Tolstoi in Opera

Thousands of quarts of pitiful tears, one may safely calculate, have been loosed by readers who have followed the misfortunes of Tolstoi's hapless Anna Karenina, although they fill nearly a thousand goodly pages. Further lacrimal inundations are imminent, for the bearded Russian novelist's masterpiece has at last achieved its grand-operatic setting. The composer of the new opera is one Igino Robbiani, of whom little or nothing is known in the U. S. Is the musical taste of the Queen of Italy to be trusted? If so, Robbiani deserves to be known, for after the premiere of his Anna Karenina at the Teatro Costanzi, Rome, she invited him into the Royal Box and complimented him effusively. A distinguished Italian critic, Federico Candida, used the following somewhat confused expressions in describing the music: "Accentuated, even excessive, passion--evident research--sacred fervor--rich harmony--harmful sonority-- heavy orchestration--exuberance and defects--character and distinction. . . ." One may wonder about the esthetic fitness of entrusting so indelibly Russian a theme as Anna to an Italian. Why did not Tschaikowski try his hand at it?