The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-07-19
ROYAL OPERA GOSSIP.

New Productions at London and the Bay
reuth Wagnerian Festival.
LONDON. July fs.-The season at the
Royal Italian Opera ends on July %. De
Lara's Light of Asia" will be produced on
Monday next The libretto follows Sir
Edwin Arnold's poem fairly well. The
opera will be gorgeously mounted. and one
of its features will be profusion of pretty
Nautch girls. serpent banners and sword
dancers. The same day viii wit
ness the production of Charles STAN
ford's Battle of the Baltic" LA Basoche"
has had it's choral rehearsal at the Royal
English Opera house. but 'Ivanhoe" is still
so successful there that it will continue on
the bills until the end of the season. Doyle
Carte has scored another success with the
"Nautch Grip at the Savoy Theater. Seats
at that house are booked for weeks in adj
vance.
The theatrical season is dying. The st.
James Theater closed on Friday. The Ly-
ceum closes on Saturday. July -, with
Miss Ellen Terry's benefit, and Charles
Wyndham closes the Criterion on Tuesday
with benefit for the poor under the pat
rOnage of the Duchess of Teck. On Thurs
day Mr.. Wyndham produces the operate
comedy. Miss Heylett." which has had
such success In Paris. 1t Is announced
Il
right law Mcmillan 81 Co. are about to
issue series of plays by Mr.. Henry Arthur
Jones, dealing with modern English life.
from saints and Sinners" to the "Dancing
Girl" Heinemann will shortly publish
Arthur Pinneros plays.
Dispatches received here from Bayrepth
announce that the Wagernian festival.
which Is to commence there tomorrow, Is
already an assured and decided success
Bayreuth is overlooking with visitors. fully
50 per cent. of them being Americans. In
selecting the artists for the coming per-
Torrance, Frau Wagner. besides having
engaged such people as Materna. Vandyke
and others, has selected number of young
artists with whom she has been working
INCREASINGLY for months past. Naturally
there have been some failures. but there
have also been some successes. Among the
latter should be mentioned Fraulien Maleca.
of Carlsruhe, who, at the rehearsal, as
founded everybody by the dramatic in
tenslty of her singing and acting in the
part of Kundry. in "Parsfal. "Wagners last
opera, which was performed at the Bay
reuth festival of 1882, about a year before
the death or the eminent composer.
Another artist favored by Frau Wagner
Ia Max Alvary, the well-known Siegfried
tenor of the Metropolitan Operations
New York. To the surprise of many mu-
sIcians Alvary has been given the part of
Tristan in Tristan und Isolde" hitherto
sung by much older singers, The rehearsal
of Tristan ind Isolde" on Monday last.
was so satisfactory that contrary to all
precedent dress rehearsal was dispensed
with.
Interest in the Bayreuth festival this
year centers In the ''Tannhauser" perform
ance of Wednesday next. This opera,
which appeared first in 1916. has not. up to
the present, been produced at the home of
Wagneran music as represented by the
Bayreuth Theater. The preparations for
this production are unprecedented in the
history of the Wagner theater. The town
is full of ballet girls imported especially
for the Nenusberg scene, from the
Royal Theater at Berlin. and from the
Italian Opera-hOuses. The first act opens
among the Baccahnte. Nine. Sucher. as
Venus. is discovered reposing IL q sea-shell
her garments blending with the prismatic
colors of the shell. Behind Venus dozens
of rose-colored wells are suspended. hid
Wartburg scene. Three different scenes
have been painted for the latter,
one showing springtime. the second au-
tumn, with evening gradually changing
into night, and the third a transparent
scene. with the sun gliding the turrets of
the Castle of w artburg. The role of Eliza
beth, the Landgrave's niece. has been given
TO a beginner Mile Deahana. Frau Wag-
ner. wishing to be in accordance with
Richard Wagners idea, will have Eliza
beth represented by young girl as con-
nus of the Hoerselberg.
Musicians who have been present at the
rehearsals say that the dramatic effect is
very successful, but, considered from q
musical standpoint, the success of the
representation of 'Tannhauser" is doubt
full.
No change has been made in the scenery
of Tristan und Isolde" or in that of
"Parsifal." The orchestra of the COMING
| festival numbers 10 members. and is con-
sidered to be the best ever collected.