San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-11-11
GERMAN OPERA SEASON.
MANAGERS DAMR0sCH AND ABBEY
LOCK HORNS.
To outshine Abbey Damrosch Has
Secured Some of the Best
Singers in Europe.

man opera season will open here
today, under direction OF Walter
Damrosch. The success Of his Ger
man opera scheme last year induced
him to repeat the venture this
year, but he will have to compete
against his implacable and more
celebrated rival, Anton Seidl, who
has the tremendous backing of the
Abbey, Schoeffel and Grau forces,
with all the accessories of the
French-Italian opera company.
Abbey has decided to give German
opera at the Metropolitan opera
house, with Melba, the De Reszkes
and other famous singers in Wag.
merriam roles. He will, with these
artists, give German opera during
a short tour. To meet this compe-
tition, Damrosch has secured Eu-
rope for the best German singers.
Who will say he has not succeeded,
after scanning this list OF his
artists:
Sopranos-Frau Katharine Klaf.
sky, Of Hamburg; Fri. Mllka Ter
nina, of Munich; Fri. Johanna
Gadski, Of Bremen; Fri. Gisola
Stoll, OF Zurich, and Miss Minal
Scbilling, of New York. Contraltos
Fri. Eibenschuetz, Of Strassburg,
and Miss Marie Maurer and Fri.
Marie hatfield, Of New York.
Tenors-Max Alvary, of Hamburg
Paul Lange, of Munich, and Bar
ron Berthold, of New York. Bari
tones and bassos-Demeter Popo-
Wei, of Prague, and William Mer-
tens, Conrad Behrens, Gerhard
Stehmann and Emil Fischer, OF
New YORK.
The works to be presented will
comprise Tristan and Isolde"
"Die Walkuere," "Siegfried,"
"Gotterdammerung," "Tannhaus-
err" and "Die Meistersinger,"
which Mr.. Damrosch produced
last season, and "The Flying
Dutchman," "Fidelio," "Der Fret
schuetz" and Mr.. Damrosch's own
opera, "The Scarlet Letter"
Mr.. Damrosch and Abbey have
already clashed. 1t is said Abbey
told the Auditorium people in
Chicago he would shun the place
in March if Damrosch were allowed
TO appear there during the winter.
Damrosch denies he is giving Ger
man opera to spite Abbey. He
says he will keep several months
ahead of the Abbey company, and
will not play in New York till the
Italiansopera is finished.
Admirers of Rosa Sucher will re-
gret that she will not be heard
during the first weeks of the season
as, owing to a conflict with her
European dates. she may not be
able to come over till the season is
we'll advanced.
Those who have followed must
cal events abroad know what sue
cess these artists have attained in
Europe.
The two prima donnas OF the
company are Frau Catharina Klaf-
sky, of Hamburg, and Fraulein
Milka Ternina, of Munich. These
two women are the foremost Wag-
merriam singers of Germany today,
and unlike some others that Amer
lea has held, they came here in the
freshness of their powers. Frau
Klafsky, who has sung with Sir
Augustus Harris's companies in
London, was declared by Bernard
Shaw to be the greatest German
singers that had been heard in Eng
land since Tietjens., Her greatest
role is Isolde. Apart from the Wag-
merriam heroines she is famous in
Germany for her Agathe and
Leonore. She is a Hungarian by
birth, and was recently married.
Her photographs show that she is
a handsome woman, who has so
far succeeded in escaping the I'M
due increase Of weight which is not
undeservedly associated in the
public mind with prima donnas Of
German opera.
Fraulein Ternina, who is at pres
ent a member of the opera COM
pany at Munich, is the youngest
woman to have become famous in
Germany in late years. She was
born near Agram, the capital OF
Croatia, in Austro- Hungary. She
began the study of the piano when
she was ten years old and discover
ed that she had voice two years
later. When she was sixteen she
commenced the serious study
of singing at-Vienna. After work
ing for three years under
the direction of Gamsbacher she
went to the Vienna Conservatory
and studied under Helmesberger.
1t was after one OF her appearances
at the private performance OF her
class that she was discouraged by
oil inh caid OF