,” “The Marriage of Figaro,” or “The Magic Flute,” due to the fact that the libretto, a footless farce, offered no such opportunity for characterization in music as those of the other operas just named, and no chance at all for anything seriously dramatic.
The story goes that the work was ordered in 1789 by Emperor Joseph, who directed Lorenzo da Ponte, friend and collaborator of Mozart, to prepare a book which is said to have been founded (by direction of the emperor) on an actual incident of Vienna life which had tickled the imperial risibilities; then Mozart was commanded to set music to the book, taking rather less than a month to do it, not such a feat for one of his facile invention when it is considered that composers in those days had about five chords to learn—tonic, dominant, sub-dominant and the resolutions into the key of the dominant and sub-dominant. How few complexes life had then!	,
The score contains very little of Mozart s best music in the way of arias, but the ensembles are numerous and delightful. “Cosi fan tutte must not be looked upon as grand opera. It is opera buffa pure and simple, the operetta of its time. In it Mozart was aiming merely to be the Arthur Sullivan of his own day and he succeeded admirably. In the orchestration, simple as it is, there are a hundred touches of humorous color to fit the comic, often farcical, attion going on on the stage. So much for the music. The plot can be disposed of in a few words.
The Plot.
The plot is simplicity itself, one of those artificial comedies—or rather, farces which were so popular just at the time, the best example of which is probably Beaumarchais’
“Marriage of Figaro.” Fiordiligi is engaged to marry Guglielmo, and her sister Dorabella is engaged to marry Ferrando, both of the men officers. Don Alfonso, a friend of the quartet, makes a wager with the men that their fiancees are no different from other women. “Cosi fan tutte” (so do they all), says he, and bets that Fiordiligi and Dorabella can be moved to inconsistency. The officers announce that they are called away to war and the two couples part in tears. Hardly are they out of the house before two oriental strangers are introduced by Despina, the comedy maid, and claimed as old friends by Don Alfonso. They are (quelle surprise!) the officers, disguised as Turks or something else eastern. Ferrando, disguised, makes love to Fiordiligi, Guglielmo’s fiancee; Guglielmo, disguised, makes love to Dorabella, Ferrando’s fiancee. At first their attentions are scorned, then accepted and finally a marriage contract, drawn up by Despina, disguised as. a notary, is signed. Reappearance of the officers, reproaches; forgiveness, embraces, curtain!
Cosi fan tutte!
How It Was Done.
Now for the performance. There was a cast of balanced excellence—a cast such as one dreams of for every opera, but seldom sees. First and foremost there was Florence Easton as Fiordiligi—Florence Easton, who on other evenings sings an Elsa, a Rezia, an Isolde, a St. Elizabeth, a Kundry, a Santuzza—tossing off_ fioratura with ease and absolute accuracy of pitch and singing the extremely difficult arias—one of them calls for a range of something over two octaves—with deceptive ease. Astonishing and marvelous are the only adjectives that will begin to characterize an artist like Miss Easton. Her acting was charming. She is called upon to portray a young woman who works comically upon the audience by the very fact of being perfectly serious in everything she does—somewhat of a female Beckmesser, one might say—and she did it capitally.
Francesca Peralta as Dorabella, her partner, did the best vocal work she has ever offered at the Metropolitan, revealing most unexpected ability as a singer of Mozart. She acted also with genuine charm. The best compliment that can be paid her is that she was by no means an unworthy partner to Miss Easton. Lucrezia Bori was Despina, the frolicsome maid. Miss Bori looked a perfect picture, sang with charm and distinction and entered with_ great spirit into the comedy of her part, the one possible criticism being that she occasionally showed a tendency to overact.
==	© Mishkin