St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-09
The AthenRit1lI.

This Mace of amusement has thus far had
most successful season, artistically and
financially, and all the entertainments offered
to the patrons of the house by the German
society, consisting of simple socials, legiti-
mate dramatic entertainments, comic opera,
carnival masquerade, leap year ball, stere-
optican seances, Christmas festival, broad
farce and modern society plays, all following
each other in regular weekly or semi-monthly
succession have drawn uniformly good
houses, while not a single failure or substi-
tuition for that which was advertised has oc-
Cured. The society has reason, therefor, to
be content with its record, having received
the appreciation of the public, who are the
best and only unbiased critics, after all.
Largely and mainly instrumental in the
furtherance of the object of the society has
been and is its superior and really talented
dramatic division whose lady and gentleman
members have borne the brunt of the cam
paign, working in perfect harmony, intent
only on fully doing their self imposed
duty for the qualification of their friends as
well as their own. The musical division, IN
der the mastery guidance of Prof. j. I. Ker-
ker has been herein an able second, and
when occasion required both divisions joined
hands and forces for the general success.
This was particularly the case on last Sunday
evening, when the great romantic operate
play in five acts, by Plus Alexander Wolff,
entitled,
PRECIOSA,
was given, resulting in one of the greatest
triumphs of the season. The play itself, is
very old, but like the productions of the i'm
mortal brad Of Avon, or likewise of noble
vintage, it improves with age. The words of
the play ARE written in irregular rhythmic
verse, soulful in sentiment and readily ap
pealing to the heart if not to ponderous rea-
son. The plot is also well known from vari-
GUS plays and operas that have achieved phe-
nomenal distinction in every cline and
every principal language, notably the "Bo-
hemian Girl, " the scenes, incidents and gen
eral plot of the libretto of which is sim
ply q bold plagiarism Of 'sPreciosa."
But the great charm of this old play lies IN
| the splendid music written for the same, by
the great and classic Won Weber Play
wright and composer seem to have worked in
| such perfect unison, inspired so thoroughly
by their joint labors, that here, if anywhere,
the music suits the words, the words the
action, and all is strictly natural and intense
ly characteristic. A full foretaste of the
musical score is given the auditor in and by
the overture, the various themes being terse-
~ and magnifcently outlined, from the
simple ballad of the Gypsy maiden, with its
melodious piccecato accomplishment, to the
pecan of popular chorus of welcome, by the
full power of the large orchestra, the weird
and romantic Gypsy march, interpreted by
brass and reed instruments, or the change
able, sometimes wild, sometimes intensely
plaintive music of the melo-drama. The
whole work must be seen and heard, to be
appreciated, it cannot be described in full
Justice, especially to the music. Suffice it,
that the play was grandly given, that players
and musicians wed with each other in giving
the extremely large audience present
as fine treat as has ever been offered, and
that to Mr.. George Seibert is also
due a large share of the praise, he having, at
a sacrifice, furnished his large concert Or
chestra for the purpose of properly interpret
ing this great work of the great Maestro. The
overture alone is feature that will repay any
expense or hardship to come and hear, and
it is not strange that repetition is univer-
sally desired, wish which the management
will no doubt soon crafty, when the bare
announcement will fill the house to over
FLOWING.
DIR. BREHM,
the eminent zoologist, traveller, Savart and
professor of the university of Leipsic. lee
lures tonight at the Athenaum, under the
auspices of the German Literary society The
learned doctor has been most Enthusiastically
received, and honored by his fellow country
men throughout the east BE is intensely inter