New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-04-23
MUSIC.
,,psr PERFORMANCE OF MAsSENETs
,,,rpTHER" AT THE OPERA HOUSE.

SUI -, Goethe voice the unrest and emotional dis
H.ant of his time that wave swept over Europe
co" h,ch suicide and sentiment were crested.
- r.r,bersm' a forerunner to the eXtrava-
os Of Byronism with It's rolling collars and
gan, version 10 sobrety and other proprieties
TO- TO-, The high-strung. sensitive hero OF Goethes
o. -. had many imL'atOrs. for your affected young
" - today with his "fn-de-siecle' pessimism
skin-deep cyniclsm, is but the latest outgrow'A
a. ~, desperate and. TO us. rather foolish Nerther.
Z" rsa story Of the unhappy love Of Werther ana
,,o.,e does not. on first blush. offer much ma
al FOR the operate stage. deals rather with
'e" nolocic states than with dramatic incident.
ps'.ho,.s soul is m!rrored IN his letters. There
" not much action possible. and mingled with
,hre love there Is strain Of the idylIlc
.Icb accents rather than relieves the gen
WI. ' Gloom. Edouard Blau Paul Mill.et and
e. Us Hartmann made the book for Jules
.v"'sssnat's Werther," which was given for
sst .ir,e in this city last Thursday night at the
w.,noli;an Opera House. The librettisis nave IN
~ main done their work well although treating
"" w., freely Goethe's tale as to meet the ex-
ces Of the stage. the story is Simply 'oid'
go Is some padding; the action moves sluggiShy
I'll the third act. and there is much that Is de-
- and episodical in the first two acts. But
.re, has clothed some of these hating scenes
,.n nretty music. and the graceful Gaiiic' winning
,rner Of the composer is often more co'Ni'o''S
s.n his tenser dramatic moods.
.var-her'' is a great OPERA great I" nv
.,. ~ Carmen" or Aida" but II must appea!
s' s musical sensbilities through its lyric charm
" ono dramatic climax and its mastery scoring
,.. ,,,erest naturally centres upon WERNER ana
c.orlo,te consequently the opera seems one 'o"s
~. The subordinate characters. even the rd'"e'
su and respectable Albert. lend but h''e Hs'i' Do
..s,s n the foredoomed lover and the unhappy
eon"a ~ Nassenet has lavishel the best music
.soors on the part Of Werher In The short pref
. tho first act there passionate mollNe'
A,-ac,eristic chromatic progression which seems
.ifv Werther's fate. for 1t occurs when ne re-
s. II is also in the last act ana may lal'!! u
'.,,ored as the heros leading theme Charlotte
w. has a small figure which is freely e"P'oHc"
- .h frs. act at her entrance ana Is idln'F
III -, Forth in the instrumental introduction
quo mus, he accorded the composer TOT the IN
n,o,s manner in which he uses MS 'he''a'0 ma
I., His leading motives frequently redpiea'' anu
,,s N emphasize some dramatic moment io'
',a,ce the Christmas Carol. which occurs "' '"e
".nr,nr ~ the first act is introduced at the close
- with good effect. for 1t is sung As
% -. a,es This whole scene may not be deiens-
.r,,,a,ic grounds for the death agony -
w ,o,c snun ou,: but this final touch redeems IT,
~, hos, numbers in the first act are WERNER
o >.o,,ro Pleine de Grace" and his outours' ""e"
So ,.es charlotte with the children. - Hpeo'a''e
Iasal d'Amour-et dInnocence' lie Is me- "
-.orad this Young man Of the eighteenth Cen-
p@SS" Ntasse,o. has written for him many
- ~ r,d,lon, Of romantic love and languor ohe
- tho gems Of the opera is in the due' pe'"o,"
c,.,,ot,a and Werther. "Ah, pourVu que Je '0''
o.s yauv touiours ouverts.' wnich Il "o'h0N Wy O.
,.a climax Of the act This same meodlc luea "
- ot,o- W4rther has shot himself and "hiIe
charlotte tells him OF her love: "oui gu Jour 'ee
~ -, r,-,s davant mes yeux" sings the dying man.
c,hto,s SOTO IN the second act 'Du edl soe'
- aa CANINE and a song by the BaiIh III
r-olsa NJ Bacchus repeated as chorus e"iNe"
the monotone OF desparing love ny
enav felt solo allotted TO Weriher IN 'h's "o',
"Taurais sur ma porine' "hch i''aie 49, 49,,
.,so duo for the lovers. Werther goes away uh-
80. md Charlottes husband begins to sense tHe
VIII the third act such action as there 10 realy
,xgins This act, from both the dramatic anu 'husi
cal nonts Of view is the best OF the four IL CON
tns some good music for Charlotte anu lue ,S,,
,ybare,n she reads Werther's letter is inusica''y
ha-r,,ne Her PRAYER Is expressive and the quo
yv,b Werther marks the cimacieric height OF the
opera. -.
Tho two tableaus which comprise the fourth act
one showing the village Of Wetzlar on snow!
Christmas eve and the other the death or WERNER
are perhaps antl-clinaxes The hrst Is accom-
nanied nv superblv scored music. in which are re-
i,erated some leading motives transhgured anu
transformed by the art OF this french nias'ei' "'
50 well paints in tone. The WERNER ho''e -
again utilized and in the most skilful style. The
hinged in the score; but there was judicious cut
made in this scene Thursday night There were
cuts also in the second act More could be proht-
ably made in the first. which Is eaden paced
Massene, IS a musical Meissonier He WORKS IN
miniature and much OF the orchestral detail IS eX-
ou.si,e Take for instance Sophies song Inc
scherzo-lke accompaniment is quite Mendeissohn'an
Indeed Il seems like an actual transcript from
the ronio OF that composers violin concerto Out
how dainty how piquant. Wagner Is very mucn Gu. IL
evidence in the music Die Meistersinger Iht
Ewing Dutchman" "I.ohengrn' and Tristan.
The upward infection Of the so-called WERNER mo-
tive is very much Ike Tristan" We get Gounod'
some Meverbeer AMI the romance "PourVu al
luded 10 above has distinct tang or "CaVai-
kria Rusticana." although this work is the senior
There IS much that is artificial and insincere In
"Werther" much that sInacks more OF al tr rn
phere which Goethe intended in the cary pr con-
his story. Then becomes fatlgued az 'me wo'-
bI and finally becomes mono;onous. There was a
change made in the work Thursday nght py a. ~,
closes the scene and gets a good situation. Then
the curtain lifted for brief time long eho.Hn
10 VERNE. Darkness follows. and we get the
snow tableau followed by the finale ne peszke
sang with the utmost intensity ana nre, ana WIN
hmS "a. Fans who ade maS Nine Eame
the prayer. rather theatre PRAYER: win G muGd
Arnoldson was neat little Sophie: Carbone took
was satisfactory. Mr. Mancinelli conducted. The
house large and very enthusiastic =.
"Werther' will never be great iaVorlte. ~
will appeal TO musical people for its delicate work
manship and its hyper romantic coloring may en-.
Gear Il TO the soul Of the sentimental ones ha'
really lacks is fresh, strong themauc nateilai
All the ingenuity and cleverness Will never replace
mat but It is welcome at the END OF an opera sea
son OF tiresome repetitons
The following will be the programme at the
opera house for this week, the last nights ana
ast matinee OF the present season: Monday even
ne Meyerbeer's ~ Afrcaine." with Mines. Nordica
bauermeister and Pettgiani; Messrs. l>assalle Ed-
guard de ResZke Customary, Nlviani. Mastro-