San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-04-13
No OPERA FOR Mr.. GRAU.
He Will Not Have Any Com
panieS This Season.
THE POPULAR CATERER TO
GRAND OPERA LOVERS WILL
TAKE VACATION.
Thinks The Season Will Prove Too
Dull to Be Of Any Profit and Be-
sides This, Chances of Securing
Lea.erS Are More Slim Than
is Usually the Case.

New York, April 1S.-The Herald this
morning says:
The fate of the opera season of 1897
SO is to be decided this afternoon at a
Joint meeting of the committee of the
Metropolitan Opera house directors
and from Abbey, Schoenfcld and Grau
Qimited) and also a meeting between
the first named and some friends of
Mr.. Grau.
The Herald is enabled authoritatively
to announce now the situation that
will be made public in the press gen.
orally the day after the meeting.
In the first place Mr.. Grau's friends
have held several conferences with
him and a cash fund has been sub
scribed to capitalize a new company
to produce grand opera next season
under his direction at the Metropolitan
should he decide to undertake it. This
fund is so large-it represents 100000
cash and $4,000 additional if needed
that il more than meets the require
ments of the Metropolitan directors.
The gentlemen who compose this syn
dictate are interested in Mr.. Grau and
the maintenance of opera by him, ra-
Their than in the purely business profits
that might accrue from the undertake
ing and yesterday the last of them
pledged him the amount which aggre-
gated 500, 700. These facts have been
placed by them before the Metropoli-
tan directors and will be officially con-
sidered today.
This would seem to settle affirmative
ly the question rs there to be an op-
era season next winter at the Metro
politan?" But it has been negatived
by the decision reached decisively
yesterday by Mr.. Grau to withdraw
from the undertaking
Notwithstanding Nine. Melba's cable
that she has not signed with Mr.. Dam
rosch. Mr. Grau has come to believe
that she is to sign with Mr.. Damrosch.
Nine. Calve has positively assured him
that she cannot and will not return
next autumn and that Nine. DeReszke
announced positively last night that
their determination to remain in Eu-
rope next year was irreVocable.
It is no longer a question of capital
but artists and the Herald is authoriz-
ed to say that directors have been in
formed by Mr.. Grau that he has aban-
doned all idea of giving opera at the
Metropolitan next winter as a men,
Der of Abbey, Schoenfeld and Grau,
or as the head of his own corporation.
The formal statement to that effect
will be made by him at the meeting to-
day.
The Metropolitan directors have in
formally conferred on the situation as
put before them personally by Mr..
Grau and have requested Nine. Re
Deszke to meet them this afternoon,
that persuasion might be used to in
duce the popular Italians to recon-
slider their decision.
But this they are not inclined to do
that is, they in common with others,
see the risk and uncertainty of the
coming season and having done all in
their power to bring the present tour
to an honorable end, cannot see that
their comfort, their good name, their
prospects should be imperilled in
season which the wfsest heads think
is very uncertain of popular support
and which indeed the public do not
seem to want.
The idea of Abbey, Scheonfeld and
Grau giving opera is out of the ques-
ton; it will promptly and officially dis
posed of today and the corporation will
then consider what their future opera
tons can be in Boston.