Чума
Part IV
Intheslighthumofpoliteconversation,themenrecoveredtheself-confidencetheyhadlostafewhoursearlierintheblackstreetsofthetown.Eveningdressdroveawaytheplague.
Throughoutthefirstact,Orpheussighedandmoanedwithoutdifficulty,afewwomeninGreciantunicscommentedelegantlyonhisplight,lovewassungaboutinlittlearias.Theaudiencerespondedwithmoderatelywarmapplause.Hardlyanyonenoticedthat,inhisariainthesecondact,OrpheusintroducedsomeunscheduledtremolosandputrathertoomuchpathosintohisvoicewhensingingtothemasteroftheUnderworldashebeggedhimtobemovedbyhistears.Whenheletslipafewjerkymovements,themoresophisticatedconsideredthistobeatouchofstylizationandanimprovementtothesinger’sinterpretationoftherole.
ItwasnotuntilthegreatduoofOrpheusandEurydiceinthethirdact—thisisthemomentwherehelosesEurydice—thattheaudienceshowedsomesurprise.And,asthoughthesingerhadbeenexpectingthisstiramongthespectators,or,moreprobably,asthoughthemurmurrisingfromthestallsconfirmedwhathewasfeeling,hechosethatmomenttowalktowardsthefootlightsinagrotesquemanner,armswideandbow-leggedinhisclassicalcostume,andcollapseinthemidstofaneighteenth-centurypastoraldecorthathadalwaysbeeninappropriate,butwhich,intheeyesoftheaudience,nowbecamesoforthefirsttimeandinthemostdreadfulway.
