New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-04
MUSIC.
MAGNETS OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

GO Ds~ valkuera- and "S.egfricd' Tor the hfs' "hc'
For several days there had boon no nnsoio .ohc' ~
tho hox Office and the requests for more frequent
.of the work than had been coh'ei-
Mated have boon so numerous that Mr.. Stanton has
an extra performance on the afternoon OF
Fcbr,ary 10 For noxt Friday evening nearly all tho
seats arc already gone. and 1t Will be not al all sur
prsinr II II IS found necessary to extend the season
in order 10 satisfy public interest This Is tho man
ner in which the people answer tho complaint against
excess of Wagncis dramas In the repertory OF the
German season
We have no doubt that the abbrevlatlop OF I" Die
GoettcrGaemmerung, has had much to do with its en-
thnsastc reception. Tho devotees of Wagner are
justified in their disappointment at the loss OF TWO
scenes that highly important from dramatic ana
poeacal point of view, but 1t is vastly better 10
achieve success for the by adapting the
the capacity of the public than 10 sacrhce IL
bodily on the altar OF integrity. We have no oo"p'
that Sicgfred" would have attracted more listeners
and given hoarter pleasure In the early part ., 'no
IL Herr Seidl had proceeded more Moroccan. ~
the work OF excison. Under existing cro"H''"
gu ideal attitude on the part of our PUBIC 'o"~u
Wagner's work Is impossible. and 1t IS Vas"9 poo "
mako concessions TO human nature whhe SUN ms "
annrosch that ideal attitude than 10 spoil all ny
stubborn insisiaDcc the whole ioal UT ho D
BESIDES Intelligent criticism can point o'' oA0''o"'
that are absolutely beneficial to the NipiuhS uram'
Though together they constitute tetraogy, wagner
OF each Of tho dramas separately aud Tor the sake VI
unity and clcarness he took occasion in each to re-
bearse all tho preceding incidents In the general Story
Much can be gained by emitting these recapthla'ohs
when the dramas are given 10 succession IL oush'
not TO be considered necessary to compel the anehce
TO listen while each parsonage IS instructed III
the contents of the tctralogy from the beginning III
was THIS defect that prompted witty critic in 1876
10 sugrcs; that II the play Of Die Wakuere' couid
not co on without Wotans" long recital to Bruchn-
hide of tho contents of Das Ehengod," ne meh' a'
least spare the audience by buying lbretto aud per-
hitting the Valkyra to read 1t between tho acts
On this ground the dramas can b. relieved OF much
that is only wcarylng TO the public, especially 10
public unfamiliar with the language and unused as
yet to contemplating lyric drama as something
different from light entertainment.
There are other instances, moreover, In which eX-
csions seem really to DO kindness TO wagner as "oh
as relief the public Herr Solids omission Oh INC
first scene in the prologue to Die Goetterdaemmer-
ung. is a case in point Tho picture OF the NOrhs
weaving golden threads into tho rope OF the worlds
fate and grooming their prophecies as they pass IL
from one to the other then binding themselves TO-
gcther with IFS broken end ard sinking into the earth
as they contemplate the approaching Twilight OF the
Gods full of pOetcal beauty, but 1t is epical mate
rial not dramatic. symbol like the thread OF fate
cannot be materiazed" without becoming ridiculous
To this the majority Of iudscOuS persons who have
witnessed the North scene in European representations
will bear testimony. The poetlcal CHARM disappears
at the sight of three women awkwardy struggling
with prosasc rope hltchod to the limb OF tho tree
under which Bruennhide7 took her long sleep
Symbolism of this kind is not the properly OF the
dramatist IT must be left to the epic poet There Is
much beauty On tho music of the scene which IL Is
pity to lose so there is wondrOus depth OF beauty
I'm tho scene between "WOtan" and Erda" in the
third act Of Segred" in fact, the pages devoted to
1t arc tho most glowing in the entire score, but had
Herr Seld been brave enough to omit twohrds OF II
"Slegfred would have been the gamer in the eyes of
the public and arc convinced, the eXchequer
of the Metropolitan would be several thousands the
richer to-day. in the current version of Die Goctter
daemmcung- little has been retained that might have
been spared and the result is that in spite OF It's
length the audience leaves the represent alton with less
weariness than either Die Walkuerc7 or Sesfred"
Tho one trcSOmc comes early In the evening
that between the Glbchungs7 before the arrival of
"siegfricdr
There are several things in the performance of
the final drama of The Ring of tho Nibung" which
stand in tho way of complete enjoyment of 1t,
viewed part of whole Those connected with
the effort make manifest tho relation between the
terrestrial and celestial plots In the last scene were
discussed two days ago in this Journal Ragnaroh
In che Iceandc tales is followed by the creation of
now world and a reign OF law Wagncr's ethical
conception TO be that the of sclshness and
greed of power and gold gives place to the of the
The destruction of paganSm and the rise of Christian
hy, and in defence of the tablean of Eruennhildc'
bearing tho corpse of "Siogfried7 upwards, which
closed tho representations up to last night 1t Is
urged that she appears without the trappngs Of
Valkyra and is therefore the first messenger of the
religion. such a conception however, leads to
a complication of absurdtieS which requires neither
enumcra alton discussion Some of the other dis
turb;ng elements are like this tableau merely me
chanical and might easily have been avoided.
There is obvious why the scene Of Brucnn-
bildc's- sleeping, awahing and abduction should not
DO the in the three dramas nor why the niAcs
should appear in forest pool instead of the Rhine
nor why "siegfrled's" armor should lie unlike
Brucnnhilde's' whom he is supposed to wear hers ;
nor why the architectural structure above Humid
ingsr fire place should do service porch the
hall Of tho Gbichungs" Tho change OF actors, Herr
AHary giving way to Herr Niemann, Is also empha
sized by the difference between the vocal and dra
matte methods Of tho two representatives of "Seg
fried bat 1t has two things to commend it, First in
|" Die Gocterdaemmeiung" "Segfried" appears a
tragic character upon whom Fate has placed her seal
and for the Presentation of such character Herr Me
has the bcttec equipment In spite Of his worn
secondly In stature the younger tenor does not
suggest the ideal OF the hero of tho old Nblung
legends Herr NcmanD does. The physical attri-
bates with which ancient ancestors fitted out their
hero described thus in the VosluDga Saga:
l. His hair of golden rod hue fair of fashion and
falling down in great locks. So keen his eyes
that few burst gaze at him. His shoulders
broad 10 look the shoulders Of two and this IS
tho sign old of his height that when he grit with
the sword Gram, the dowshOo of the sword smote
the of the standing And for all that great
his strength than his height
The charm which lies In the truthfuncss and vigor
Of the drama when Vowed aside from its music
defes description. The world which Is presented in
the play is original creation There Is nothing in
history tina, furnish point Of view from which
TO judge of the truthfhness of its details, and yet
IT'S elements harmonious. they supplement each
other perfectly the characters fit well into their
environment. theii untamcd emotions so consist
ent with the vigorous style of expression used that
the Imagination IS taken completely captive. Such