Gluck in Philadelphia

When Marie Antoinette was the Dauphine of France she took one of her rare determined stands on behalf of Composer Christoph Willibald Gluck. Gluck had been her singing master in Vienna and when he wanted to produce a new opera in Paris she saw that he had his way. Last week, when it was 163 years old, Gluck's Iphigenie en Aulide was given its U.S. premiere by the Philadelphia Orchestra in Philadelphia.*

For all its age, the music impressed Philadelphians as being astoundingly fresh and vital. Gluck borrowed his characters from Euripides but he gave them new life. His Iphigenie aroused real pity when she prepared to sacrifice herself to the demanding gods. Clytemnestra was a fury as she uttered her defiance. The warrior Achilles provided another stirring climax when he swore to fight the fate that seemed inevitable.

The Philadelphia production left little to be desired. The one setting by Norman Bel Geddes was impressively stark and simple. The characters were expertly portrayed by such singers as Rosa Tentoni (Iphigenie), Cyrena van Gordon (Clytemnestra), Joseph Bentonelli (Achilles), Georges Baklanoff (Agamemnon). For the dances Charles Weidman and Doris Humphrey supplied excellent choreography, won great applause. Again Philadelphia Orchestramen proved their superiority to routine opera players.

* Sequel to Philadelphia's orchestra upheaval came last week when Alfred Reginald Allen, a smart young advertising man of 29, was chosen to succeed Manager Arthur Judson (TIME, Oct. 29 et seq.)

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