February 7, 1914 MUSICAL AMERICA 9

BELIBVES "TRISTAN" CAN BE SUNO BETTER IN/TAL/AN THAN OERMAN

Ferrari-Fontana Declares Wagner Himself Would Have Rejoiced if He Could Have Heard His Music Free of Teutonic Gutturals - Greatest Future Hope for Italian Opera in Men Like Montemezzi, Declares the Tenor of "L'Amore dei Tre Re" -Home Life of a Happily Married "Tristan" and "Isolde" -The Silver Spoon of Adrienne Ferrari-Fontana

By OLIN DOWNES

Bureau of Musical America, rari-Fontana's beginnings on the stage. No. 120 Boylston Street, His birthplace was Rome-1878. He Boston, January 31, 1914. studied medicine, but he was adventurous and the :::;pring of 1902 found him a SeC­ E DOARDO FERRARI-FONTANA is retary in the. consular service at Monte­ a happy man, not only on account video, some six hours from Buenos of his triumphs with press and public Ayres. Quite as a matter of course and the manifold things of this earth friends of his who were interested in th; theater suggested that he take a small th:lt are proffered him, but principally part in a popular farce of the day, and and particularly because of the safe ar­ it happened that a song which he sang in rival of his first child; Adrienne Ferrari­ the second act was conspicuously success­ Fontana, who' appeared a few days ago ful at each performance. Ml·. Fontana asked six months' leave at the consulate in the home near the Boston Opera and appeared on the stage more fre­ House, which is occupied at present by quently. He played in numerous little comedies at first, and then he appeared in "L'Acrobat," an opera comique by Louis Ganne, whose "Hans, the Flute Player" he was to make popular in Italy a few years later. He abandone:l his consular position and increased his repn­ toire by such works as "Fra Diavolo" "La Fille du Regiment," "Les Cloches de Corneville," "La Fille de Mme. Angot." Returning to Italy, he became quickly one of the most popular tenors in light . opera. It was he who made known ther2 the tenor roles in such works as the "Waltz Dream." "The Merr" Widow" "The Blue Moon." "The Fair Lola," et~. Bear.in·mind that he was self-taught. At the Teatro Regio, Turin, he made his debut as Tristan in Wagner's opera-his Edoardo Ferrari-Fontana, Who Began His Career in a Consular Office in South first grand opera, if you please-on the America, Became a Light Opera Singer and then the Foremost Italian "Tris­ 2nd of March, 1910. He had been sing­ tan" and a Member of the Boston and Metropolitan Opera Companies ing baritone roles in light opera. He met the baritone Stracciari, who encour­ aged him to work toward grand opera. was requested by Mr. Russell, in accord · scoring.is clearness, not complexity of de­ Mr. Fontana was finally given a leadinQ' ance with the standards of the Boston tail, but detail nobly subordinated to the role in Massenet's "Herodiade," which did Opera, to learn his role in German. Wi h big lines of the whole. As a melodist not particularly interest him, for his first Mme. Matzenauer singing-this time as and a technician Montemezzi is a most appearance. In the meantime he lisbned Isolde, for although a contralto her range gifted and seri{)us young man. His first from the front row, just behind the con­ l ~ such that she is capable of taking two operas, full of fine things, were not ductor's chair, to "Tristan und Isolde," eIther the part of Brangiine or /sold(;­ as successful as 'L'Amore dei Tre Re' he made a .distressed appearance, singing principally because of the composer's Mr. Ferrari-Fontana and His Wife, Mme. Serafino conducting: This was the be­ ginning of the end. The conductor stiffly and cautiously ' in the German Jack of experience in writing for the Margarete Matzenauer, Mezzo-Soprano watched his face. After an act he Longue until the end of Act II. At that stage. But in 'L'Amore' Montemezzi has of the Metropolitan Opera Company turned about in his chair and said, jest­ moment, unable to contain himself any written a masterpiece of the theater. The ingly: "I suppose you would like to sing longer, Mr. Fontana lapsed back into opera has only to be heard, I think, to that opera." Italian and immediately was the romantic make its way." the two great singers,_Mr. Ferrari-Fon­ and golden-voiced interpreter who fitted "Yes," said Fontana, "I would like to Home Life tana and his wife, Margarete Matze­ sing it. But I assure you that if I did the Wagner conception. nauer. so I would do a much better piece of Shall it be added, that Mr. Ferrari­ Loath to Learn It in German Fontana, a happy and successful man, a The fact that the presents the child work than that one"-indicating the gentleman who had just been occupying Mr. Fontana remarked that he was brilliant talker, is a model of what an has received already. total a figure re­ the center of the stage. very loath to learn the part of Tristan in intelligent artist may be, without fuss or spectably in advance of $5,000, and that German. He went· further-he had folderol. He adores his wife; his home the husband and wife have insured them­ H is First "Tristan" that if Wagner could have heard his mu­ is the most attractive place that he knows. I have said that he was entirely selves to the amount of $125,000 in The capricious fates being in a kindly sic, rid of German gutturals and con­ mood that "'enor was taken ill and Fer­ sonants that chop a legato to pieces, if self-taught. His wife has coached him Adrienne's name, is at present of minor rari-Fontana was given his chance. He he could have heard his lyrical master­ in many of his late roles, and it was she importance in that household. Mr. Fon­ made his debut as Tristan. He wen t on piece in Italian he would have rejoiced. who helped him o:ver many a thorny spot tana is extravagantly and- delightfully the stage without an orchestral rehearsal "For Italian