The sun., 1895-03-03
MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.
what tho Boston Critics Say OF tho italian
and French Opera G ermRn Opern.

II was q bold step on Walter Damroschs part
20 open his season with Tristan und Isolde" !"
Tho concentrated essence OF all Wagner's theo-
res is to be found in this work, and in IL his pc
culiar ideas find their most extreme expression.
II il was desired to stir flrst-night audience to
hrry enthusiasm, no more Unfortunate selection
could have been made. Even ardent Wagner
ties are sometimes heard to pronounce " iris
tan" rather "langweile," and 1t must be con-
fcssed that four hours and half OF biology
and psychology and several other ologes set to
music is just little tiresome.
There are two classes OF persons however
who are nblo to extract enjoyment from this
drama: first, those cultivated musicians who go
morn Morn Srss ID spShS an are evfhmng hnn & Ss
TO examine intell2ently into the meaning OF
every note and phrase This is extremely in
teresting, hut exhausting, and those who are
not fitted 6y temperament or incIiuation for
these studies have IA hard time Of ii unless they
can manage to extract come humor from the
situation. These form the second class, and all
the rest 70 TO sleep or sit with blank. hopeless
look on their countcnahces waiting for the end.
II can scarcely be denied that Wagner seems TO
take u sort Of grim delight in pushing q stua-
tion OF the precipice which divides the sublime
from the ridiculous and then holding moral
axe over your head and forbddng %Ou 10 smile
on pain OF death.
An unregencrate person was overheard tho
other night loudly anathematiZing BrdHgIemc
for changing about the bottles in the first act OF
Tristan" and the same wicked man afterward
expressed grave doubts as to whether the hero
would hase succum bed to any ordinary poison.
Aud indeed it is stretching The limit Of human
endurance too far to make an audience listen for
fnrty-seven well-rounded minutes 10 tho solilo-
guy OF man practically in the very ,agonies OF
death. The celebrated love duet, too. Is OF an un
ConsGionaole length. and tho listener is always
beauty, which never come, or II they do come u
Is only like shadows. which vanish ere one 10
scarce conscious of their presence. To speak
lightly, there are moments IN this interview be-
tween IrtstGn and Isolde which are very like
g9-as-y ou- please" match between orchestra
aud singers where all tonal beauty seems cast
70 the winds, the words OF the text arc bwal-
lowed up in n general chaos, and tho air ia fairly
crashing OF the orchestra. Many smiled sur
IsptitIously at this pandemGnium the other
evening, and one woman said afterward that
she became so nervously excited that she mar
r1way escaped Jumping up aud Joining Ia the
The season OF Italian and French opera opened
In Boston on Monday night with performance
OF the "Hugueuots," with a cast identical TO
that employed in the Sew York production,
saving for tho substitution OF Ancona for Mau-
rel, The great Mechanics building is said to
have contained fully eight Thousand persons.
while two or three thousand were turned away
from the doors unable to gain adm ission de-
lightfnl state OF things for The management.
Judging from the aole and discriminating crti-
csnls of the Boston papers the greatest ndivid-
ual triumph Of the occasion was obtained by
Nine. Molna, with Edonard de RESI- kc and Plan;
cnn next IN order. This is not To be wondered
ht since Tie performances of these three artists
n the lluguenots' leave practically nothing
Z he desired. while In The case ot the others,
flaws arc TO be found here and there.
"hc performance NJ "OleliO" on tuesday even
inc served 10 introduce AuuFel % the public Of
the Hub and by his splendid work as ldgI lac
seens 20 have won an overwhelming portion or
pTI.tc, While thcrs % apparent n much Eeeuer
kolre'iRtton of lamaGn0. great gifts than has
been manifested in New York, Eanrs's bss.i,-
t'lrr is also very highly spoken OF and her voice
y GeriRrsd 10 DO IL better condition than last
yrar.
II seems rather hard on Nine Manteli the
lealiug ContrR.to Ot the company, that she
ha"ull have leen obliged 10 make debut ia so
MnlMior!Ant part AS that OF Emlltd in
ttel.u' Her nRIgs passed almost without
mention in the critcisms and she had 90 await
an appearance In "ITuNAtors" before obtain
lHg ~ utlmg recognition.
The unfortunate sihyl SRndesson would Ap-
lv1" - he almost n chronic Invalid. Whcnsthe
uine arrives for her 70 come forth In ManOn."
Tue enc opera which Is allowed her, she is IN
rNtAoly sieZed 5iith grip or some o,her Ailment.
~ Wnh trlile unsind ON the part OF the man
SEGMENT 10 have assRusd her DCs GrieILr in
Ahe peTson OF Maugui6Te for he- debut 10 a new
Hty,, y Is Jean de Reslks's broad style that did
ihueh 10 help " ManOn" TO a grand opera succChs
IN IAls city, ana /; is psThaps this substitution