Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-07
FLYING DUTCHMAN
Successfully Sails Into Pittsburg's
Port for the First Time.
wAGNER'S POETIC LIBRETTO
And Skillfal Score Well Interpreted by
Juch. Ratbjsns and Meta.
JANUscHOwsKY's SPLENDID ORTRUD


the pretty Dug uesne Theater has at last been
opened, the Emma Juch Company last even
ing gave Pittsburg its first hearing of
Richard Wagner's "The Flying Dutch
man." The event was sufficient to draw
through the chill rain after day Of beastly
weather, large and representative audi
ence, such as is seldom gathered here on
Saturday evening.
1t is wild, weird work, this romantic
OPERA" with which Wagner began his dar-
ing Innovations upon the lyric stage. When
he produced it, in 1S42. he was a young
composer who, after several failures.
had just a few months before achieved
in Rienzi" his first success; and
great popular triumph it was, too. But he
instantly turned his back on the gold mine
open at his feet and brought out work OF a
style the very opposite from the big, POM
pous, spectacular manner of Meyerbeer,
which was then in the heigh. of fashion and
by which his "Rienzi" had scored its hit.
In that action was proof of genius, which
will ever work out its ideals, be they popu-
lar and profitable or not.
Foundation of the Story.
The subject of the libretto-which.s of
course, the great poet composer wrote him.
self-is founded on the old legend Of the
Dutch sea captain who, while trying TO
double the Cape of Good Hope in a gale.
swore he would get around if he had to keep
sailing on forever. The devil took him at
his word, and condemned him to sail the
seas till Judgment Day, unless deceptive
g!eam OF hope, well worthy the malignant
imp of darknessD he could find a woman
who would love him faithfully until death.
And so the Dutch Captain in his phantom
ship sailed on and on for centuries-a
Wandering Jew of the ocean-only per-
mltted to go ashore once every
seven years to find a seemingly end
less succession of faithless sweethearts.
The opera commences with one sof The
Dutchman's periodical landings, when he
encounters Daldnd, Norwegian captain,
whose mercenary eye readily overlooks the
strangers distraught, spectral parsonage
and sees in the boundless treasures shown
him every qualification for the hand of his
own lovely daughter, Sentd. The latter is
a dreamy. romantic maiden OF high-strung
nature, who has long been mysteriously at
tracted by portrait, representing The
Dutchman and hanging on the wall of her
home.
Meeting the Dream Hero.
She has Just finished telling of a strange
dream she had about the phantom ship and
its sorrow.cursed captain, when the hero of
of her dream stands before her, and she is
hidden by her father to accept him as a
suitor for her''hand. She dutifully accepts,
and all seems well. But shortly afterwards
she happens to meet former suitor, Erik,
on the shore; and even while she
is refusing his ardently pressed suit. The
Dtttchn,dn comes on them, thinks he is
again deceived, and sails off forthwith. Senta,
c. f,,1. eIcl-a
free from the OBTAINING hands of her friends,
rushes to the edge of cliff and leaps into
the angry sea- The condition is fulfilled;
the curse broken. Instantly the spectral
ship sinks and The Dutchnlan, redeemed,
floats heavenward with the long-sought
faithful one in his arms.
The manner in which Wagner embodied
this romantic tale in his libret.o is we'll
characterized by List: "The whole ar
rangement of the text book betrays genuine
artist, poet by the grace Of God, a hand of
which every line, every stroke of the pen,
rises far above the opera-texts hitherto
known" 1t is worthy of note that the re-
deeming ..-
Love of Self-Sacrifcing Woman
was favorite theme of Wagner's. 1t.
dominates "Tannhaeuser, as it does the
"Dutchman;" it's failure brings the catas-
the earliest of Wagner's works, "The
Fairies" while in "Parsifal," the latest of
them, the complex character OF Kundry
embraces both the redeeming and the de-
structive love of woman.
From purely musical standpoint, "The
Flying Dutchman" was considered in the
appropriate department OF this paper last
Sunday. Suffice it here to say, that in score
as in book, Wagner took long step from
his own previous works and from those of
preceding composers; though there are still
many steps between this and the later works
in which his novel theories are fully de-
veloped. While much of the traditional
opera forms is preserved, the new spirit pre-
walls and the germs OF nearly all his later
reforms are present in this score.
OF last nights performance only one ele-
ment was hopeless1y bad-the chorus; in this
connection, the best thing was the remorse-
less cutting of large portions of the choral
embers Gas was very frequently done
through the week) which would otherwise
have been remorselessly sung. 1t is but just,
however, to recognize the present great
scarcity of capable chorus singers who can
sing English; nearly all this chorus had to
be recruited from
German and Italian Sources
and-as Conductor Neuendorf feelingly OBJ
served to the writer-"You can imagine
how much drill they needed on the text
alone, without counting anything else" It
might be better, however, to let the polyglot
text go and have the other things count.
The scenery was complete, as far as
the small stage permitted, but very
old and shabby. All that 26 men could
do with such an exacting orchestral score was
brought out by the excellent players under
Mr.. Neuendorf's inspiring leadership; of
course an orchestra about three times as large
would have been no superfuous force for this
music.
With grand opera on wheels at So and less
per seat, these DEFICIENCIES are to large extent
inevitable. We are sufficiently used TO them
in Pittsburg to look readily beyond them to
the work of the principals, and If these be at
all adequate we can feel thankful for the
chance of hearing great works which other
wise we would not have here at all. From this
very proper point of view. last nights produc-
tion was exceedingly enjoyable.
Mr.. Rathjen's assumption of the gloomy role
of The DutchmGn last evening was a genuine
triumph. Even after his creditable 1eLomund,
and his virile, Impassioned Nelusko, it was
dignity, the forceful emotion and the
artistIc repose with which he invested the
character of the sorrow-laden Van der Decken.'
He sang the role remarkably well. too; his fine,
subdued nlezzd Uoce at the beginning of the
great scene with Seatd was no less notable than
the triumphant tone of its close or the fercely
dramatic delivery of his reproaches at the end
of the opera.
Miss Juch's Rendition. ~
Miss Juch's Senta Is an admirable imper.
sonation. vocally and histrioncally. 1t is
quite of a piece with her Elsa; and if the latter
character seemed richer, as portrayed by her
on Wednesday evening. it was doubtless be-
In both these roles Miss Juch ap-
peared- to greater advantage than