Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-25
NOT VERY MUCH LOST
By Those Who We're Not Able to At
tend the Bayreuth Festival.
A SEASON OF THE LESSER LIGHTS
The Old Guard Sadly Missed in the Chief
Roles Of Each Cast
A DECIDED SUCCESS FINANCIALLY
rRY CABLE TO THE prspArcH.l

| tory part OF 4 rau C0slma w Wagnef Work 81
the festival The scenery and mechanical
accessories are unsurpassed; the effects are
magical in their smoothness and magnif-
cence with which they are produced; in
short, the whole staging is as sumptuous
and harmonious Is art and money
can make them.
| Last year the presence Of Sucher as Fenus,
WinkeImann as Tauaheuser and Reichmann
| as Wolfram was supposed to be guarantee
that the musical and dramatic depths of the
opera would be touched as never before
Nevertheless, the whole performance was
disappointing, and in many respects was
little more than amateurish. Sucher
showed WEAKNESS from her efforts in 'Tris-
tan and Isolde" Winkelmann was conven-
tional and lacked spirit, and only Reich
mann seemed equal to the full requirements
| of his part
The performance to-day, although show
ing decided improvements over the work of
last year, still was far below the Bayreuth
penditure of $4,000 marks to bring
''Tannhauser" up to the plane Of
"Parsifal," this greatest of Wagner's
| operas. as distinguished from his music
dramas, seems doomed to suffer by contrast
| with the rest of Frau Cosima's works. This,
perhaps, has been due partly to the fact
that it is hardly suited to its frame; partly
to lack of effort on the part of the singers
to rise as in .Parsifal," to its highest inter-
probation.
The Old Gusrd Sadly Missed.
This year, undoubtedly its defects may
| partly be attributed to the popularity of
Frau Wagner, to which referred in my
last letter, Of allowing the veteran inter-
pretators to go, and filling their places with
members of the young guard. Certainly,
at all events, the names of Gruening and
Mailhac In the cast to-day don't suggest. tShe
carefuIness and understanding in irttkrpre-
tation guaranteed by the names CT Winkel-
mann and Sucher, and to most persons the
name Of Wiborg, who sang Elizabeth last
year, IS. well as to-day, suggests nothing
at all.
Contrary to Expectations, the titular part
was gwen @so-day better than last year. Al
though not great Tannheuser, Gruen-
Ing >of Hanover, was conscientious and
1 painstaking, and altogether more in touch
| with the spirit of the composer than
Winkelmann. He lacked spirit, however,
when he sang the familiar "Dir Toene
Lob, " etc. In the third act he appeared at
better advantage, and the absolute stiffness
| of the great audience during the "Star
Song" showed that he had won their high
approval
Frauiein Wiborg Greatly Improved.
Fraulein Wiborg, of Schwerin, as Eliza-
beth, was less amateurish than she was one
year ago. TheE her voice was quite insuf-
| fcient, her method and action were ANA
| teurish, and in fact her only qualification
| for the part seemed to be her youth and
| spirituelle appearance. To-day she showed
| that she had partly grasped Elizabeth's char
acter. She realized its youthfulness, but
unfortunately at the expense of some of its
! qualities
her best She gave evidence of much in
telligence and true dramatic instinct. Still,
persons who have seen Lilli Lehman in
the role missed the seductiveness and pas
sion with which she fills it.
As Wolfram. Scheidemankel, of Dresden,
placed all of his associates at adisadvantage.
Last winter he was called to
Milan specially to sing this part,
but neither there nor in Dresden
has he sung it with such complete success
His solo in the first act Gals du in Kuehnem
Sange," spellbound the house, and from
that to the close of the opera he held the
house completely under his influence. Sew
eral times the audience was upon the point
of cheering him, and when the last words
had been sung the building rang with cries
of ''Scheidemantelp
The Ballet Worthy of High Praise.
Deering, Of Mannheim, as the Landgrae:
Gerhauser, of Bayreuth, as Walther; Liepe,
of Berlin, as Biteroif and Zeller, of Vie
mar, as Heinrich, were fairly satisfactory.
The chorus was we'll drilled and the ballet
was worthy of high praise
Mottl led, and again proved himself to be
one of the foremost conductors of our time.
On the. whole. anybody who has heard
''Tannhaeuser" in New York or Dresden
need feel no regret that he was absent from
the festival to-day.
The official soiree was held Yesterday at
Wahnfried. Itwas dissimilar from former
soirees in the particular that formal en-
graved Invitations to it were sent out
Frau Wagner was assisted in receiving by
her son and four daughters. There was q
tremendous crush, more than 200 persons
being crowded into the narrow parlors
Mime. Joachim entertained the guests by
singing delightfully."- several of Schubert's
songs.
OF the financial success of this years fes-
tival there can be no possible doubt, as not
only were all the performances sold out
weeks and months in advance, but BY pro-
ducing four works, "Parsifal, I" 'Tristan,"
''Meistersinger" and 'Tannhaeuser, which
were seen in former years, the great ex-
pense which the mounting hitherto in
CURED has been entirely obviated.
The Receipts Practically Co ear Gain.
The receipts will practically be clear
gain, as there will be nothing but the sala-
ries of those who take part to be paid, and,
it is said, these are all, or nearly all, merely
nominal.
Ttat the management, which means, of
course, Frau Wagner, and then Herr Adolf
Won Gross, the banker, her faithful friend
and adviser, were willing in exceptional
cases to pay comparatively large sums for
artists worth big salaries. may be gathered |
from the fact that they made an effort to Sc
cure for the parts of Kuniyy and Venus an |
high-priced singer as Lilli Lehman, who, !
however, is not vet sufficiently restored to |
health to undertake so onerous task, and |
who, therefore, declined what is still re-
garded in Germany as q signal honor, the |
call to Bayreuth. W. Won SACHS
Rev. Hfr. Cotton Gets His Sentence.
DUBLIN, July 24-Rev. Samuel G. Cot |