ITALIAN OPERA

Evening Star, Issue 16351, 17 February 1917, Page 8

ITALIAN OPERA

* CAVALLERIA ’ AND ‘ PAGLIACGI.’ The double bill presented hv the Gonsalez Grand Opera Company at His Majesty a last night had several points ol special interest attached to it. To egm with, a Dunedin audience had a first opportunity of hearing works which a couple of decades ago made some stir m the musical world as marking a renaissance in Italian opera. Second, the casts included principals making their first appearance here, and doing so with such success as to make one ponder over the resources oi this superb organisation, "Inch, for all we know, mav not even vet have been fully disclosed. Third, Principals already seen displayed versatility and further unsuspected talents, in one case pre-eminently so. Last, a new conductor, Signor Ernesto Onnsalcz. took the helm on the presentation of ‘ Pagliacci,’ a 'v ? t , eerod i l, unerringly to triumph. Neither Mascagni nor Leoncavallo is an entile stranger to Dunedin audiences, for the intermezzo occurring in ‘ Cavalleria Husticana and the prologue to ‘ I Pagliacci are both familiar as the face of the town ifall dock. It is therefore intorcstmg to examine to what degree these samples are representative of ‘ the hulk. Ami, closely related with that investicration,, is speculation as to the probable life o. tuese works. Ilnq Mere practically contemporary compositions; comparisons, il oaious in principle, were inevitable: and, ns inevitably, they provoked rival Fciiools. i ins was shown when the 'Williamson management produced them both (together with Mascagni’s ‘D’Amico rntz ) as fairly tresh works in Australia, villi Italia del lone as prima donna and ■irard as tenor star. ‘Cavalleria’ was probably the popular pick; but ‘Pagliacci was the more favored of the musically discerning, and time is proving tiiein right, lo put the position baldly, pern aps brutally, before those familiar “'e excerpts already mentioned, mu. who were not fortunate enough to lie present at last night’s perIM niancos, it mav be hazarded that die intermezzo is like a life-buoy holding up a considerable deadweight and destined eventually In he pulled under unless cut free; while the prologue is but the door which opens to a chamber of oelights. There were -dreary patches in La-valleria,’ the composer's and not the company's fault: whereas ‘Pagliacci’ [uil>ed with vitality throughout. The stories are very similar in genre, but the '.nue of dramatic action, expressed and not merely implied, was striking! v exemplified last night. So also with the mus'c. ‘Cavalleria' was staged first, and the virility and pnrpn-e of Leoncavallo's struct me. following on the general incoherence and aimlessness „f .Mascagni's sometimes very beautiful ideas, was like one ng Mozart s Masses breaking in on the extemporisation „f a not too’original clmrcii organist. Perhaps this is an’ exnggeiated view. At any rate the management could test its soundness, or rove ■mop e an opportunity to do ,-o. if thev <°i! n find a mid-week date tor a matinee am repeat the double hill ; for ‘ Pagliacci ’ at !e:n.t worth a second hearing. ' Ihe outstanding memory which people carried away with them from the theatre was Signor_ Scnntuz/.i. the baritone. It was- emphatically bis night. As the Count in irovatorc ’ on the opening night he gave, when wanned up, a taste "of Ins g.minus voice, hut little hint of his powers il' au !lo,or - for. by comparison, he did little more than walk through that pari, bit of the waggoner Allin." the wronged juidvind ill •Cavalieria,' he gave a mm, mfen-e and individualistic portrayal hrie"log in will! his whip and leggings a whhf ol Italy', dusty highway-, and 'mountain roads and of tlf ru-tie life that cinders round them. Vet (his was aitfena,! hv ‘OHIO in work. Kr..:',, the moment he pu-licd aside the flaps of the circus lent to sing the prologue, p, (he time when, horriried. he mize- at the wr-v'-of their littky strolling 'company, due to Hie infidelity and iN ' inevitable -npiv-h, I•cneaI hj Gown's'''m'-'h''h'.,ai a heart, susceptible and revengeful, ■■.raved' • f- rf,lJ d and evil impulse- jn.