Show Rome Bewildered T 1 By Weird Opera Opa Without Songs Fra Gherardo Known as Heretical May Be Presented in America ROME RO March 16 Some AT thing new under the opera sun has come to Rome in Fra GherardO by Ildebrando Pi zettl It is discussed discussed dis- dis the heretical cussed here as opera America It its understood will have havea a chance to talk about it too as it itIs itis is to be presented at the MetropolItan Itan In New York bas two other operas Phaedra and Deborah to his credit But Rome unenthusiastic for the radical is just now he hearing ring the first of and Is not entirely entirely en- en sure of what it thinks SOMETHING NEW method is something that new is new for the modern world The gist of at it Is that the characters ot of his operas do donot not sing to the music of the orchestra They declaim their lines and the orchestra orchestra orches- orches tra pla plays s 's merely a kind ot of setting for the declamations This method says sas follows tol- tol lows that employed by the an- an dents r I have sought he said in an interview to carry myself b back Ck to the origins of musical drama which is the glory typically of Italy Th early opera was composed to give a greater breadth and a more natural breath to declamation and to infuse into It a greater vigor NO ARIAS idea Is that music in opera ought never to have a character character char char- acter or of embellishment but to be Instead the direct and genuine expression expression ex- ex of the drama In consequence consequence conse- conse quence there are In his operas no sustained arias and no symphonic digressions But there is an u uninterrupted interrupted in- in recitation very and exact makes full use ot of choruses according to some too much use ot of them In Fr Fth Gherardo the I chorus chants and declaims hymns I somewhat after the order of the old I Greek choruses Rome still doesn't know what to think of it all Fra Gherardo has been drawing packed houses and the reviews have been on the whole very favorable But the reviewers predict pre diet dict that the crowd will never understand understand un- un or take to It |