is music itself, and the in the Ger~an tongue during the Sum­ mer past. There is no thought of artistic happy over 'his first-born, who, he says, and with complete success. He sang wonderfully melodic character of ' Tris­ Tristan seven times that season--of tan' was surely not intended for directly rivalry between these two, although both is "really a Boston girl." are prominent enough artists to warrant The story of Mr. Fontana's success in course in Italian. Two seasons later he unmelodic treatment. Only the music of was called "the Italian 'Tristan.' He the Italian tongue seems' to me a fit me­ such a traditional attitude. Mutual in­ opera in America is rather singular. In telligence and enthusiasm for the work is New York he was for a time merely the divided his time between Italy and Bue­ dium lor the transcendental beauty of nos Ayres, and it was while traveling to the Wagner compositions, and I wish that an additional stimulus to each. Nor is it husband of bis wife until the day came every husband who has the privilege of when several Boston Opera singers were Buenos Ayres .that he met Mme. Matze­ I might spread this gospel over the nauer on shipboard and married her after world. The Italians know it. Do you singing Tristan to his wife's Brangiine or incapacitated at once, and Mr. Russell lsolde. had no tenor for a performance of a short and romantic courtship, nineteen know that I have sung in 145 perform­ months ago. ances of 'Tristan' since 1910 in· Italy? Mr. and Mrs. Fontana have not com­ "Tristan." To fill a gap Mr. Ferrari­ pleted their arrangements for the future Fontana was sent on from New York. Havirig learned Tristan Mr. Fontana 'Tristan' is one of the most popular op­ mattered much of the Wagnerian reper­ eras in the Italian repertoire. Many the­ of Miss Adrienne. One of their three Behold! The Boston papers next morn­ large estates in Italy will go to her. The ing recorded the appearance of a star of toire, including "Tannhauser," "Lohen­ aters open their seasons with it, and grin" and "Siegfried." He learned also other operas of Wagner are sung with estates are situate at Rome, Cesnatico magnitude who had not only sung Wag­ and Genoa. "Of course, if there should ner's music like a true musician, but in the "Norma" and the "Don Sebastiano" enthusiasm throughout the country. In of Donizetti. In Boston he added to his Bologna I have heard children in the ever be another little Ferrari-Fontana I so beautiful a manner that seasoned suppose we should immediately make O'lt critics quoted the days of Jean de Reszke repertoire Gennaro in "The Jewe's of the street singing snatches from "Tann­ Madonna," Samson in Saint-Saens's op­ hauser." The first reason for all this is a new will." The villa at Genoa is sit­ as the only precedent for this perform­ uated forty metres from the sea, filled ance. It is said that within ten minutes era, and Canio in "Pagliacci," and in all that the music is so emotional and so these parts he made first appearances nobly melodic. And do not forget that with valuable pictures and statuary, after the end of Mr. Fontana's debut in some of it bv Ettore Fontana, one of the Boston he was signing a contract in Mr. here this season. He created the tenor Wagner owed several important features role in "The Love of Three Kings" at the of his style to the Italians-especially a leading sculptors of Italy, the uncle of Russell's office. Mr. Ferrari-Fontana. There is a living Then came Mr. Fontana's New York first performance at La Scala, Milan, characteristic curve of his melody which last season, and his success in the recent is found, partjcularly in 'Tristan.' " room on one floor as large as the entire success when he created the part of floor of the house. There are sleeping A vito in "The Love of Three Kings" of New York premiere of this work is still . Mr. Fontana speaks very highly 'of the talk of the town. Mr. Fontana is Montemezzi, whom he know.s personally, chambers which almost jut out over the Montemezzi, whose work was given at the marvelous blue Italian sea. If we were Metropolitan for the first time in Amer­ going to appear soon as Turiddu in "Ca­ and "The Love of Three' Kings." He valleria" and next year as Jose in "Car­ mentioned Montemezzi as among those Miss Adrienne, we know which villa we ica. Seldom has there been such una­ would choose. nimity as characterized the expression of men," Otello in Verdi's opera, Rhadames whose genius gives the greatest future critical opinion that next day. Mr . .Fon­ in "AIda" and in other roles. '. He has hope for the Italian operatic art. Puc­ sung thus far in Rome, Naples, Turin, cini? He shrugged his shoulders. "I find tana, who has not yet a great many Dinner to Dr. Ro1!Y~ roles, is adding to his repertoire as fast Milan, Bologna, South America and Bos­ Montemezzi, of all the younger com­ as he possibly can, and has elected to ton. He goes from Boston to Milan, posers; most distinguished in his inven­ Dr. Alfred G. Robyn, the organist and ' return to America for some seasons to thence to Buenos Ayres, and so on. tion, and remarkable in his ' workman­ composer, was the guest of honor at the come. Mr. Fontana has sung his Tristan in shio. You might find in his very rich 384th dinner of the H,mgry Club of Italian. It was in this language that he and complete orchestra a suggestion of New York, given at the Hotel Marseilles, Eventful Beginning sang on the occasion of his debut at the Strauss-always with the proviso that, January 26. Several of Dr. Robyn'S But this story, eventful as it is, is not Boston Opera House last season. In the however rich and heavy-laden with ef­ songs were sung by Jane Le Bnm, Mary so remarkable as the story of Mr. Fer- interval between that season and this he fects the score may be, the result of the Mason and Ida QQQK;,