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Jan. 15, THE visit of the Italian Opera Company at the Olympic is memorable in several respects, first, perhaps, for the extrra ordinary success it has achieved. By that we would not be thought so rude as to imply that the Com pany does not deserve to succeed , far from it. But the theatre going community of Shanghai does not number more than a few thousands: the music-loving pro portion of it is still smaller, and even among music-lovers there are many who would rather not hear opera unless they can have it in tip-top style, and not a few who only enthuse over it in the form of Waenerian music drama. Finally, there are all sorts of rival attractions at this time of year, and one remembers that, only two winters ago, a Russian opera company, certainly not in ferior to the present visitors, failed wretchedly. Yet might after night the Olympic has been able to put up the rare notice ‘house full’’ and to buy a ticket at Moutric’s was almost as bad as getting registered at the Con sulate. The audiences consisted very largely of Continentals, but there was no lack of the reputed ly unmusical British and Ameri cans. One thing observable was the number of Chinese and Jap anese who would appear to enjoy the music of the West more than almost any other of its products. Their presence in the foreign theatres is very welcome, for the bigger audiences Shanghai can offer, the better the travelling companies it will be able to at tract. It must also be confessed that, for punctuality, considerate ness of others and quiet atten tion, the Chinese and Japanese patrons of opera set an example which some others would do well to follow. Looking back on the perform ances as a Whole, one may say unreservedly that they were exceedingly good, not only giving an excellent idea of what the composer meant to those who had never heard opera and went re ligiously night after night to be enlightened, but being thoroughly enjoyable by the initiated. Some pieces were, of course, not 50 good as others; ‘‘ Faust,’’ for instance, seemed rather patchy, possibly because it is so very familiar that the audience are more easily critical; — and ‘‘ Norma '’ appeared beyond the strength of the company, as indeed it is of most. The general tendency to drive at high pressure the whole time, to keep singers and orchestra alike, especially the brass wind, at a perpetual fortiss imo, is so common in Italian opera, that this company need not be blamed for it more than any other. It is curious, by the way, that Wagner used to have a reputation for being noisy : the average Italian opera can beat him out of sight in this respect with one hand tied behind it. As re cords acting, the number of operatic singers who can so far overcome the inevitable disabili ties Which music puts upon action ‘as, for instance, that men about to fight a duel or elope with the lady of this choice do not stop to sing a duet about it—as to be called actors in the ordinary sense can be reckoned on the Gingers of one hand and they do not yet come to China. Against this, most of the Italian Opera Company showed, in one part or another, ability to realize the most vital function of music in opera, which adds to the drama tic fervour of the story even while it holds up its progress. Signor Scamuzzi has been praised so much already (though not more than he deserves) that we will not further dwell on him. But we would specially mention the fine singing and attractive personality of Signora Impallo meni, who gave distinction to every part she took. Signor Cappelli also was decidedly more than the mere producer of high notes which the average Italian tenor considers all his function why, by the way, are tenor voices, elsewhere so scarce, as common in Italy as blackberries on Sus sex Downs? And Miss Varnes’s rendering of Azucena on Satur day night was a notable work of art. On the debit side, it must be confessed that the chorus was not good. Probably this is a question of expense, for the cost of carting so large a company about the Far East must be enor mous. But at least they might be drilled to march in time to the music and in step with each other, when so required and to comport themselves more like human beings and less like a col lection of marionettes whose strings are broken. Scenery, again, is a costly accessory to move about. But surely Marguer ite might have been given some thing better than a common kitchen chair on which to spread out the jewels ; and a correct model of a spinning wheel ought not to cost more than the thing actually used in the garden scene. Death scenes also cause more amusement than awe Merely to lay out the deceased flat upon the boards is not im pressive; it may even be ridicul ous. And, at the close of ‘‘Trova tore,’ Di Tuna did not “ fall senseless.’ He merely leant cautiously against the backcloth. Attention to points like this, where little or no expense is in volved, would do much to enhance the pleasure of an other wise most pleasing performance. The series of operas presented will have aroused in many minds interesting comparisons between Wagnerian and Italian and French opera. As we all know, the disabilities inherent in com bining action and music Wagner attempted to overcome, or at least obscure, by rejecting the old alternative of recitative and aria, using the undulations and variations of music to intensify the speakers’ emotions, and ban ishing the ballet except where it might naturally occur in real life, as in the first act of ‘‘Tann hauser,’’ and the chorus except where the voice of a crowd is strictly in place, as in parts of ‘’ Meistersinger ’’ and ‘‘ Gotter dimmerung.’’ He was further assisted by the mystical, fairy tale atmosphere of most of his plots, in which music suggests no violent incongruity. The later Italian opera seems to have tried to adapt these methods to its own conception of the musical thea tre, and, if it be not heresy to say so, it has fallen between two stools. It has produced some ex quisite music, but whether the story be thereby made more im pressive, simply as a story. Whether it may not even have lost in dramatic intensity, is an open question. Judged by this standard ‘‘ Trovatore ’’ may ap peal to some listeners more than Verdi's later work. Musically he developed no doubt; but, theatri cally, one doubts whether ‘ Aida’’ and ‘‘ Otello’’ have any great advantage over the older series of vivid melodies, between which everything is stopped for the expected applause
Newspaper Details
North China Herald
Shanghai, Shanghai, CN
Sat, Jan 20, 1923
Page 2
Full Page
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Sheila M.
USA 27 Apr 2026
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