Shakespeare To Music

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 41, 19 April 1935, Page 8

Shakespeare To Music

ed Much Discussed Opera From 3YA MTHS recent broadcast of the complete tragie opera, "Otello," by Verdi, constitutes something of a redletter eyent for 8YA, Christchurch Did Verdi really understand our national bard? Some think not. Did he give us Shakespeare’s characters pure und simple? Mr. Bernard Shaw retorts that he gave us monsters, and the famous actor, Tommaso Salvini, blunt~-

s ly informed Verdi that. his Iago was not Shakespeare’s' Iago at all, : "You, Verdi," he exclaimed indignantly, "have made him a melodramatic villain with his Credos and his outcry of ‘Beco il leone’" (for both of which Boito, the librettist, and not Verdi, the composer, Was responsible, by the way). The Iago. of Verdi’s imagination, "the spare tall figure with the high receding’ forehead and the little piercing eyes close to the nose like the eyes of a monkey," is indeed no longér a fiendish man, but the very devil incarnate. Nevertheless, he shares with Hagen (in Wagner’s "Twilight of the Gods’’) the rare distinction of being the most

arresting villain in the whole range of opera. Gounod’s Mephisto is a mere milksop in comparison. Iago’s "Credo" may be a trifie empty and theatrical, but it is, notwithstanding, both powerful and dramatically effective. Moreover, his malicious tale .of Cassio’s dream has never been equalled in its haunting and deadly suggestion of sinister mystery. This music has, indeed, "the velvet tread and the dangerously alert eye of | a panther stalking its prey." , Salvini’s accusation has occasionally been echoed by persons of literary culture, who have evidently not yet realised that-for better. or for worseVerdi is the. only composer who. has proved himself worthy to collaborate with Shakespeare. He delighted in ca‘, ling the dramatist "Papa." In. early} manhood "Anthony. and Cleopatra" had awakened his interest. He wanted for a long time to set "King Lear’ to music, The pitiable travesty of "Macbeth" supplied. by the librettist, Piave. is not forgotten, however. In _ this amusing’ effort we find Lady ‘Macbeth ‘sings a "Drinking Song (Brindisi) a la Jago, with a chorus of lusty murderers in hot pursuit of Banquo. "Otello" is the first work in which Verdi’s power _ of character drawing is fully developed, and his mastery of dialogue is superb. The opera is in four acts. It differs from the play, inasmuch as ‘it passes over the first act of the tragedy which treats of the courtshin and marriage. of Desdemona. For sake of operatic, economy, Bioto, the librettist, mak the opera commence with the arrival of! the Moor in Cyprus. The time is the, fifteenth century, and the scenes are laid in Cyprus, of which Otello is Governor, on behalf of Venice. The opera was first produced at La Scala, Milan, On February 5th, 1887. The broadfast version was by a present-day La Scala company.