Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-19
FOR THE GREATWAGNER FESTIVAL
Every Ticket for the Twenty Splendid Per-
formsnceS, Which Begin To-Day,
Already Disposed Of.
TANNHAUSER THE PRINCIPAL WORK.
For Which Many Great Singers and Beautiful Dancers
Are Engaged
LEY cABrr TO TIE DISPATCH. ]

and 1882, when the Nibelungen Trilogy and
"ParSifal' were first produced under Wag-
ner's personal supervision. The hotels hold
only a small fraction Of the visitors, and
most of the householders have placed a room
or two at their disposal during the four
weeks of the festival as at Oberammergau
last year.
Both of these festival towns for religious
and musical pilgrims are in Bavaria, but
while Oberammergau has its festival only
once in ten years, Bayreuth has one every
two years on the average. The first was in
1876, and this years festival, which begins
tomorrow, is the seventh. The works pro-
duced here so far are the four parts of the
Nibelungen, 'Lohengrin,' - ''ParSifal, -
Tristan and Isolde" and ''Meistersinger. ="
The novelty this wear will be 'Tannhauser"
in the Paris version.
The first festival was not financial sue
cess, for the expenses of building a special
theater on a new plan and OF painting the
scenery for four new operas were so enor-
nous that even the SIS charged for tickets
for the trilogy did not suffice TO cover
them, and the deficit was made up partly by
the King of Bavaria and partly by Wagner,
from the receipts of the Nibelungen operas,
which he had intended to reserve for Bay
reuth, but now felt compelled to cede to
operatic managers for pecuniary reasons.
The Widow wagEer's Ability.
"Parsiful,' % in 1882, was produced under
more favorable circumstances, and has ever
since been reserved for Bayreuth alone.
When Wagner died the Widow COsima took
charge of affairs. and proved herself truly
the daughter of the greatest pianist the
world has ever seen and the wife of the
greatest dramatic composer; able to give
hints 10 the first singers and conductors
under her energetic direction. The festivals
have prospered more and more, and last year
the profits were 100000 over expenses, al
though the tickets were only IS.
This wear the financial success is more re-
markable still. Every ticket for the 20 per-
formances running from July 10 to the mid
die Of next month was sold a week ago, the
gross receipts amounting to a total of S140,
600. Five-dollar tickets are now selling at
from SIS TO S25. Hundreds of people who
come from abroad, some from great dis
tances, unprovided with tickets or with the
means to procure them, will be grievously
disappointed for they will be unable to
get inside the theater during the entire fes-
rivaL
Consolation Festival Next Year.
As a consolation for these unfortunates
another festival is promised for next year;
but il will be prudent even then to order
tickets six months in advance.
The expenditures for the festival of this
wear have been on scale worthy of the
generous receipts. Over 800, 600 marks have
been spent on the new electric stage ap-
paratus which is far in advance of
anything of the kind in any theater in
the world growing out Of this svs-
ten. A chain of electric lights
has been established from the theater to
the town, controlled by buttons behind the |
scenes, so that the whole way is brilliantly |
illuminated during the performances. The |
chief expense has been lavished on the seem |
erv Of Tannhauser, which, as much as has |
been done in this direction before, German |
artists pronounce marvellous. As an eK- !
ample of the conscientious devotion of Ger /
mans of the highest rank, the following de- |
tail is given:
Stage, Hounds and Horses.
In the second part of the first act in |
"Tannhauser" comes the famous hunting |
scene. To enhance its realism, Duke Max |
Emanuel of Bavaria, has lent to the man
age1nent four of the finest horses in his |
stables and ten graceful hounds. They are \
housed in z separate building and as care. |
fully trained ard rehearsed in their duties |
as any member of the company.
The ballet is to be tie novelty for /
Bayreuth. Hitherto, this feature of the |
spectacle has not been conspicuous This !
wear everything has been done to make it a !
success The dancers have been drawn from
the Berlin and the italian theaters, and
have been constantly practicing under the
direction Of Madame Zuccbi, of Milan. For
the three Craces, who are to preside over the
revels in the Venus grotto in ''Tannhauser,"
three of the most beautiful girls on the Ital-
ian stage have been engaged. The most dis
tingrished singers in all parts of Germany
have offered their services.
The Great Singers Selected.
Among those selected are Mesdames Ma
teyna and Standigi, well known in the
United States, and Mallen and Sucher, at
the top of tier profession as Wagnerian
artists; Max Alvary, the New York favor
lite; NanDyke, the rising tenor star of Eu-
rope: Reichmann, fresh from his triumphs
At the Metropolitan Opera House; Winkel-
mann, whom New Workers have not forgot
ten, and Scheidelmantel and Plank.
Besides these there are several artists new
to Bayreuth. about whom there is, as there
will always be, some anxiety. But Madame
Cosima Wagner is not afraid of novelty and
and likes new material, to impress
with her stamp, on which there is inscribed
no such word as fail. Her labors are in
cesSant; she pfesldes over every depart |
ment and is present at all rehearsals, which
are going on to-day with as much vigor as
1t any time since they began.
Rehearsing Behind Locked Doors.
What goes on in the theater nobody but
The company knows The doors are locked
and no one not engaged in the theater is ad-
mitted
Visitors are beginning to flock into Bay
-euth in large numbers. Nearly half of
hose already arrived are American or En-
,lsh. In anticipation of the influx of for
,igners, the official Bayreuth guide book is
low published in English and French, as
we'll as in German. Besides visitors from
lbroad, the country people are coming in by
thousands to enjoy the festival, although they
nav never catch glimpse Of the play or
lear a note of the music. 1t is estimated
hat the strangers will, by tomorrow night,
lumber p 900, which viii double the pGpu-
alton OF the town.
The decorations are profuse; the streets
re spanned with arches, and the inhabi-
ants are delighted with the anticipated |
uccess of the festival, which is expected to I
ring at least 1,GO0,OOO marks to them dur ,
ng the month of its existence Not the j
east of the triumphs of Wagners genius !
vas to have brought this sleepy old town to !
ife again.