, 1873-12-16
ITALIAN OPERA.
An Interview with Strnkonch-Somo
Interesting ScCrctA 1tovUnlc&l.

An interview with strnkonch--somo
interesting ScCrctH lscvGillcl.
| tron, llitke6 Sptrt.
Critio-Iavo yon any objection to telling mo
| what Your original engagement wna With Mni-
a,ne thon Miss Nilsson moan when you tlrBt
brought her oyer for ooncort tour2
StlakoHch-No, mono whatever. saw In hor,
| IN Darnum saw ia Jenny Lind, a bright partc,,-
lar Btar TINT Ind freshly burst upon tho musical
| horizon, nnl whoan engagement l thonght
rould mako profitable, whilst other mauaGors
liogglod about prico. closed with her tarms
| whilst sho was yet young and fresh in the mar
let, a.sd great az was her suddeuIS-acquircd rep
utation III Europe, think enhanced 1t here,
] don't YOU?
Critic-And those terms werc?
Strakosch-$1, 900 night in gold, and half of
| tho gross reoepts after s. 900.
critic-ArythnE clse :
Strakorch-Ycs; atl hor toilet.bils paid, and
cnriages at her disposal All is always tho ru1o Of
| all her engagements
Critie-D,d the rocolpta of these concerts ever
| run over tho stipulated hum2
| Straclsoacll-Yos; IN New York, Boston, phila-
dclphia, aud two or three other lArgo cities, fro
quently.
Oritic-How much did Nilsson receive from
tlat concert arrangement, and how much did you
prosit2
strakoach Crolccling)-1 think Nilsson, to tho
bost Of MY recollection r could givo you tho cx-
aet amount ii you desire to know, got s140, 900.
The second question decline to answer; it ia
! sufficient was satisfied. matlo money by tho
operation.
Critic-well, then came tho demand for Nils
sou to appear 10 ot}ora. You fosiercd that de-
1nanl, slightly, did you not2
strakosoi-Ahl nacchant, don't ask that. You
] kn0w-me foster ?-llo-tho public through tho
! newspapers demanded +; I only complied.
Crltio-And then new engagement with Nils
son ensueda
Strakosch-Of courso.
Cgitic-And that waB--7
strakoscll-Wcll, you sec, that Was ant export
-r.4 n+xlT ~ !, fjf l.. i
eaoh nisht, and sharo dc gross receipts WITH her
aftcr 81, 600 receipts and, Of courso, with tho
heavy additional expenses Of an opora company
over that Of concert company, ! was forced to
put tho price OF admission up, "to got square,"
~ you Gull it..
Gritic-Wcll,> low mitch did Nilsson clcar by
that seaeon Of opeta, ind you?
Strakoscli-Sho cleared $4,000 What /
made decline to say; let it auico, was satis-
Critic-Now about the present season Of opera,
and Nilsson'a engagement
Strakoscl-Well, you know on Nilsson's return
to Europe from The United States, how sho was
fctcl, aud how great her success WIS in London,
st. Petersburg, etc. VOL, after the year that
interviewed, slo had longing desire to return to
America, which was shared by me. aud made
good enga aGomont with her.
Critic-Which Waa?
Slraltosch-Just this EGO, or $500 In gold
each performance, but tho present arrangements
is 55JU n currency, with hall. the gross receipts
over ~, ,0uu.
Critic-Now what arc tho weekly average ex-
ponscs OF your eutire company?
Straloscll-ln round numbers. ,000.7
Crtio-1Ias tho Season hitherto paid have
you mado or lost money.
Strakosch-Tho season has not been good;
tho hard times aud othor circumstances 1avo
been against me. have lost money, no great
dcnl, perhaps, but ! hayo lost. ! ombarkod
50,0J0 IN tue speculation at The commencement
OF the season, and il Is shr,lnk. Yruo, OCCASION
MI ,Iu 1t0r mi "A to Int
then they have dropped down to $12,0D0, aud
that sum soon tells up on tho wrong side for tho
manager; Besides. the production Of hoayy
| operaH like tho "Huguenots and "Aida, on
average have named, aud tho additional re-
coipts have not balanced the additional outlay,
You cannot run nm opern here for consecutive
number Of nights us they do in Europe; I'LL opora
came audience evory evening". and your patrons
| are constantly demanding change, and. unlcBs
you give it them, your regular subscribers grunl-
bio, and those WHO buy tlloir tickota nightly stop
| Away.
cTitie-Dol't you think these star artists aro
strakoHch-What arc you to do? There arc
only q fow Of them, they insist upon q certain
| price and get it; tho public demand senantion,
and you and it must pay for it.
| Crltic-Yet .yo11 have had good houses on
nights when Nilsson did not sing2
Strakoscli--Ycg. with Torriana and Campnnini
|
but thesc wcro exceptionnl instances. It was
| tue opera us much ns tho singer that drow. Tile
rule would not work all tic timo.
Critic-Tlon you arc OF tho Barno opinion as
Marotzeis. that at present thore Is no doing with
strahoscll- TIL tell you why. oporu
IL only in its youth hcro. Taste for It s not vet
thoroughly established. Whom tho public mind
| il educated up to tho necessary standard Of ap-
probation OF opera for itself alonp, you Gun dis
| panso with souaationallsm and du away with tho
| stars.
| Critic-When will TINT boz
strukosch- Not yet awhile. It will take two
| or three years moro aready work yet. The pub
lie 1nind is slowly tondlng that wny. aud we are
| encouraging 1t.
Clitic11 bog your pardon. Who Ia "wo7"
! EtrakoBch-Aiy brother Maurice and mysel
You know le aud arc In partnership !; ho ma,-
tho opera hore my way. Our systclns may differ
! in aoma Respects, but We both work. toward tho
snnso end. otherwise nc don't Interfere with oach
balance of aecounts Ii satisfactory.
| Critic-What is tho ono thing you and ho are
| agreed upon?
Btrakoscll-Tho education OF tho public taBto
and the gradual doing away with the star system;
or il tho public will have stars, wo'll nlate them
| ourselves, and not buy tlom rendy-mllo at aa
] high price az now.
Critio-1Iow arc you going to accomplish this
strakoscli-Dy engaging young md promising
|
carefully fostering It and producing 1t just ~ wo
nocd 1t, and not bofore. Hayo you not noticed
that my brother Inns recently brought ont two
young prin,a donnas in Paris, both of whom hayo
| made great BuceeHA
Critlc-Yes; whAt thon
| 6trakoscll-Ihey hayo both boon u1.ior Gil
gaEomont to III for long tilno. Sn lah Mllo
Torriaui-for the Inst fifteen montlIs--wo lot her
slug elsewhere for practice, aud kept l.er study
Ing ali tho timo, and paving her all tic tino. We
o.i1y brought her out horo whet, wo wanted ller.
Yoi SEQ tho rosnit. She ia thoroughly good
artistic, aud ono that IL highly satsfactory TO tho
public without boisg atar; bcsidoB slle ia we'll
up III all .ha oporas, aud can roplace Nilsson In
aimost anything, whonevor tho latter is alok, as
| you isaye seon. Tltore'H Del puento, tho BARI
tone, Aga!n wo'ys Ind him for over a yoar, anil
paid lin, his Balury. Wa lot him sing ullder other
lsnnage1nonts just for practiee. lle las tino,
freHli young voice, aud e1oelloit method. I1o IL
! already great iayorito, aud viii 10 OIL iuprov~