The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-31
IN EUROPE.
Milan 20 Have Perrornances Conducted IN
German tyle-vienna,s Claaue.

milan 70 Have Perrernances Conducted In
German stsie-vienna's Ciaaue'
The season Of opera has opened in Italy with
inc performances by SonZogno's company At the
Lyric Theatre in Milan. Owing to the legal
complications which will keep La Scala closed
Tor the winter, this theatre will be probably tho
most active In the musical year In Italy. SON.
zogno, who has announced q repertoire Of
eighteen operas, has been observing the system
OF performances at the German opera houses.
and has decided to vary the usual Italian plan
by the introduction of some customs common
there.
Hitherto the italian companies have been
made up OF artists who como to the theatre TOR
only two or three performances, and this method
was formcrly as invariable among the less con.
spicuous singers as among the stars. The re-
suit was a lack Of finish in the performances
MS well asa narrow limit to tho repertoire, as
it was never possible to get tho companies pre-
pared for anything other than tho entirely
familiar opera Of tho old school. So Son
zogno has declared his intention Of organic
ing a permanent company. which will
have opportunity for rehearsal and the
good results of ensemble singing. But
tho audiences at tho Teatro Lirico will hear
some celebrities as well as q good company.
One OF these will be Delna. who, before her de-
but at the Opera in Paris, will sing in "L'Attaquo
du Moulin, Orfeo,' and other operas in Italy.
"Orfeo" has not been mado a feature in Italy
since Helene Hastreiter went to Italy after her
successes In the opera here. and revived the
opera in Rome with unprecedented triumph.
One OF tho features most encouraging to tho
Italian public Is Sonzogno's promise that his
imitation OF German methods ehall not cease
with tho establishment OF n permanent COM
many In will tnlntn m m md r,nnav RI
scenery and costumes, which a o in Italy noto-
rioGsly inadequate.
The Milan season opened with q performance
of Massenet's "Werthcr," which wasnot known
previously to Italian audiences. The fact that
Mozarts Don Juan will be revived seems to
be the most striking feature Of the season to tho
Italian newspapers. Although Sonzogno calls his
theatre international and will select his singers
as well "a his operas from all countries that
supply either, the performances arc to be given
in Italian. The condition OF operate produc-
tons may be underst9od from ono incident, Of
the performance Of die GUtterdammerung'. in
Rome last year. Then the scenery used was that
commonly exhibited in Aida and the same
~ tho use OF some costumes drawn in Aida,
Everything of this kind in tho country IL said
to be on tho same wretched scale.
Turin is the Italian town in which German
music prospcrs most. This yearTurin will have.
in addition TO the Wagner cyclus, a special per.
dinck's " hnsel uud Grctel" and a revival Of
Weber's Der Freischhtz.' An Italian version
OF tho Humperdinck opera is said TO have been
given already in Italy. Only the text was used
and Signora Corinna Test, who wrote the music,
Is said to have taken the librotto written by
Humperdinck's sister and merely chan ged the
names of thetwo leading characters who appear,
not as HdnSet and GrCtei, but as GinO and Mint.
The latest Italian novelty to be given in Italy
was =. R9c9co,,. which was produced. in Naples
lstely. Like andrea Chenier" it is an opera
cess is said to have ueen due entirely to the ex.
allied position Of the composers father, signor
Gionturco,t the Mintster of Fine Arts. The com
pany OF Italian boys, from 10 TO 10 years old.
were so successful in Vienna with an opera
written especially for them and called "IlPic-
where they have created the same impression.
Many years ago a similar company came to this
city and sang at tho Aston Place Theatre. But
that was before the days of the Gerry Society.
The boys play and sing all the roles in the opera
and are said to be remarkably clever in both
With Ysaye in this country and Cesar Thomp-
son at Brussels, Liege will suddenly be depleted
OF Two OF the musical lions. Thompson is going
to Brussels to teach in the Conservatory. and
his departure was not accomplished without
Not long ago his daughter married an Italian.
and during the CEREMONY Ysaye played the
e eiSIy Years is'a ago T ihaep aaa' who %A IS ihaf Intimate ssv,
friend. played, at. the wedding. Despite. their
season Of rivairy in this country their friendly
clnque in the Vienna Opera House. 1t had
y ~ - - utoahSS 40 tho
same institution Is In Paris. although 1t does not
have similar governmental support. Tho diff
ference in the two nuisances can well be under
stood when IT is known that Herr Mailer, after
getting tho support of the authorities Of the
Royal Opera House. called on the singers
for their cooperation. He wrote to every one
Of them q letter; which made rather anus
ing, seen any one of Thorn in conversation
with n member OF the claque. he supposed no
mutual relations existed. but he wanted them
to promise him that they would never attempt,
by the use of money or free tickets, to get any
one to applaud them or help to keep the Claque
in existence. They all gave their pledges Of
honor. and II is believed now that the last has
been heard Of the claque. The general advance
ment OF civilization is likely to produce the
same result in Paris, where the claque is a much
greater nuisance.
a story OF Verdi's hatred of hand organs 10
told with much corrob0rativc detail by a J ur-
naliSt who visited him once at Moncalieri. He
says that Verdi lived in one room as sleeping
room. study and dining room. But the com
poser opened the doors and showed two much
larger rooms in the distance. They were filled
with hand organs.
gans played airs from Rigoletto,' 'Trovatore,'
and other operas OF mine, and that angered me
so that | rented the lot for the season. 1t cost
me $500; but l had peace. at all events