New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-22

in view Of the new developments as IL had re-
quired TO predict the Of Fidelo' after the
perience Of 1ss6's0 had seemed to indicate that the
opera had lost its charm for public on January
90, only six days after Mr. Abbey had captured the
directors The Tribune commenting edtorially on the
operate revolution, remarked:
Financially, Wagner must save this season, or II
will suffer shipwreck. Mr. stanton knows that, and
II is not a rash prediction to say that the whole I'M
performed list Will be sacrificed from this time forth to
the production OF Wagner's works. The policy will
be voted by the directors because will go further
than anything else 20 save the season it will be
welcomed by the public because Of their dlsappont
ment with the novelties which short-slghted policy
attempted to fost upon them"
That prediction has been literally fulfilled Since
January 30 thirty-nve representations have taken
place all but ten Of them being devoted to wagner's
works notwithstanding that within this time Madam
Hank was added to the company and that the two
operas in which she appeared "LAfricaincr and
"Carn,,e.' proved more popular than any works Of
the non Nagncran list with the single exception Of
"Fidelio." An amusing evidence Of the enforced
change Of the drectorial heart the pronunciation
OF an order to the box holders requesting them to dis
continue the conversation during performances which
had ANNOYED the rest Of the audience. This
adopted on the day after the resolve to revert 30
Italanism had been reached. At least the order is
dated January Is.
Mr. Stanton's action in abandoning all else and
giving only the Wagneran list which originally
to have been ignored q leap from extreme 10
the other IL is fortunate that II did not avenee itself
In q second reaction. The friends of German opera
have frequently been misrcprcsened in their attitude
toward Wagner They have demanded that his works
be performed TO the exclusion OF those Of other compos
ers The Tribune for Instance, has consistently and
for a long time held up the danger Of too one sided
adherence 10 the works of single man or school
The need that was overlooked by the directors was
wise choice Of works in the composition of the roper
tory. 1t the spirit Of German opera which was
the condo sine qua nom Of success. not the matter
There are many works which might have
been given 10 the entire satisfaction OF the
lovers of German opera and many old works which TO
the American public good as new. Though
old fashioned In fOrm these latter works are instinct
with the vitality of the WagneIian drama The works
of Chuck, Weber and Marschner belong 10 that class
Some Of these works had been promised but they were
all sacrificed TO Asrae" THE Vassal" and Diana"
their books. and the last of which had
nothing TO commend it. BY the time these
had been given the directors were frightened ont Of
thec willingness to spend money on new stage decora
tons, it found that the old obstacles to new pro
auctions growing out of the unstable foundation Of the
German opera were asserting themselves, and the re
naming novelties which had confidently been expect
ed such Msrschner's "Tcmplcr und Juedin,' Mas
senet's Esclarmonde" Lalos lie Roi d'Ye" GOetz's
flaming of the Shrew." and Nicolas Mery Wives Of
Windsor" abandoned, and the cables made fast
to Wagner Thus much for that part Of the seasons
history which will play the most important role here
after in American musical annals The rest may be-
read in the following tables and the analytical COM
ment which they invite. In the fifty nights and seven
teen matnees of the seventeen operas and lyric
dramas were produced in the following order: