New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-08
MUSIC.
THE GERMAN OPERA.


"siegfried" was performed by the Damrosch opera
Company in the Academy of Music yesterday ai'ei
noon but before a brief discussion OF the repre-
sentation Is undertaken few baskets Oh ci''N
crumbs left from the ,oaves and ishes "a
Friday night might be gathered up with prop'iev
II not profit. In fact one thought-conVicuoh W."
the Friday evening performance was so pers'''e"'''
enforced yesterday afternoon that peace OF Hi'u '
qures its utterance. 1t would have been an asleo
ahe thing las II seemed a bounden duty for the
Tribune yesterday to have expressed an opinion Vi.
the merits OF Mr.. Lathrop's scarlet l'e''''
iibretto That nothing was said except III se"
terms. and rather by implication than othe'""''
was due the fact that the performance u'u mo-
permit of any other course. 1t is obviously as u''-
fair to dramatst 10 judge of his play lioi"
perusal OF the printed page as it is to pronounce
on the music OF opera from reading OF the vocal
at the pianoforte AS was said yes'erud'' -
these cases 1t is only hearing that Is believing anu
unhappiy. although vocal sounds were hearu uu
ing three and half hours on Friday ngh'' MI
Lathrops words were not. A most CONSCIENTIOUS
endeavor the part OF one familiar with the doom
and music resulted in only score OF words being
understood. Governor Bengtam once said
Hester Prynne' quite intellig biy. ana frau'e,''
Gadski. TO whom fragrant guerdon OF praise -
due for what was far and away the most ihtei'se''
and characteristic impersonaton of the eVeh'"s
(albeit It must be left to others to reconcile ner
dozen passages that not only the SOUND Out a,'o
the meaning Of her words comprehensive
For the rest. however, the American opera i'N'
as we'll have been written and performed IN Cho0
taw. Had this not been 1t might nave pee"
possible to supplement what this journal had to say
on the subjecf Of the dramatic potency or nav"
thorne's characters when Mr. Damrosch prouuc'u
a large portion OF his opera In concert FORM last
spring. with a few observations from the proaue'
and better point OF view afforded by the draih""0
representation. AS 1t was, there was nothHS "
do but to listen to Mr. Damrosch's music ana al
tempt TO estimate It's fitness to Mr.. Lathrop "ouS
as they appeared on the printed page. But ths
does not furnish a proper standard for criticism OF
either the text It's musical integuineht anu
therefore, discussion IL best avoided certain "
was however that not even the widest siretch OF
the Imagination could find single parsonage o'
Hawthorne's book In the opera save the one l''h"-
fed by the badge Of shame upon her breast
This grievous deficiency on the part OF Mr. Dam
rosch's opera (whe;her due to the composition or
the performance shall not be said-one charltaDS
inclined might also accuse the orchestra I"i 10
boiserousness) was brought back TO mind by yest'r
day afternoons representation of SieErfl'l'
Here was a German opera. done in German out ior
those with half the familiarity with the foreign
tongue that they had with the vernacuiar' INC
drama was a hundred times as inieiligibe. II "d'
alone because Wagner had written MS work WIN
a knowledge OF the means at his command anu III
skill required TO make them mutudI.y Vl,p,ir -,
tary but also because the orchestra was laH'''' "a
a most delightfully."- discreet ana int"lls"ht MANN.
In he second act possible Tor me chdi ~,
to sing a. naturally and unconstrainedy a. ,.'',
were participants In a spoken drama, W''H",". ~
syllable being lost. For this let credit j." X, ~,
after Wagner, and the performers, 10 NOR
. Iohse who CONDUCTED with hne in'elNgcnc" ana
feeling Il Was an artistic achievement. whIch &c
serves 10 rank with that OF the principal perform
ers on the stage and they, Win scarcely an ~
ccption. most admirable In their parts he'
Alvary can sing : 10 make one WISH ne ~
been born deaf ESPECIALLY one familiar wltn the
German language. which Avary abuses IN a manner
IL cha ese - n
A penal offence. but ycr;erd2y he disclose! w w
minimum OF his aggres-.vrgcss In this ref.,c anu
the maximum OF his skill an actor ana inter
prefer OF Wagners profoundly poe,ical conception;
and he took the hearts OF those who saw ana hetrd
him captive completely. Fraulein Iernlna too. was
a superb repr sentative OF Brunnhld" dramatically
and unsteady and the last act went with passion
that suggested the flow OF double stream oi lava
For the rest a most enthusiasts word OF praise was
deserved by Herr Paul Langc a. Mime. anu Nis
Schilling "a me voice OF IN" bird.
Arrangements have been competed ny "hlrh an,
other interesting novelty VIII De brought forward
I'm the last week Of Mr. Bruno oscar
K.ein's opera "kcnilworth which was given with
Nine Klafsky in the principal part ana Mr.. Lohar
in the conductors chair at Hamburg last year.