Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-02-20
"Iliad and SET
"Odyssey" MISC IS
A Rival Of Richard Wagner.

The interest of the entire musical world
has for some time past conferred in the
Dresden royal opera where the premiere
of Bungert's "Kirke' (Circe) has just taken
place. With a number of Berlin musical
critics and operate managers your cor
respondent went to Dresden to witness the
performance. The Royal opera house of
the Saxon capital was the first to open
her sacred portals to a work which differs
in many respects from ordinary operate
compositions. 1t was a daring step to pro-
duce the first of the series, "Odysseus' Re-
turn it was still more risky to bring out
"Kirke." says the Philadelphia Record.
August Bungert has undertaken a task
which could only be approached by 4
strong idealistic nature: by a creative artist
of unlimited faith in his own genius; the
creation of a ramati and operate work
extending over six long theater evenings.
IL .flia nrs a aes to aod Rasss !Ao Rs ba imm sIona
nodded his world Of Homer"aathis a't the
title of his cycle in its entirety; he has
poses. adapting the antique epics and Dor
author and composer considered suitable
public. Sodysseus =. Return saua.'Sn the aHp part r9r fi rls
::.odyssey." The real introduction into
sequence of the World of Homer." Until
the entire work will be ready this does not
music dramas. each Of the series. although
closely connected with the others, is in a
sense complete in itself.
three acts and an Independent prologue,
"Polyphemos." In this prologue Gaea (the
Earth sings Of the "p9or. miserable human
Gove). for the powerful incentive of i ioVe
equally influences God and man. Hermes
and Athene representing Commerce and
Wisdom) beseech Zeus to grant q safe re-
turn home to Odysseus. the restless. weary
w,anderer. who since Inc fall Of Ilion Troy
has travelled through and across the entire
mystic oracle: "All perfection-my highest
will! Mans life-God's thought! Naught
is t~rifing.,must and shall %eternally prove
Gods mightI' In the second scene of the
prologue We find Odysseus and his COM
panions shut up in the cave of ~Polyphemos.
the Gyelop. h giant Is first made drunk.
The Cyclop recognizes the Trojan hero, and
here is a scene. analogous to the one in
drassoa iear rsseF fhas it w WaeF sleF ahs s Mho
struck him. Bungert's CycIop walls:
Woe! Thus vas fulfilled the forecast.
should biind the single eye of the son Of
Poseidon!" CNeptune).
Orchestral music continues during the
which depicts the adventures Of odysseus
in the realm of Circe. Hermes (Mercury)
warns odysseus not to partake of the drink
which the. goddess would surely offer him
without throwing into it the herb which
he had given him: IF thou dost not, as
tell thee. she will turn ye into swine!'
the witchery of Circe. who seeks to en-
tangle him with her love, where her sorcery
failed and he even succeeds in freeing his
temptation. After he knows his COM
rades are free, howeve:. his sensuality con-
quers, his cunning, anu, believing the pro-
| fnCtof;ono IF 11yn Of TirNa ha ronafp. -;tH
her and unwittingly becomes her victim.
The act closes with an ardent love scene.
The consequences of his mistake are evil
dent in the first scene of the second act in
the shape of the deathly sickness. which
has overcome the comrades of the seafarer.
And the viceroy of Troy suddenly remem-
satiated Tannhauser; who feels unhappy
in the mountain Of Venus; and has pious
sadness and pious fear. as he fancies he
sees a vision of his wife and mother. From
the sunny land of Circe Odysseus descends
of the shades. and in Hades he finds then
all, his motner. Achilles, Agamemnon anc
Ajax. and the blind seer Tiresias. who in.
forms him that POseidon, the god of the
seas. is very angry at him. that he will re.
turn to his native isle only after dreadful
h%ardships and suffering and that he car
patience. The last act finds Ooysseus bach
at Circe's palace, another anomaly OF
I Tann aampietel1 = or seqs G1mdn Gree love But ha a,
last Odysseus finds the strength to teal
himself away from her in spite Of the
bonds Of her love. and he sails away with
his friends in his frail vessel. The
author-composer has well understood how
to depict the artfulness of Gree and the
gradual change of feeling. until her love
becomes that of a truly passionate woman
and this character almost awakens com.
passion and sympathy, when her father
Helios. strips her of her godly. qualities
like wotan does to ,~Brunnhilde in die
loved sunny child. who cannot goddess be
nor queen, until to earth thou givest wha!
is hers, the son of Man: Odysseus." And
with the exultant, proud hope of the loving
woman, that she would be the mother OF
Odysseus' son. the musical tragedy "Circe'
is ended.
Dramatic scenes and Leaf passages al.
~ternate, the verses are full Of energy and