New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-08-31
PRICE FOUR CENTS.
WAGNER AT BAYREUTH.
THIRD nAY-SIEGFRIED.

IL
| THE CAVE OF MINE THE DwARF-WOTAN5
PRoPHECY-sIEGFRIED OBTAINS THE RING
THE CIRCLE OF FIRE PAS-ED-THE MOST
SUCCESSFUL OPERA GIvEN-IMPRESSIVE
CHARACTER OF THE MUSIC.
IFRoM 4 STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRlBUNR.l
BAYREUTH, Aug. 16.-Tho third performance Of
the Nbelung series was TO have taken place yester-
day. but Herr Betz was so hoarse that q postpone.
ment was unavoidable. Most of the male artists in
fact, and several of the ladies' suffering from tho
tremendous strain of the long Summers rehearsas.
aggravated dare say by the want Of proper food
and the discomf0rs of the heat and the crowd and
it is not unlikely that other postponements may
become necessary before we reach the end OF the
festival. To-day Betz is himself again. and the per-
Torrance of "Sedried" was the most successful so
far of the SERIES The work is very different from
the two preceding 1t Is less romantic than "Ihe
Rheingold," less heroic than 1.-The Walkire," moro
ethereally poetical than either
Siegfred is the hero born of the union Of Seig-
mund and Seglinde, and destined TO be the agent
in repairing the wrong done in the theft Of thciing
and at the same time of bringing the reign of the
divinities of Walhalla TO end SiegliDde died in
giving birth to him, and the child was brought up
by the dwarf Mime, who hoped to use him in recoy-
ering the Ring aud the Tarn helmet. The instru-
mental introduction made use of the anvil motive,
and when the curtain drew back we saw the dim
interior OF q great cavern in wood. On tho left
was a smithy, with a glowing fire and an anvil
where Mime sat hammering ut sword blade On
the right q few steps led up to the opening
of this rocky retreat and beyond we saw o
beautiful vista of forest with golden light bathing
the foliage. Ii was not scene to astonsh and De-
wilder the spectator, like that of the depths of the
Rhine, but it was picture whose tone and compo-
siton delighted the artistic taste and pleased us
better and better the more We looked at 1t. 1here
was less of decoration and mechanism employed in
"SIegfried" and fewer characters appeared upon
the stage than in any of the other divisions of the
work. and yet the effects musical and dramatic alike,
far surpassed those of the previous evenings Mime
was a parsonage of inferior Importance in Tho
Rheingoldn here he became one Of the chief actors
in the story, and the remarkable ability OF which the
representative of the part gave proof on Sunday
evening was now illustrated with much greater full
ness Herr SchlOsser Of Munich, to whom
this role was allotted is highly esteemed as q
delineator of character parts" and IN Mime no
seemed to find n consenial opportunity. Inc dwarf
was malevolent and hypOcntical. In the opening
scene he sat Sowing and complaining over ms WORK.
He could not make weapon strong enough Tor tho
volsung. Brands that the giants might have welded
siegfried shattered with single blow. Only the
sword of Siegmund broken against Wotans spear,
would fit his hand but all the art of the dwarf could
not mend that terrible blade. Mime was still ham,
merng and Eamenting, in song of great vigor and
certain rhythmic regularity, when the merry notes
of horn were heard in the wood, and Siegfried
came bounding in driving bear by rope
Georg Unger, who personated the hero, is q
tall. handsome, well-built fellow, with robust,
haf-trained tenor voice of good quality, and free
and dashing manner. Dressed in a short coat OF
skins with bare arms, flowing yellow hair, shore
beard and silver horn slang at his belt he was at
any rate in appearance ideal hero of the Northern
race. He amused himself while with Mines fear
of the bear he tried the sword just made for him,
and broke it at the first trial he threw himself IN
anger OH a couch of skins bo repused the dwarfs
! advances and dashed from his hand the proffered
food and drink When Siegfried came into the
cavern, it was if high wind fresh from the mr.
clad mountains swept through those dark recesses.
There was n wonderful scene when the dwarf drew
close and began to tell what he had done for him,
how h. had found him as helpless child, and fed
and clothed him
Ais zullendes Kind
bog ch dich auf,