Sunday, January 08, 2012

Fragment of an unfinished libretto:
JIM WALKER:
Signori, ascoltate! Credimi, mio ben!
É un vil menzogno, bugiardi son tutti.
Io giuro, credimi, per carità,
Texano non son io!

FRA MARTINEZ (con l'ultimo velen):
Spergiurerai tu stesso davanti a Dio?
La verità io so, ai popoli la proclamo:
Texano voi siete!

GIUSEPPINA:
Vil traditor!

POPOLI:
Al patibolo! Al patibolo!

-from I Carnefici di Taos (Act II finale), dated January 1912, Prawne family archives

4 comments:

Peculiar said...

The extant draft was produced by typewriter, leaving us imperfectly sure of its authorship. However certain of Ksenja's correspondence from spring 1912 tellingly indicates an increasing dissatisfaction with the Italian language and verismo opera. That summer, her monomania returned its focus to translations of Slovak folk poetry.

Peculiar said...

Also, have I mentioned that I really wish the Santa Fe Opera would do a production of La Fanciulla del West set hereabouts? Though the drunken Indians in Act II might pose some interpretive problems, especially inasmuch as the opera house is well within projectile range from Tesuque Pueblo land. Nevertheless....

Odious said...

I would watch this til my eyes bled.

Chas S. Clifton said...

Ce n'est pas un commentaire.