Still smarting from the critical response of his native Italy to his Medium and Consul in the past three seasons, Composer Gian-Carlo Menotti tried again last week; he staged his little Christmas TV opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, in Florence's Pergola Theater. Standing in the wings, Menotti felt reasonably confident this time: Leopold Stokowski conducted with a sure hand, a dressy international audience admired the handsome settings, stopped the show after a flashing dance sequence, and cheered up ten curtain calls for the cast at the end. Even the stage electrician admitted he liked it.
But when the reviews came out,...