The sun., 1894-11-25
MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.
A New Departure at the Opera Houss-Pop
uInr Price Saturday Night Performance.

A N.xy Dep,rture at the Opera House-Pop-
uIar Price Saturday Night Performances.
The most notable variation in plan of the sea-
son at the Metropolitan Opera House this win
ter will he the series Of Saturday evening per-
formances, which will probably commence a
week from next Saturday night. Messrs. Abbey
& Grau have decided 70 give ten Of these repre-
sentations Of opera at prices so much reduced
from the regular scale that the management
feels Justified in describing them as popular.
The operas will be sung with casts made up
from the most popular singers In the COM
pany and the operas to be given will be
those which have met with the greatest sue
cess at the performances Of the regular season.
The artistic value OF the season or opera
at the Metropolitan Is likely to increase
in proportion to the length. The effect OF the
performance on American taste and music
must always remain limited so long as opera
is q fieeting indulgence which occupies public
thought for a comparatively brief time each
season. Anything that serves to put opera
often within the reach OF popular appreciation
day which viii find a permanent company rep
resenting at any rate popular apprecia1tiioh IN
this form Of music. even II 4 fails TO disclose close
agement of the opera has attempted and accom-
plished more in this direction than any OF its
pred ecessors, and its new departure Is another
step forward. There cannot be too much good
opera.
Miss de Lussan is frankly nervous about her
debut. 81 shouldn't mind It," she said. un-
less 1t were that knew my performance will be
compared to Mile. Calves. aud not judged as
merely Q performance Of Carmen. l am an
American myself, and know that We always
like to form our judgments by comparison with
some standard. don't want 1t to be thought
that am to try to take Mile. Calves place. |
play Merimee's heroine as understand her. and
ol,ao, bar NJ her I hive
seen her in " Carmen" and don't know what
her performance of the part is; but do hope
that Americans will take my performance OF the
role as somethins which doesn't pretend end to take take
probation Of the part"
Miss de Lussan has sung Carmen now about
was TO sing 1t three times in one month. in
different language each time. Her first appear
ave years m ago and her career there Is
well known. Chsr,lbtno, in The Marriage or
sas viii sing. ing "a and Marg,frite, in Berlol's
"Damnation OF Faust" Is a part she would like
70 be heard IN h this swim winter: ,oor ., onnroc,,-
tlon OF what we do ourselves" Miss de Lussan
said to Sun reporter the other day, but
Americans are curious In that they want the
their performers before, they are quite ready 70
ei true Of France or England, but it certainly is
the case with us. and would advise American
srs to 70 to Europe and make their reputation
there. Americans are always generous to their
own people. but they want the eaehet of foreign
EnKana has done for Miss Dc
Improved her looks wonderfully. and she is now
q very beautiful woman. She Is certain. in any
case, of what the French call s'icces dc bedute
The youngest of Maurice Grau's sopranosis Is
Mile Julia Miramar, who looks enough like
Melba to be her sister. Mile Miramar Is
Spaniard. with darker hair and eyes than tho
Australian singer, but resembles her surpris-
ingly in other respects. She Is barely out OF her
teens and her appearance here will be her debut.
For several years she studied under Nine. La
grange, and It was in Paris that Grau heard her,
ayers Is to run for three years. All prima
donnas do not travel with maids, companions
fame still TO make, arrived in New York ac-
cOmpanled only by her trunks. She was sitting
pany found her. weeping over the prospect Of
sDending the night on the pier OF the French
line But she has found friends In the brothers
is to sing in the company, this winter, She
particularly skilfuf IN fiorid music Like most
OF the singers that come to this country, she las
guages, but her acquaintance with English is
confined To an enthusiastic determination 10
iish scholars in the company, and the imposing
PoIynecte Plancon has an abundant hotel vo-
SsGTisry and ne Sah Saa wssr my w}tb scariey trace
OF accent
On Thursday afternoon there was rehearsal
at the opera house which was remarkable not
so much for the reputation OF the four singers
who were concerned in 1t as for the enthusiasm
which attended It. 1t was the first rehearsal OF
the principals in " Carmen" which will be given
tomorrow night and introduce Edouard de
Reszke and Mime. Melba in new parts. Tho
novelty of EdOuArd de Reszke's appearance Is
complete. as he has never sung EscdmtILo before.
Mime. Melba has sung Micasla frequently, and II
Is a curious enough fact that Miss de Lussan,
who Is TO be the Carmen tomorrow night, has
sung the role often at Coyent Garden with Jean
de Reszke and Nine. Melba in the roles they
will give on Monday night. But the rehearsal
on Thursday lasted for almost four hours, and
when It concluded EdOuSrd was lying on his
back in the middle OF the stage, the perspirstion
pouring of his face and his hat rolling down
into the footlights. It was not the effect Of his
efforts that had brought him down, but
an experiment. In the scene of the
third act where CdrmsR's two lovers quarrel.
1t was, however, the interest that the de Reszkes
and Nine Melba feel la the new Carmen that
Was principally responsible for the long re-
heArsal. Jean de Reszke's familiarity with the
opera house and the means by which the bsst
etfects are created there made his rehearsal with
Miss de IussAn particularly valuable. Through
out the loag session, which began &C : and
lasted until almost ., most OF the time Was
given up To CdTmens scenes with the tenor.
sometimes as associate, sometimes as stage
manager and sometimes As critic. EdOuard Was
not 50 interested in his efforts as ESrdRito that
he was prevented from giving Suggestions 10 the
new soprano, and Nine, Melba was ss concerned
. participant In the proceedings Operate stars
are not likely TO attend any more rehcarsals
than they are compelled To, 80 the sight OF the
two de Reszkes going through the duel scene Of
Carmen Jean as though he had not done i
tims aud time before and EdOuard As though
EscdmalO were 10 be the tirst part he has sung
offers another instance, II one were needed, OF
the genuine artistic instincts OF these two men.
Not much more than twelve hours inter-
vened between the close Of the performance Of
" Aida" on Friday night and the rising OF the
curtain on Romeo ct Julistts yesterday after
noon. But there was the difference OF quarter
OF = century In the performance the audience
heard. There was one reminder E: the Ada"
aud Il came In The second act when