Puccini’s wish was immediately complied with, and upon the basis of Belasco’s melodrama he wrote his opera of “La Fanciulla del West,”—which was sung, in Italian, “for the first time on any stage,” December 10, 1910, at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York: the libretto was “arranged” by
In Remembrance
PUCCINI’S OPERA “THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST”
| Giacomo Puccini | Arturo Toscanini | |
| (P. by Dupont) | (P. by Dupont) | |
| Belasco (P. by Abbe) | ||
| G. Gatti-Casazza | Otto H. Kahn | |
| (P. by Dupont) | (P. by Pach) | |
| Emmy Destinn (P. by White) | ||
| Pasquale Amato | Enrico Caruso | |
| (P. by White) | (P. by White) | |
Signori G. Zangarini and C. Civinni: it is, substantially, a translation, until the last act, when a scene is introduced showing the imminent lynching of Johnson by “the boys” in a convenient grove of redwood trees and his rescue by the Girl. This scene, as I understand, was originally planned by Belasco for use in his play but was by him discarded. “La Fanciulla del West” was sung for the first time by an extraordinary cast, which should be recorded. This is it:
| Minnie | Emmy Destinn. | |
| Dick Johnson, (Ramirez, the road-agent) | Enrico Caruso. | |
| Jack Rance | Pasquale Amato. | |
| Nick, Bartender at the “Polka” | Albert Reiss. | |
| Ashby, Wells-Fargo Agent | Adamo Didur. | |
| Sonora | Dinh Gilly. | |
| Trin | Angelo Bada. | |
| Sid | Giulio Rossi. | |
| Bello | Miners | Vincenzo Reschiglian. |
| Harry | Pietro Audisio. | |
| Joe | Glenn Hall. | |
| Happy | Antonio Pini-Corsi. | |
| Larkens | Bernard Bégué. | |
| Billy, an Indian | Georges Bourgeois. | |
| Wowkle, his Squaw | Marie Mattfeld. | |
| Jake Wallace, a Minstrel | Andrea de Segurola. | |
| José Castro | Edoardo Missiano. | |
| The Pony Express Rider | Lamberto Belleri. | |
| Men of the Camp and Boys of the Ridge. | ||
| CONDUCTOR | ARTURO TOSCANINI. | |