Shadowland (Mar-Aug 1923)

Su4l>OW'l/\NL> one chooses to call it — of the ultras has been working industriously and noisily, but the visit of Darius Milhaud, whilom loader of "The Six," has only slightly stirred — or shall we say muddied? — the musical waters. The Internationalists in music, who have been much in evidence, hear a good deal of resemblance to their political brethren. They are bent on upsetting the existing order of things. Most of them are well known to the writer personally, and while it is possible to recognize in sonic of them real sincerity, as well as musical accomplishment, others are undoubtedly affecting a pose and are striving to achieve a prominence to which their talents do not entitle them. A few are sincere seekers after musical light, and are earnestly striving for something which is new and good, if not precisely beautiful, for beauty at present is a minor consideration. What they seem to aim at chiefly is form — sometimes distorted form — "color." and lots of it. The latter they achieve with the aid of sound producers — they cannot be called musical instruments — never be.fore heard in an orchestra, and all sorts of new sensations and shocks, as witness Mr. Edgar Varese's Hyperprism, not to omit Mr. Carl Ruggles' extraordinary composi tion for muted trumpets. This sort of thing is sheer eccentricity or oddity, and needless to say nothing ages so quickly. As I have elsewhere pointed out, jazz seems today a much more antiquated affair than a composition by Palestrina. But jazz is only ten years or so old, and Palestrina is three hundred and fifty. People who deliberately do this sort of thing must be regarded as the barnacles of music. The medical profession has its quacks, the legal its shysters, the clergy its blatant, self-advertising pulpiteers, and so with all professions. Teaving the region of *-* debatable subjectivity in music and coming to a brief review of the opera season, Mr. Gatti-Casazza has fulfilled all his promises and has had the most successful season on record at the Metropolitan. He has maintained the Italian repertoire, be has reduced the French, and he has augmented the German, but not one opera has been sung in English or has been of American or English origin. The great impresario has, however, done wonders. In a Charles II. Davis Queena Mario of the Metropolitan Opera, as Juliet in Romeo et Juliette season of twenty-three weeks and one hundred and sixtynine performances at the Metropolitan he has given forty operas, including two novelties — Mona Lisa and Anima Allcgra — and six revivals, Der Rosenkavalier, Romeo et Juliette, Thais, William Tell, Tannhauscr, and L'Africaine. The organization has also given ten performances in Brooklyn, seventeen in Philadelphia, and seven in Atlanta, as well as twenty-three Sunday concerts — in all, two hundred and twenty-six performances, a truly wonderful record. The character and quality of the two novelties of last season have already been sufficiently indicated in these pages. In Anima Allegra, a charming little work, which has scarcely received its due meed of praise from those who sit in judgment, the brilliant and fascinating Lucrezia Bori was at her best, and so long as she is at the Metropolitan Vittadini's work ought to be included in the repertory. Mona Lisa, valueless musically, served to introduce a singing actor of remarkable force and distinction, who is likely to be a permanent and important addition to the ranks of the Metropolitan company, Michael Bohnen. Lie was also heard as King Mark in Tristan and Isolde, and King Henry in Lohengrin, in which roles he confirmed the favorable estimate of his histrionic and vocal powers. So far he has only sung in his own language, German, but he is now studying Italian and French, and will be heard in operas in those languages next season. Several new German or Germanic artists came to the Metropolitan last season, among them Elizabeth Rethberg, a really beautiful singer, but somewhat lacking in personality ; Sigrid Onegin, who claims Scandinavian origin, a superb specimen physically, with a glorious voice, which she does not use quite so well as she should ; Barbara Kemp, whom it is difficult to judge by such a succes de curiosite as her Mona Lisa, and who was disappointing as Isolde ; and Delia Reinhardt, who was disabled by sickness early in the season, and had scarcely recovered sufficiently to be judged on her merits when she reappeared just before the season's close as a lifeless Elsa. Of the male German additions to the company, Michael Bohnen has already been referred to ; Paul (Continued on page 76) Page Forty-Five