-t. a plain man, Tonio. If it he suggested that that heart yea- worn t |,,, > ] ( . oVi ._ Dial Ihc nonlhet of emotion was ■■ho\--'i joo h.iridly. then l.e if remembered that ilie-e people were pantrenimi-1 -. f!' I '/' being deiia.n-lr;ui\ e Snutlmrimi-. 1 hi- should me.a any critici-m on rim -eoie (if over-aching. A- to ."signor S ( ,-,v. miizm - singing, th..-o who have heard the I'l'ologne before will -mely agree will: us that they had hardly made it- ai-nnainl-anee. La-t night’s rendering was a ivvehirion. and cause'! a riiroic Imp on I lie linal hat —llattei ing to the -inner, indeed, hut rather (li-rmu erl img a l -.., liov.es er, a partial repel it ion pat the matter right, ami sent, up the curtain wq'i a fair wind. 1 tie {me soiigs s üb>>• v allotted to Tonio v. . V e delivred jn-t splendidly. Altogether a notable triumph. Gi the new arli-t-., signorma Vis-mi. t..c Aed-aa. ot ' I’agoa:, i,‘ nuide a ve-y favorable iiiiimm d,,,,. >j h j, ri. v .,„(||. I 111 and pet he, u ' :i< ( . < - v ;,i u i;. lies'-’, and with a d a-m imi iial icn am-muting amiost in fast idionstm...-; hi ihu i, v,;w happily east as the iickk Xid:!;:.' irik v "'cy ;s a pleasant, clear, s.qna'ic, ,-a- ; iv prouiiced, and on iicr dehiit i;, \-.ecis. • and quality sug d that S | H . was a lvr ; c rather than a di amai ic smmami' ' ’p-j ‘ls bum went on ,-he piov,.-)' that she m sscssed anqiic reserve-. and tiiel, w.,’arc j toi(i in oilier ih lils. is the winning card. —]■ :n, . v late, .--’isuriri;in. Vkmii niavcii a winring game will. her.-:. A..-rif;. ,j j,;. her wmv two new Immrs--riig-mr Imikmk as Camay (Xe,lda’s lawfal Mann.':, ami ■■•ignor Kilirijiini. as Silvio ta n.-ri ; ,L nn rer, and iimivi, Impmgaiit m.ch.-- iallotted (o both riu-c imiis. and n amagain gave asm-tam-c, ci.inpiet In-' a"'c:isl. of I'l'iii'-ipals i hat made ’ !' La •ii’acci ’ I', perlcyt porjoi man hoth music-Liv ami histrionically. ’1 he audience 'made acquaintance with m another new tenor in riiguor Lois, (he Tnrriddu cf < avalleiaa Him loann.' o! which ~;■ -f 1m inade an emphatic success. I i e'lms' G.ut.h. willy its suppleness of Hmh and .h'imness of figure, so necessary . ;vo ,vj ; TU . on . gndty in the iiresenlation of char.nVersiinumrsed usually in tlmir first hevdav of courtship or philandering. TmThhln''was a philanderer, not a very <■-•( imahle char-a-der perhaps, hut capfivatin". ;-s -d! j-akes are to the r.mjoritv. This was the keynote s,em. r . IV a<iii:g. and .as m has a fine, clear, fresh voim. an d both sings and acts with great discernment his success was inevitable. One of the host things of the menim, was his moment of .solt-oonimnnion heiV.re his dm.! with Alfio and his death. Sanlnw/a" Tiirnddu's wronged and ne.dert.o! w )>layed hv Signori mi De Levers. I t is 'a difficult part, physically trvitm because ot only the hne.fest, re’spite' from work, and arustieall y trying heeanse of the sameness of the motif of that work the desperation of grief. The prima donna surmounted both diilictillm.s v ,-cll. More grateful is the part of the self-satisfied coquette Lola, which Lignoi'ina. Russ played with just the light' air 1.1 sauciness and (ho swagger of emunm-t \s -Mamma Imcia. an old woman's'part - norma Piccolo made an unobtrusive 'but success)u! first appearance. There are some striking and effective choruses m both works, and. neodk-s to say, the work in this direction was safV i actory f 0 a degree; while l!m crcheslra ad<lea yet another chapter of .- I ..]j ,iq, jo the volume whi.-h hahituees --ami' ’t|,' P Gonsalez Companv commands nvuv_m"e rolleciing. ’

To-night the last oppminr.itv will hafforded of hearing ‘ I) Trovatere.' wi-.i ( -h is always a- favorite. The cast will be’riie same as that which appeared op the opening night.

“F.avp ymi." asked (bo .Tiidee of a vp . eently-eonvictcd - anything tn offer C.om% bi>i or-. 1 is pn^s-p,-} , .'.o. your ropliorl iho “my lawyer took my Imk farthing" I',-inciov: “This ring, madam. would T/ 1 f-y.ip at .mr _ l.ady: •• T would take liini. but- I m aira-.ri mv husband might, object.” Fancier: “Mariam, yon, nan eat an nth or husband much easier than a- doe like that,” “ Don’t be afraid." .said a mother m har 'riiild at a show; “the ’inn is stufleri.'’ ■■ Very likely,” responded the lari ; •• lint jcriia-ps he could ;iud room for a. huio boy like me.”