New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-21
A WAGNERITE IN PARIS.
THE BEAUTIFUL CANDOR OF HERR FELIX
MOTIF.

|
MOTIF.
| As has already been noted in The Tribune Felix
| Motif, the eminent conductor OF the Carlsruhe
| opera has been In Paris to direct one OF the con
| certs of the famous orchestra Of Edouard Colonne
Herr Motif s one of the chief Interpreters Of Wag
| ner in Germany. and NJ. Colonne has been one OF
| the most Jealous fighters on behalf or the great
| German composers works in the French capital.
Herr Mott was accompanied By his wife. who IL a
singer of Wagnerian roles both in German and in
| French A reporter for the "Gaulois' interviewed
| the couple recently. They both expressed their
great admiration OF the Partisan orchestra ana
| Motu turned the conversation toward Berioz' the
great French composer
'Ber,loz! When / was very young man, said
| he List whom | knew. never ceased to tel me
| TO study BerlIoz: understand him. he said and ]
| would make my mark And that was the happiest
period OF my life when could fight for the master $
success I'm Germany whore he was little understood
1 had an admiration for BerllOz that was almost
fantastic If by my productions or me capture
OF Troy and The Trojans,' and later or the en-
tire cycle Of the operas of Beriioz. 'Beuvenuto'
Beatrice The Capture of Troy and The Tro)ans
in Carthage / was able to bring the other German
kapellmeisters to follow my example, It was the
proudest and happiest event in my life.
This year at Bayreuth expect TO direct the per-
formances ParsifaI' while Hans Richter and Sieg-
fried Wagner will conduct The Nibelungen Rlng.
rs there really movement III belIidI Hu'io 1"
which the young men are going TO accomplish
something's Herr Motif was asked
"There Is nothing. absolutely nothing. Ihere Is
an aching void in Germany. With one or two ex-
ceptions such as Humperdinck. whose 'Hansel and
C;retel Is not without it's value. but which II would
be hard TO make popular in France there are moth
ing but mediocrlties i'm Germany. 1t almost seems
as If the genius of Wagner. by its immensely has
discouraged any further movement in the musical
world"
"Wel how about France?"
1T is not quite so bad. There Is a real activity
here and we are witnessing the rise of a school
that may attain success. Chabrier, poor Chabrier,
whose 'Gwendoline / had the pleasure to bring out
frst belonged TO this school. in which | see the
coming musicians like Vincent d'Indy the Hille-
inachers brothers, whose 'Drac we have just given
and Alfred Bruneau. 1t Is in Paris that the true
artistic feeling lives and 1t is here that the prom
ising movement is going on. For my own part
promise to do all I to give the newcomers
hearing.
And how about Italian musc?'
Done with, in Germany. Except for MaScagnis
'Cavalleria Rustcana and 1eoncavallos Pagli-
acct which you are going 10 have. at last at the
Opera Comique, nobody wants TO hear any more
Italian music stage"
"What do you think of the Parisians sudden
craze for Wagner?
Il think il is overdone the former hostility 10
him was. Why not do proper justice to Berlioz.
the French master? am afraid he came before his
time. He contemporary or wagner; the Ger
man master ought to have come before him.
The correspondent of the Berlin "Tageblatt," in
reporting this interview adds:
'AlI that Motif says about music in Germany and
France may be true bur the moment he chose 10
say was ll-chosen-precisely because 1t appeared
to be chosen at all