The times., 1897-12-19

Washington las had its little taste ot
grand opera nd now must safe itself
for another year on a few concerts, per
haps comic opera OK two, and the
mong-eI musical comedy. Mr.. Damrosch
and Mr. Ellis n,a Y feel assured that their
season was al least three fourIhs an ,rtistic
success. They may possibly, however.
have teen diSa pp0inted on the gross re-
ceipts FOR the week. But the public, even
those who can afford 10, VIII not come i'll
numbers to ray SO to hear any but Patti
Melba, CalvC, or Eames. And even these
names are not potent here at such
price when these who choose TO can buy
a. round-uip ticket 10 Baltimore, pay 50
for the test seat and save on the invest
ment. OF course, the manag2ment's re
toindeI is that Music nall III Baltimore
is larger tha tke Lafa yette, and
higher price must be charged 70 get a
pa wing utlience. To which reply may be
made that there are audience rooms in
Washington larger than Baithnore's Music
Hail.
Another op portunity The mana cement lost
TO feather their nests was in the production
OF -Trayiat8." II was sung and played de-
lightsully, but the scenery was the thea
ter'S oldest stock settings, and the furni-
turp and costumes Were atrocious- Cam
panari and SaIgnac mad an attempt 10
dress in the early eisslee eenth century Pc
riod. hut their ciethcs hang un the m as if
they had been made for krauSs- Salignac
mafle nn attempt at makeup aud he is
no beauty. TGeIe is . strange suggestion
about his head that his wig is slipping
down toward the back OF his neck. This,
however. is only high forehead. II ne is
the high-Salaried artist his voice and po-
sition proclaim him he should have the
taste and generosity To buy wig Of the
year 100 and try help along the delusion
that Yiols tia could fail III love with and
do all she did for Alfredo. The chorus
wore all sorts" from that day 20 this
Melba was gowned eXtravagantly, but the
style of everything She wore was just two
centuries ahead OF the period Of the opera.
The other opel as Jared better, especially
''Lohengrin,' which was pictorial treat.
AS 8 singing organization NesSrs. Dam
roSch and Ellis left us little TO desire.
Melba az charming a Nioletta aud Mar
Cuerite; Salignac was good enough as
Jose and Alfredo; Cainpanari was COM
petely satisf wing, 10th as Gernont ara
Valentine; Ibos and Bouderesqae 10th
established themselves az finished ar
lists, Stsudigl made the best Herald we
have ever seen; Fischer stands on an
eIuinence beyond comment; Bispham viii
hereafter be the bulw arF of any bill into
which ne enters, and GadSki and Kraus
are incomparably the hest leading Ger
man singers the devotees Of Wagner could
ask for. Mr.. Daurnsch's orchestra is a
factor always to be depended upoa
With renewed astonis hmeut We note the
sustained vigor Of the singers who have
devoted their lives to the rigorous demands
of Wagnerian scores. Fischer has for
nearly thirty years been singing the strident
tones AGAINST ba ndS of fifty, sixty, and
seventy musicians, yet, beyond his half
centur%, he is still in the fuli possession of
his tonal powers. Ernest krauss sings with
a volume that would seem 20 presa ge an
early decline, but he declares that il is
simply nc labor at al. he swells his
notes TO such capacity that his very frame
seems 10 grow upon tire retina Of the be-
holder s eye. There is d young man named
Rains i'll tie company who PLAYED the
Marquis il 'Traviata. = and a small role
in Carmen and he gave out a few
tremendous tones of the krauss caIiber, but
with the suave flexihility of the Italia q
type. Its power is bot his only recon-
emendatiau; he should te heard soon In
a more extensive role.