The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1888-03-04

busy themselves with recording the performers move
mentsNi commentators Roberto stasno will be rs-
Hembercd a. the very bad and inordinsteiy expensive
tsnor that Mr.. Abbey imported for the Metropolitan
; Opera House season nvs year are. During his six
months stay IN this country u oonmendstore never rave
asfhEls performances that could BE- spoken Of a. ranging
above the dead level Of mediocrity. It may be oue..
topsd, indeed, II any artist that ever visited this coun.
try overlook less pains than he to win the rood will Of
the public. In Italy. Spain. aud South America, how.
ever, u commentators stands on n different footing. His
popularity Ia unsounded; he Is a power In Masonry. and
he subsidies by the year every one OF tho numerous
newspApers that can DO hired tn chant = public per.
formers praises staGno's engagement was effected by
signor ciaochi In Difference to tho expressed wishes Of his
patronsin south America. It did not meet with Nine.
Pattfs approval and the prima donna has on this account
made . distinct declaration that she would on no terms
sing with u eon'menddto,e. The d.n,culty may be over.
come by having the obnoxious tenor appear OH Nine,
PATHS on nightA but this arrangement may bring about
two bad resntS. for Stsgnos wellkuown methods may
give offensive prsminsnce to his representations aud
South American duetdnh who, with strange pervorsity,
worship the willy tenor, may insist upon his taking part
In the primA donna's performances Its q long way to
Buenos Ayrss but many people in New York will keep
their eyes-neurativeiy at lcast-upon the distant re-.
public. in Interpretation Of amusing II not startling tidinrA
Nine Etsika Gers,er 10 singing with sirnori Campo.
mini and GaiHssL NINE. scalchL, aud the other artists OF
the Campanini Concert Company In the West. She will
Be. heard this week In Indianapolis Chicago. and ST.
A0uibs ROnH tneuco y LOUISVILLE, SOlumDuA, ana DotrOlt.
Frauisin Brandt who has been Identified with German
opera since DR.. Damroseh's first season at the Metropoii.
tan. will not be seen on this aide Of tho Atlantic next fall
or winter. The attractiveness Of the wAEnerian music.
drama having made It impossible for her to appear In
any Of the works to tho success Of which ler per.
formances contributed so largely in the past. she had
no opportunity ere the season at the Metropolitan ter.
minated to take . formal farewell of her friends. This
win be accomplished, however. on Saturday afternoon
nawt n a uNnIsVnAnfarv ranrAaAafatinn IN ha 9iran .
tho Metropolitan Opera House. "fidelio" will DO tho
opera in which Frauiein Brandt win come forth for tho
last time, and those who remember the artists Leonora
will surely approve hsr choice. In "fidelio' Herr Max
Aivary will DO Fiorestan. Herr Fischer Rocco. and Frau
Seidl krauss NdrceltnG The chorus will be the same as
In the tast and tho Same band that has labored so sue.
~oessfully through one of tho most trying seasons on
record will gather once moro around Herr seidl's
platform.
Tho Hofmann performances are At an end. The
friends OF the lad claim that he 10 really i'll and all
speculstions a. to his temperance In public, even In
the remote future, are discouraged as quito vain under
tho circ umstances. Mme. Hsstreiter having cancelled
her contract with Mr.. Abbey, that manager has now but
few Idle artists on his pay roll and II IL likely. in view
Of the suspension for an indefinite period Of the Hof.
man concerto that these few will Gro long accept q
compromise and seek other engagements
soms Of the artists of tho late lsmented National
Opera Company are DESTROYS Of prolonging their sea.
sons work, and several meetings have been held with .
view to ascertaining the practicability Of giving q brief
series Of performances At the Metropolitan and in some
Of the large cities not too distant from New York. At
last accounts unanimity prevailed a. to the desirability OF
such an attempt being made. and most OF the singers
were willing to take chances ns TO their salaries; the
awkward question Of preliminary and running ex.
penseS however. was still unsettled, and. apparently, ex.
trenisly remote from a solution.
