New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-02
MUSIC.
opERATIc PERFORMANCES or A WEEK

lraVlhta" NJ tne ACADEMY ana "LOnengr1n" was
repeated, with Mines Nilsson, and Fursch-Madi and
signor Campanini, Kaschman and Novara In the
cast, at the Metropolitan. Both houses
crowded, and 1t Is matter worthy OF record
that in point Of attendance the matinee performances
since the opened have been uniformly successful
The number Of women who come 10 the city from the
neighborng towns Saturdays and their great prepon
at the matnees explain the fact The features
of chief importance in the weeks list were Reproduction
OF "Don Giovanni" at the new opera house
and Madame PATHS appearance in Aida" From an ar
tsto point OF view the most interesting OF these two ea
lures was the performance OF Don Giovanni" 1t was
significant much for tho temery and SERIOUSNESS or
purpose on the part Of Mr. Abbey and his forces which
1t published for the artistic power which revealed as
contained In tho Metropolitan company This power.
evident In degree from the outset has been growing
steadily with each effort to rise above the rather frivolous
italian routine.
Those who indulge themselves with musical rem-
nscences might have called TO mind the fact that thero
was something Of anniversary character In the pro-
ductlon OF Mozarts masterpiece 1t was on November
49, 1925 that sgnor Garcia brought to New-York tho
first italian opera company that visited the city
ty-eght years before the performance OF "Don oio-
yanni" last Wednesday within few hours In that nst
season Giovanni" gwen and there Is hardy
question that among those who listened TO IL as was
then interpreted by Of the finest singers Oh tho
century Csig Garcia himself being the Don Odrio) was
Among Sig. Garcias first visitors after he
landed I'm the New World was Lorenzo
da Ponte, Metastaslo's successor as poet
laureate Of Austria who at the time Of which we write
was teaching the Italian language in this city oh
musicians have preserved the story of the meeting Of the
two en and Professor Ritter has fixed II on the record
in his book Music in America just published Da
Ponte introduced himself TO Garcia as "the
author OF the lbretto OF Don Giovanni and
the friend of Mozart" Garcia surprised and 0veroyed,
caught the old poet-he seyenty-six-up in warm
embrace and burst out into the music or en- nan ua
vino "-the wild bacchanalian song In which the wicked
Do,gyes word to his philosophy Of life Wedo not know
whether this meeting prompted Garcia to put the opera
I'm his list but he did 80, illequipped IA ne was 10
do Justice its instrumental score He mai only twenty
four men IN his band and trOmbones What shft no
made IN the supernatural music that accompanies ~ COM
endato unless his horn and trumpet players conld y
aside those instruments when the need grew greatest ana
,e nm the essential trombOnes it would DC interesting
TO know Though they silent till them the last act OK
Don Giovanni" without trombones would be quite as
empty as Hamlet with the Prince left out
To return to the notice OF last Wednesdays PERFORM
auce there was no numerical lack in Sig Nauesrs band.
and in the greater part of their work they accomplished
a praiseworthy performance. This was especially
true OF the finale OF the last act. which was
Carried through with n dramatic intensity that
filed every impressi0nabe listener WIN
awe. All of the Accomplishments were not piayed
smoothy-there seemed to be some cropping through mo
pruted pagebut most OF the airs and concerted pieces
were well supported. Actual disaster came only once;
but then its effects woul in the extreme was IN
the finale of the first act-that marvellous iIle wnlch
eyer since its composition has been the wonder
and admiration OF the worlds muHio'dhS-
and il could not have occurred anywhere else and have
coused the same amount of ruin. The wind Instruments
in the dramatic orchestra had several times before SHOWN
tendency to untuncuness when they were reinforced
with the stage band behind the scenes the dso-
nance was dreadful. In the midst OF the mlhue' 10
which Lep9reilo from the balcony and the thee SAe'
in the garden sing their dialogue the stage Oan' oroAo
down compleely The silence brought reuet 10 tue ous
il occasloned an awkward hitch In the acton ana ieS
L,Dorello singing the tune which had TO DC I'M
oned until the dramatic orchestra felt its way into tho
music This disaster only prelude TO lhal WHICH
overlook the music in the succeeding ballroom STEMS
Here Mozart demands a force ana distrouIoh
OF musicians which ought to delight WenNquPP'"
managers in these days OF great ehects' Properly p
nted there ought three Orchestras on the stage ZOE
a. , ,,rs,c hcsles the dramatic orchestra In front.
The people OF quality dance stately mmaet 10 tlo
music of one band the tune being that which mas aeay
hecn heard by the maskers in the garden ahotn party
engage in a contredanse in "a time, ana SUN "hoho'
in waltz How skilfy these different times are joheu'
and how cnliyeuing the dramatic effect L. all VINO arc
familiar with the opera know. OF course the ulheu'e'
-, ner,ormance are many, and Sig. NanesIs musicIua
succumbcd TO them, though he had only TWO oteheS'
ON the stage and gave the mnuet TO tue uran'''' o,
ira His bands were ill-composed and iloaaheeu' icy
payed out of tune and they could not keep III ne' ie
whole sconc therefore for nothing until |'r"di
-, ,,rolr1nd the dramatic climax. Having found
,,,s much fault however, we wish TO recur To an
acknowledgment OF the amount OF praise dnc TOT goou
o and to express the belief that as the cata7opHe
vas plainly the result OF insufficient STUDY al" ui'
rcueution will show the same degree OF Improvements
mat was manifest in the second and subsequent PERFORM
apces Of " LOhcng1n" ..t
Cccrripp the women I'm the performance the ont-
ir, ,nust lie OF n complimentary character We que
tion whether uniformly good distrlpuuoh u VIZ
narts was ever seen before in New-lorR' lhS''Ae
mprcssion as to the possibilities that lie IN tue P1 y
no,o Eir,rt caused some persons TO express surprise
that Mime Nilsson should have contentcd hersen VII"
I, wo are inclined to think II was her own choosing
,ror,tic oueens usually have their own way IN theso
METERS Nowadays, and the choice uiu creu'' " me- "
tistIc taste and knowledge. some OF inc gre'"sS
sin GERS Of the century have been giad 70 appear III h
orontIv condemned part and PerSian, III particular
,d q into especial prominence in her repertory lho
-, determination was shown by Mozart In moulding
49, .nr,o women character and though Donna ErFa
hos less I'm her composition to appeal to the sympathy
and admiration OF the masses than elther vi tno o'"'
sbe Is none the n parsonage or COMMANDING inpo
ncc in tine action and the music Of the opera lie must
have becn a blind man who did not see now hule N'iS
i,,,,orsonation of the deserted DIDO helped I'D
one Of the essential elements I'm Don GiordRis
character The abandoned wife who threatens revenge anu
whenever the opportunity offers takes 1t out In LOVING to
ontbor Of her misery tnan ever had an adnhf'p'
representatve in this artist, who in all she does Is
gent and sympathetic, even when sn' = lio'
,s,col character as sharply defined as tho dramatic
had an equally excellent Interpretation As was sam III
This paper, after the performance on WEDNESDAY ns,
Nine Nelson's singing of her two great airs An c ~,
dce mai" and Nj tradi quer alma nsraa' Surpa,S'"
everything that she has done this season 'AcP ner
ing OF portions OF ESd's music In Lohehsn' h"' 'o
'.,I tho reci,atiye introducing the second
air would have stamped her a. a. great a"'''
y,os .Mad and sembrich were worthy comp'et'