The morning call., 1895-01-19
OPERA SEASON TO CLOSE.
Wagner's IOhengrin" Will Be the
Final Offering Tonight.
Synopsis Of the German Legend Which
This Masterpiece of Music
Illustrates.

The Tavary opera season will have fin
ish with Verdi sandwiched between Wag-
ner. ''Tannhauser'' was sung. last even
ing. 'n Trovatore'' will be given this
afternoon and in the evening 'Lohengrin."
'Tannhauser" was repeated to crowded
audience, the substitute tenor, Martin
Pache, singing the title role. Nine. Marie
Tavary reappeared in the personation of
Elizabeth, and Mini Bertini- Humphreys in
Venus, the siren.
"Lohengrin," which concludes this most
successful season, has been performed re-
peatedly in this city in a more or less pre-
tentious way. Several years ago the Pap
penheim troupe, under the management
of Nine. Inez Fabbri, introduced the great
work. Later came Mrs. jeanette NJ. Thur
ber's American Opera Company, which
produced it in splendid style with weird
scenic effects, and afterward the Emma
Juch company, which gave quite cred
liable representation. Both the companies
last named were under the direction of Mr..
Charles z. Locke. "Lohengrin" is perhaps
the most perfect of the three lyric dramas
which form the second period of Wagner's
work. For the information of our readers,
the substance of the legend which the
opera illustrates is given:
The time is IN the tenth century. Henry
the Fowler, King of Germany, has come to
Brabant to convoke the noble lords accord
ing to the feudal custom. Frederick of Tel
ramund, the most valiant of all the lords
of Brabant, has just accused before the
people Elsa, Duchess OF Brabant, of the
murder of her young brother, who has dis
appeared, leaving no trace. The young
girl possesses no method of proving her
innocence; her cause then is to be submit
ted to the judgment of God. But when
the herald has sounded the trumpet toward
the four quarters of the world no knight
has entered the lists in her defense Elsa,
however, has confidence in a singular
vision: a charming warrior has appeared
to her in a dream. With an impulse of
sublime faith she throws herself upon her
knees and beseeches heaven to send her
the defender who has visited her sleep.
Soon the people, grouped around, see on
the river in the distance a strange bark,
drawn by a dazzling swan, in which
knight of wondrous beauty stands erect.
ga miracle! ~ they shout. The mysterious
knight steps upon the shore, and the swan
that conducted him returns to the I'M
known regions from which it came. The
knight advances, 81 am come" he SAYS,
''to defend the innocent girl unjustly &C
cused. Who will do combat with me?''
Telramund dpholds the accusation.
The knight draws near the enraptured
Elsa, anu III a swell, grave VOICE SAYS 10
her: eff I bear off the victory, wilt thou
that should become thy husband? Then
must thou promise never to seek to dis
cover from what country come, nor what
is nv name or nature" s'My shield, nv
angel, my saviorP' cried Elsa, 'thou who
defendest me in my distress, how could /
do other than faithfully keep to the law
thou imposest upon me?" Elisa, love
thee" murmurs the unknown knight with
doo,oocf Tho Eino hIaccoc ba
arms, the knight gains an easy victory and
Elsa's innocence is proclaimed.
But Ortino Telramund's wife, succeeds
in inspiring Elsa with jealousy and she
violates her oath, exacting from her spouse
the avowal of his origin. This the knight
promises to divulge in the presence of
King Henry and his mobiles, assembled on
a meadow near the border of the Scheldt
''In a distant country" he says, upon a
high mountain called Mount Salvat, stands
a magnificent temple in which knights of
absolute purity guard a miraculous cup
called the Holy Grail, the cup in which
Christ consecrated the bread and wine at
the time OF the Lords supper, and in which,
later, Joseph of Arimathea received his
blood blood. This cup had been carried, to
brought back seS a gageis to thu the hoiyy
King Titusel, who founded the temple
OF the Grail and the order of its
knights. Those who serve the Grail are
endowed with wonderful virtue, but an in
flexible law forces them to remain I'M
known among men. If their names be dis
covered they must Immediately depart and
once more regain the sacred mountain.
For this reason I must leave you, inform
ing you that Parsifal, my father, is King
OF the Grail and l his knight am named
Lohengrin."
The swan reappears upon the shore to
bear the warrior away to his miraculous
country, Elsa has destroyed her happi-
ness. She sees her guardian angel depart
forever.