Salt Lake Telegram | 1929-07-21 | Page 23 | Critic Analyzes 'Fra Gherardo; by Pizzetti

A il Fra Gherardo W i By i ii i t A. A lan l- l Fanatical an Sincerity in rity Wic af Musical Setting M i ip p ol t n en iio Praised Pr if 1 Itis Jn long Ice any list Hit ot of tp Rile ajic novelties has looked i pr Ising on ising-on on g on paper paper paper-as' as that at which WIc tt n pr-a- pr d. d last L season The Th T e Sunken yil 1 Ottorino D Johnny Johy Auf Aut f. f by Ers Ernest Krenek j E Egyptian Helen Belen by lY rc Strauss Strauss hers hero were w re works wOrk's by bi t j compo composers ers w whose ou names namu wr er were if t tI i ir i r ready a y yord world ord famous ous a arid and d g whose se sensational s reception abr l had aroused c Yet all all all' t three three- rc fell ten c m h here r a and d seemed ee e do doomed d' d 10 to y oblivion Jon The Thc The fo fourth rth r Tri rdo ardo ardo was waa by Ildebrando whose n name e Is Ii alte alre dy fai ll arti nt iti o. o I little I tc signs of of surviving its y r These are the Int among among- the views e expressed b by b T In a current Issue e c fla He contends I reis Ih f In In a IL way For Fra Ghe Gherardo rdo j ii iia ja a L story of or significance and and anda a a m musical ical ii that t. with all its faults is i g ed by byan al arnst f fanatical l II ilij If It t what the h I nIL all assure u uv uc were were only ohl on oi i sincerity were erB enough 1 ty Tho H lory Is a i free adaptation U n 1 a a cent century ry a n simple pl pious pIOus' us' us f fo o ofil fJ t to deI ca cate t Kid 01 life Ute to o q literally lIte an e I I all nH his hla goods o ds and to the h poor o r. r Forced by ik ito to to to- toa ft a per cc girl J hernani er nani I Maro l-Maro ho ho succumbs S to nd d pai i donate nto j l es h I lover r. r Then b byre byre- re morse mone over cr what 11 he i iden den deadly lv ein li ho i 8 he p away a makes public an joins joins a It ha hand d ot of flagellant mo monks 1 Nine yc years rs I later ter we find him in P Parma r o. o b by now e head e of hk th h Order of ot Flag Flagellants and d the champion champlon of th the p poor por or but b t nonetheless a re dour dourand and nd unhappy man He m mMa Ma Martola loJa ng again lri She had borne born hima him bl a a. son son she tells him but thi the chud died durIng Curing the tho n starvation that tat slie Ilia h to dure eyes eyes are op opened n and the cruelty and self self-J of ot what he once o an an act of ot piety piet and expiation c Jr j realizes realizes- too too that h t Ae hl h has s. s 1 i loved and arid bogs bags her to- to toO togo go go- out ut into tJi the world wl Id-wl with him she he will m not ave so If It he dons the tho people so 10 i church and state whither can can thi ant T r. turn for tor help He Be submits submit a anti prepares to face fac his his' duty Auty only to be e. e arrested on on cv r. r and t treason ason i UJ Tricked of ot it mado bishop and arid the yEr nor of ot Parma he is led public square tOI to ma C c n 1 tation Th There re is rioting amor- amor p people l' l and a 3 child is Js killed Jf grief crazed t stabs stabs' 31 Just as as Gherardo II is J r tile the ll J A. A w l.- l. Hd lid takes ti his his' arms Then his face sethe et ils rises s. s publicly r pud a es I. I rec rU n- n and andis i l tea led a. a away to at Many Manya any anya a a. 1 less ss in interesting er a coherent st ry has ha's b been enT fhe be the b 1 of oC of in n oper tl e But BIt Gherardo herardO her rdo does doea not riot get over t fails fails' first of ot all U because P I tI lisa b em who ho hb I is la Ills 1115 own b tal tale he has hut to so so ln st th the t tell that he neglect to till Jt hf n sufficiently direct ct and nd terms Des Despite lt r nt mome-nt of t t 4 f 1 melodramatic Action l et o m in tlc tic even the story ls Is larelY largely Jf in We are not e to IU IbS i lorn t the he characters characters' eel neatly nearly as as we weare 0 are forc forced ci to hear i of t tI th themselves out I They hey talk I opera house into the e Gherardo o would 1 Iam am ant su e k I Ir r remarkable novel but it ls nO Vj I i iN o drama J or r N Nor f. f does the ot alas has hal has hasa a an rj b r Y work b best Jt Jt like politicians Instinct s I-s Is theory theor Is I tt aUe BI singing should ut follow af tuly fully ai as possible the J inflections s of actual c ull pe speech and T r r Is fa a n sound Jound theory rac one as the of V CJ b esy and Strauss will wi testifY application of ot it St St. unfortunate Having vo un I t sacrificed the m melodIc le rr a his hs hsi i ocal parts for the sake he makes akes s r t to td the singers erl to Juch such uch an r e tH that it it too to t W W a. a to charm the he ear r Metropolitans Metropolitan's production The Metr Fra a Gherardo was fine Mrs Mn Serafin wa J the last Mr possible drop and color lor from the the ic scorer aCor re fV tl 1 chorus chorus' trained to tJ minute ta j 74 j d Itself QuIt quitted fa roles Toles' of ard ar T-Ij T Impo l 9 the tHo only tonly on ones s of major and both were superbly un acted by b by Edward Eward Marl Marla Mueller Joseph Joeph Uban CI s 's settings wee noo no color tor a no M wo o hY for good d Indeed bl J C before the the beor Parma Patina was wasso waso so f that brie one reached c it 1 Baedeker i I