New-York tribune., 1884-12-09
MUSIC.
GERMAN ARTISTS IN "LOHENGpINy

on the lyric drama. summed up his impressions OF Wap
| hers Lohengrin a. given at the Royal Italian Opera
nc" years ago ny enumerang its spectacular contents
King TWO knights lone good. the other bad yirtu.
Gus princess wicked cnchantress, swan and a dove
are the active personages In this drama which intro
dccs three states OF ccstacy ncludng two ysons, sew
era miracles Gncudng one miraculous transformation
one tournament one attempt MURDER one death from
s'aoohs uree marches, four grand pageants and five
horScs Ihis,in the opinion Of Mr. II. Sutherland Ed.
wards, Is " Lohengrn' We have been cut of without
single horse at the Metropolitan Opera House but wa
nave seen and heard more Of Wagner's Lohengrin"
| than Mr.. Edwards
"itmn year We have been privileged by the manage
ment OF the Metropolitan Opera House to cnoy study
ana compare two typical representations the opera
We Know that comparison is cheap and unnlean
ing KIND OF criticism as commonly practscd In .oms
cases can be great value We not purpose now 10
set down the pegs from tho tension which we placed
them last year, but only To show In what particulars
the merits Of the performances OF wancrs most gener
ally admired opera OF this he third Of which oc.
CURED last night surpass the best endeayors of the
Italian artists.
IL will be remembered that words OF high praise wee
spoken OF the musical performances Of tho principal
artists OF Mr.. Abbey's company. Nine Nilsson cana
In for communication on tho Of the lovely
manner I'm which her impcrsonation OF Elsa conserved
the union established by tho poet composer between
words, action and music. What missed however In
her impersonatou the dreamy element upon which
Wagner lays great stress In his book
III the rst words uttered by his heroine and proclams
In the instrumental music which accompanies her say.
gs and dongs and surrounds her always like silyery
veil In Sig. Campananis inception OF the Enight Of
me Grail we saw In spite of the musical beauties which
shonc In the lyrical portions much Of the naughty
noble and too little OF the celestial messenger His gen.
tiohess was admirable but he gave too much rein 10
passions OF earthly weaklings and too often in.
clined to drop into sentimenaiities Yet there was
greater nobility In his impcrsonalion OF Ioh,n
grin than In any of hs other characters
TWO OF the artists thoroughly good In their PARTS
Nine Fursch Madi. TO whose admirable artistic equip
ment we are always glad to pay tribute aud sig ksseh
man, respectively the orrid and 1ei,,nondo of the
Italian version But when had given these factors
their need ~ grateful credit and praised the pnmtos
meas aud pctutesqneness oi the stage pictures we had
hohote al the drafts drawn upon the a,tste sesnnnt
~ ont hands Upon the debit side there wee charges
when wrie discussed ~ tho time but have onis recently
beef disclosed ih al thslf magnitude, Mention WA
nade ~ he tehiene, " italian conductors aud seaefs
mpelied hi Nstlens Instincts IN AT which u weud
ba fply ~ ehsstise, ~ phiehete,aiss
upfnah composers ~ substitute ssntiment-
amy ANA sweetness for vigor, Robustness
and dramatic trnthfaness How muoh OF ths good, red
blood NJ Wagner was lot out by sg Vianesi and hls
artists, tho public learning and the fraction who
are Intimately acquainted with the German language
are discovering too how much Of the hone and snew
Wagners drama went away when 1t was translated Yet
we have no doubt that save In details Of stage
management the representations of last
good tho best Italian representations OF London aud
Italy They such, barring the horses as suggested
the idea TO the writer whom have quoted that
" Lohengrin T" is chiefly spectacle.
That Is spectacle full Of pompt and circumstance
crowded with action and brilliant with pictures Of
medieval chivalry. We know. But 1t Is
something more and II is the German artists with
us who entitled to the credit of having made this
xnf will fha 0d0
OF romantcsm aud glowing with the chivalresque myst
cism that once STEPPED the minds OF the gentle
youth in Europe. As a drama II does not take
hold of the human heart with the moving power
OF "Tannhauser." for that is drama based more
directly on universal human feeling; but 1t exers
nevertheless potent charm because OF the tender
and melancholy lovcness OF its one character the god
like serenity OF another and the manly yigor OF third
and the my stca and perhaps mythical philosophy that
pervadesit it,
These qualities can only be disclosed, however, by
artists who In sympathy with all the work anu NOV
merely with portions Of it, and who trained IN tho
traditions OF the German stage such artists we no"
have at the Metropolitan Opera House. Putting ASIDE -
few questions OF tempt which might be mooted. and
few disappoinmcnts which come from discrepancy DO
bc TO give we have say the chief characters o
drama appear in these representations as ansy hs
most commanding in artistic stature Poeticaliy VIC
part lacks element which is almost essential in
IT, and this depriyes IL OF one =, "a
the strongest claims upon sympathetic interest," ,aujt
trio lay in the nature OF the play ana Is v, acs
OF the poet LOhengrin a Knight OF the 4l'l, ,,iunei
straight from the Kingdom OF the Gran Iu.e rot
for his phanthrOpic mission. DramatlcaIy -" s,rur.
only inferior to Tanihdussr, type OF mahnoo" - "a
Cling bc ween the earthly and the heavenly D, ia hs
his father Pycirdi whom Wagner has shown u. ,era.
last work We made witnesses or ftTttOdss Pu
tion and eeN alton know Lohengrn ohy % ch,r-
raphic soldier whose association Win lhc v'"'
aci,rs OF the drama Is the ifunt oi :. our
yell,ns condescension for which EEsd .hoYM
medator This dscioses the attitude in which ne
annear and shows how utterly failed are All sy.
tinps that show the with petty emouoDso
inc way TO ANYTHING but the oftiest ana piss' n,e
What has he TO fear 80 long a. he nantas f ,he
boliy integrity he is In nvincibe so long as ne
sonlng love OF Elsa lie Is sure oI haik ioss
the prosaic people whom he has Joined when sanJ al
he hn only declare himself ana reJoh ,n live
mystical knights whose King is his father anu W. ohyl.
i'm the presence OF the talisman which gives tu, s
col and sprtual sustenancc The cnhrAc.e,, ..,j,n
tvne NJ perfcct serenity and noble unselnsh
In n most praiseworthy degree Herr sehott .n ea his
ideal IL determines his bearing. his dce'a nar nut
singing his gestures To give expression art aud
aside his decamatory style In the music VI o hals
rscitatiyes and lyrics. spreading which
Of harmones from the ,olins, mol uhuhc pah,s ast
shines around the uterances OF jesus III n" manner
Matthew pnssion" The change IN the wsh wnshsu-
of Herr schotts singing from Iannna,msn, Ia,,sn, demcn-
arm ia scarcely to be imagined withounu = vhch
s,ration Ihs agonizng mental cohmv. c.,, IN The
Ia yisibly proclaimed by his rugged uecin sra, wha
s,,mer oprra which at times departs entlisy s"sseh
we cali singing, and becomes only intehs'he" s'