New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-07-19
BA YREUTH W1GNER FESTIVAL

/ ia EE III WAGNER FESTIVAL
BRILLIANT PROSPECTS FOR THE TENTH
SEASON. WHICH OPENS TO-DAY.
! TIE LITTLE TOWN CROWDED WITH VISITORS
OPERAS TO BE PRESENTED AND THOSE
WHO WILL TAKE PART IN THEM
- 'PARsIFAL" THE CENTRE
or INTEREST
Rayreuth, July 1S.The tenth Wagner Festival
will begin tomorrow with a performance Of
"Parsifal." and already the town is invaded by
hundreds Of strangers. who fiji every nook and
corner In II during the Festival. and then at It's
close leave the town TO three years OF provincial
duness. in strange contrast to the excitement
which ails everywhere during the month of the
Festival The streets at this time filed with
/ visitors arriving or departing and every house
holder Is willing to let part Of his house to
| lodge the crowd which sweeps down the little
town. Rooms usually engaged long ahead. and
there always seems to be room for more. stran-
gers coming with no preliminary arrangements
rarely fail to get accommodations of some kind. At
O'Clock the procession TO the Fcstspiehous outside
the town begins. and until the audiences return
! after the close of the opera Bayreuth sinks back
into It's accustomed quiet
The Festival this year will differ little from those
/
number OF performances, the chief interest
centring, of course. In 'Parsifal." which can be
heard at no other place. The proposal to give II In
Austria has now become impossible, owing to the
fact that the Austrian Government has extended
the copyright on Wagner's operas TO twenty years
in place of the usual period of ten. thus making
1t the same the German law and allowing the
composers heirs TO benefit for time still from
the presentation Of his works. The season VIII he
OF particular interest to Americans this year, from
the fact that Nine. Lillian Nordica is to appear as
Elsa in the elaborate presentation of "Lohengrin.
She is the first foreign female singer TO create
role here. and already there is enthusiastic praise
of her performance from those who have witnessed
the rehearsals Nine Nordicas Elsa Is familiar
enough performance in New-York. but it has been
materially changed for the Bayreuth production
of 'Iohengrin." An intensely dramatic scene which
occurs in the third act is usually omitted. but TINS
is to be sung in the performance here. 1t comes
toward the close OF the opera, after Lohengrn re-
cital and begins "Mein Cote nein! Ich lass dich
NIGHT Won hinnen." 1t is really the most dramatic
moment in the opera. and its restoration TO the
places Elsa Of the class of light soprano
parts The production will be even more elaborate
than that of ''Tannhauser." which was sung for
the first time at the last Festival with magnificent
scenery and costumes. The period for "Lohengrln
will be placed at the middle OF the tenth century.
and in the thirteenth. as 1t is usually given
"Tannhauser" will be given with n much weaker
cast than that by which it was sung at the last
Festival. Then Max Alvary. Of Hamburg, ana
Winkelmann, Of Vienna were the Tannhausers'
and this year William Gruening Of Hanover
tenor of no particular force. is to have the role
Theodore Retchmann. Of Vienna, VIII again be
Wolfram. and Pauline Mailhac. Of Carlsruhe' Will
be heard Venus. part in which she made a
most favorable impression in 1891.
The "Parslfai' casts are less brilliant than they
were a. the las, festival although the announcement
that Malten Is TO sing Kundry later In the season
hoe. h..p .r.i with
prise and not a little pleasure. Rosa Sucher. OF
Berlin who is to sing In New-York In February
Will be the Kundry, alternating with MISS Marie
Brema. an English deoutan;e. who Is also engaged
by Mr.. Damrosch. Frau Sucher sang kundry mere
with no particular effect several years ago. but
her work at the rehearsas has shown ihdt her
performance has been entirely remo9eiled. The pre-
dlciions are that her viii BE- great hrnesi
van Dyck. OF Vienna. Is again one OF me fdT-lhS
dividing the par, with Grueninc OF Hanover W l'y
B!rrenkoven. Of Hamburg. and Ho.ian Doeine
young tenor OF whom l,tc Is known. !; - said
that he secured an engagement here through me
kind Offices of Nine. Nordca Familiar perform.
arcss in this years production OF "Parsfal' VIII
be the Gurncmanz Of Karl Grengg Of Vienna ana
the Arnfortas OF Theodore Re:chmann. who comes
from the city. The conductors. ACCORDING 70
Wu,ich: Felix MotiL % Carisruhe. and Rcharl
5rauf o. es% pertsrmances Moi IS - CON
duet "Lohengr.n" and Strauss VII have he dirrc.
~
over the failure Of Hans Richter OF Vienna, 70 con
duct during the season but word has Just ben re-
celyed that he will be prevented by Illness from A.
tending the performances. - 80, g.,
To-day the prospects that the f'TtNil VII. De
a brilliant success The weather g. favorable, "hlch
Is a more important consideration nan one might
believe 4 he mad not seen the thousands ~ pc"He
making their way up ne HI 10 n" Fesihp". auh
strollng about the grounds luilns ~" 10Y! s ~
PERMISSION between the acts. The r"pori- from tnr
rchearsals are most favorable. particularly IN ''Ha'I
10 me beauty OF the "t.oh.ngr!n' prOfucilDn %h4ch
X il said WIFI be incomparab.y nn"r man t"s IaNp.
hauser" OF three years ago. The entire house -
sold for the frs, performance and fot many IN ,hg
early part Of the season. As usual. Americans ana
English In the majority. in"re pong c',hl"iA-
tive'y few French visitors The NATIVE ana ioitith
teresting ngure TO the Germans H. Miss Hc.en ar
roll OF Washington. who has taken castle fhhh-
taste one OF the show places Of this region ior NE
duration Of the festival she has br9IKhi WIN NJ
rnlraion and wonder Of the Bayreuirers hts'
Henry F. Abbey Is already here ana NJ !ial,.hI a.
The director Of the Opera House In Paris: Sr Frel-
erlck Leighton, Franz Rummel' ana Ai'AahN'r Lam
Frau Sucher is looking forward eagerly to her
first appearance In NeW-Y0rk In February. Sne
VII make her debut Isolde, which u commonly
cons dered her greatest roe. and in Germany she -
Patti has expressed her opinion that Sucher ~ pass
mistress OF her art. S.cgfriei Wagner. VINO Is al
rectlng the choruses ~ the opera. has coaGuctrl
Tho orchestra AT severa, Of the rehearsas and won
my n the Anniversary Of LISTS dehth. Segfriel
Wagner his grandson. Will conduct large concert
a, The old Opera House here. Tho festival orches-
ira OF Jos musicians Will pay. ana the prograInme
vii include LISTS "Preludes" and the overture TO
'Tasso" as well IN" overtures 20 NagnerS
"tienzi" and Der Fliegende Hoilander"
oftDfrS, D1yv Ar TR1DEHS ISLAND