A typical leg was the 240 mile journey from St. Louis to Indianapolis which lasted seven and a half hours with five baggage cars, three day coaches, two Wagner Palace Cars, and one dining car serving lunch. Presumably the sets, costumes, and technical staff went in another train. In the title roles were a new French tenor, Albert Alvarez, and the popular American soprano Emma Eames. Another matter which was noticeable immediately after the rise of the curtain last night was that the chorus had been subjected to some musical training. Her 137 performances of the role during only six seasons is a Metropolitan Opera record never equaled by anyone else in anything.
Every action is charged with a subtle eloquence and throws lights upon the emotions of the woman.
Every look is a speech, every gesture a revelation. T here was a price to be paid for the star system. N ordica and Ternina, with occasional help from Gadski and others, dominated the Wagnerian soprano roles. She was also Selika in L'Africaine and Valentine in Les Huguenots . W hile we, through the haze of time, may regard the last turn of the century as a vocal golden age, the participants were not always impressed.