The FIRST of tho seidi symphony concerta given At
Chickering Han on Friday evening. presented to the OBJ.
servant eye the somewhat exceptional spectacle of an
auditorium crowded by paving spectators. Strange as
It may seem. concerts without "deadheadB' are the
rarsst of occurrences A theatrical manager may have
to deny q dozen requests for free seats but \ manager
Of concerts must make up his mind either to comply
with two hundred or moro demands or to throw that
number OF missives into his waste basket For years
because OF the lack of . small hall in which to hold en-.
tertainmsnts of this SORT and the need of making q
large auditorium presentable in point of appearance,
concert etvers have had to invite half tho music.lov.
ing community to their performances What had be.
come almost q rule was broken in tho case of the Seidl
concerts, and the news that persons renting pianos
buying sheet music, and having cousins that take
music lessons were not TO have seats without undergo.
ing the unwonted experience of paying for them. Gre.
sted . small revolution in musical circles. The paper
Ing" Of concert halls has almost. II not quite. ruined
the concert business. Imitation of the example set by
Herr scidl may possibly arrest Its decay.
The announcement t of au intended season Of English
opera Dy MlSA ClArA Louise hellORg-Or TAther Oy Nme.
Kellogg Strakosch-next fall hos gone forth. but in a
somewhat Incomplete form. 4 tour 10 indeed projected,
but II 10 not proposed that Mime. KELLOGG. strakosch shall
be the only lun.nary to twinkle In the lyric armament.
Ovsrtures have now been made to another songstress to
share the toll and rev ard Of the operate season, and
Miss Minnie Hauck has SiRnined her willingness to dis
cuss tho question. Iii proposed to give six evening
performances and two matinees OF opera in English
every week. to draw equally upon the Italian, French
and English repertories. TO have an efficient company.
and to adhere to regular theatrical prices" The
scheme may be characterized ~ an advance upon Miss
Emma Abbo,ts D,ir1n<e& which have proven extremely
profitable At latest advices tho only obstacle In tho
way Of an arrangement grow out OF the difficulty expe.
renced In 30 laying out the orbit Of each Of the planets
that neither should como in collision, morally or ma
terialy. with the other.
Mr.. Ernest eye returned to England after a brief blu.
not worry satisfactory visit to the United STATED. Not
withstanding all that has been printed on the subject. no
anxiety whatever was revealed in respect OF Italian op.
era BY managers either here or in the West. aud this
not because speculative persons doubt that good per-
formances OF Italian opera, wic, efficient artists and un-
hsckneyed works could not be made profitable. but
simply because Mr.. eye represents nothing and nobody
except his amisbie and-in England-popula wife.
Mms. Emma Aibani. 1t Is more than probable that
Nine. Albani will give q few concerts IN Canada and
elsewhere In tho spring. The tender OF her services In
Italian or German opera, however. has called forth no
latent desire on the part Of managers or agents to enter
concerned as the principal songstresa.
The likelihood that Mr. Thomas orchestra would
visit Europe within . tweivemonth has already been
touched upon In this place There 10 now no reason to
doubt that all the preliminary arrangements for the Eu.
ropean trip have bean effected. Tho band will play four
weeks In Paris during tho exhibition months of 1850.
and will visit London. Herlin. Vienna. and other large
cities during its stay abroad. Mr.. Rafael Josery will &C.
company tho orchestra IN the principal II not rs the
only soloist engaged for the tour.
There 10 some consolation for people tina. complain OF
losses incurred In operate management on this side OF
the ocean in knowing that even the most literally sub.
sidized opera houses In Europe never wind up a season
without . large deficit The Losses sustained by the Paris
Opera House during the last Ave years footed up 100000
francs $50 600. and 1t should be remembered that tho
manager pays no rent and pockets An annual subsidy Of
soO. 600 franco The losses of the Royal Opera House In
Berlin. last year were also unusually severe.
The glad news that several thousand pianos were re-
Gently destroyed by fire in Paris turns out to 10 an old
fsshloned canard. Only four instruments were cen.
sumsd by the flames the balance OF Nine. Erard's stock
having even escaped DAMAGE Ivy water