Italian Way Of Sons

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30879, 12 October 1965, Page 11

Italian Way Of Sons

Nothing could possibly be grander than Italian grand opera, according to Patrick Smith, Rome correspondent of the 8.8. C. It was part of the Italian way of life; and, as might be expected, Italian audiences were critical and expected good value for their money.

He recalls being at a performance of “Aida” in Venice when the main tenor who was to sing the role of Radames failed to turn up. The large audience grew more and more impatient as time went by. “Finally, it was announced that a last minute substitute had been found. Alas for him, he was far smaller than the man originally cast for the role! His costume sagged and his sword trailed the floor. At his first entrance, the audience roared

with laughter at the poor man. “Their roars soon changed to boos when he cracked on the top last note of his first aria. He turned, shrugged his shoulders and held out his hands in a typical Italian gesture, as though to say: ‘Well, what do you expect?’ ” 4 But when the moment came for the hero’s great aria on returning from the wars with a string of prisoners, the makeshift tenor, who had come to terms with his billowing costume and dangling scabbard, hit the top note loud and dear.

, “The audience who had booed him cheered to the echo. What did he do? He just shrugged his shoulders again, made the same resigned gesture, as much as to say: ‘Well, sometimes I can and sometimes I can’t’ After that, he could do no wrong.’ ”