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6 September 1883 — La Punta, Longarone | |
Thursday. 6th September [1883]. It was pouring with rain when we got up & there was no going out in the morning. I was feeling chilly & headachy & laid myself on the sofa in my room wrapped up to get warm & read. After lunch it cleared & we were able to go out. Henry, Mr Thompson & I walked to the saw mills & then over to the other side of the river to find a good place from which to sketch the house of La Punta. Henry left us sketching & we returned home by abt 5.30 & had tea. Sir Henry & Mr Thompson played two handed whist—a game they had invented wh I wanted to learn. We dined at 7. At 8.30 Henry, Mr Thompson & I went to the Opera to see “Tommaso il Gobbo” a semiseria opera by one Luigi Teza di Antonio a young man of the village of Longarone. The theatre is very small. We went to Mr Malcolm’s box. The performance was very creditable. Sr Pucci & his daughter sang well– Miss Teza the author’s sister who sang the second soprano part sang very much out of tune. The Photographer from Belluno who had a good voice was very much applauded but it was too funny how little he could act. Once when encored in a song he forgot the music. The prompter immediately took it up sang a few words for him & set him going again. The libretto was most absurd—& the words of Photographers much admired song were “If Antonio were as big as the devil still I would eat his liver.” However on the whole the thing went off very well & without a hitch. The choruses were sung by 24 ladies & gentlemen all dilittanti. We had a visit in our box from the sindaco & congratulated him on the success of the first opera given at Longarone. The orchestra was very good—2 or 3 players had come from Venice, the rest were all from the village. It appears this young author of the opera does not know counter point & so the harmony had to be done by a professore. This same professore was conductor of the orchestra & he was most energetic keeping time with his baton on the desk in a way wh was quite distracting to hear– The music was commonplace & not original but it was lively—the audience was most enthusiastic & encouraging. I had had a large bouquet made & tied up with light blue ribbons which I intended for Mlle Pucci. I asked Mr Malcolm’s agent to thro’ it her from a stage box. He agreed to this but at the critical moment when he should have thrown it he did not seem to know what to do with it. I sent Mr Thompson to him. He dashed to the box & hurled it at the Prima donna’s feet with great effect. After it was over she & her father came round to our box to thank me & we congratulated them on their success. | |
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