The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-10-07

first production OF "Ihe RoOOers witnout
his august permission Besides Schiller the
names of Leasing, Schubart and Inland are
intimately connected with the history and
development of the Mannheim theatre, and
the glory of each of these, and of many
Others, will be duly sung with Teutonic en-
thusiasm in the next three evenings on the
Rhine.
Good Omens for the Opera Season.
The difficulties of the regular proprietor
of a fashionable place of amusement were
by no means slight even in those early sea-
sons of opera when Italian impresarios
were the only representatives OF their Pc
| culiar class of mankind with which it was
his lot to deal. 1t was hard enough for
him. though toughened to his business, to
reconcile their caprices on the one hand
with the desires of the public on
the other. Often, indeed, he must
have longed to negotiate with some other
examples of the species, supposing that the
German or Hungarian variety perhaps
would be less petulant in its complaints or
the British less exacting in its demands.
In the progress of time the longing was
gratifed and our Academy of Music came
into being just before the importation of
Grisi and Mario by Mr.. Hackett. During
the intervening quarter of century
its amateur proprietors have Guilt
waited operas of every sort Of origin
equally with the primitive Italian stock
and have dealt with impresarios of every
kind Of nationality equally with the print
tive variety from the Mediterranean. But
it has been found, alas that they all be-
long to gypsy brotherhood, with common
traits pertaining to their occupation and
altogether Independent of the places of
their birth. The impresario from Vienna
or from London was discovered to be the
same capricious and petulant being as he
from Naples or Milan.
1t was probably an appreciation of this
fact that more or less discomfort and dis
cord are inseparable from dealings with
any impresario, which gave rise to the
report of an imaginary interview in Sun
day Journal in which Brevet Colonel
Mapleson, of Her Majesty's Theatre, Lon
don, was represented as belaboring the
directors of the Academy in no gentle
terms. 1t seemed perfectly natural that
the approach of any impresario should
be announced by broadside of reproaches
from the deck of the steamer. There was
no intrinsic improbability in the Brevet
Colonels commencing o cannonade of COM
plants off Sandy Hook against the Acad-
envy proprietors about crosses and losses
70 xyh ;oh hoI c,,l. al !,
rivalling in unreason any of which he might
have been capable had he chosen to be born
an Italian instead Of an Englishman. The
reporter took his chances of the interview
fitting, but it now appears from letter
which Brevet Colonel Mapleson addresses
to the HERALD, that it was q miscalculation,
and that the alleged conversation never oc-
| CURED. The most capricious of impresa-
rios do have their periods Of contentmen
and tranquility, and we congratulate the
directors of tho Academy and the Brevet
Colonel mutually that it is in one of
these halcyon intervals that he has arrived.
We are panied. however, at the condition
in which Brevet Colonel Mapleson's dis
claimer leaves his fellow impresario, Mr..
|
aginary broadside of Sandy Hook with a
furious fusillade from the shore, aimed
partly at the Brevet Colonel himself
and partly at the proprietors of the
Academy. If it were possible we
would counsel Max to follow the Brevet
Colonel's sagacious example and file dis
claimer in his own behalf Let the season
of opera be inaugurated with propitious
omens all around. There never was q sea-
son which promised more variety or excel
lence in its entertainments. Mr.. Maurice
Strakosch discourses to our readers
concerning the troupe which his brother
Max is managing in Philadelphia and
which is expected to appear here in Booths
Theatre later. Mr.. Grau is furnishing at
the Fifth Avenue Theatre the opera bouffe in
a perfection which has scarcely been rivalled
in Paris. Brevet Colonel Mapleson prints
at full length his prospectus for the season
and elaborate catalogue Of artists. The
public bids hearty welcome and promises
a fair patronage to them all, even to poor
Max, our .'native impresario," as he terms
himself, if lie will renew his attempt of
American opera in better temper at q
| better time.
| Deadly Dentistry.
| Deaths have from time to time occurred
in the dentists chair, owing to the ignor-