The times., 1898-07-17
WAGNER AND HIS OPERAS
Staging Given Musical Produc.
tiOns Abroad.
EXPENSE NO CONSIDERATION
Fabulous Cost of Single Presentn-
SIaster-vicnna RDd Prague Al
most Equally Devoted to His
Works.

With most things In tnfS Wordly WOrlu
of ours distance lends enchantment to
the view and absence makes the heart
grow fonder.' A certain number OF peo-
pie go yearly to Venice to view its beau
tiful expanse of rippling waters, its glo-
rious. historical palaces, and its roman
tic moonlight A touch from the wand
of reality, however, and the fairyland of
their dreams is disenchanted into my
Rad of stagnant, Dago-infested rivers
with material ruins around them and a
moon that looks strangely though 1t
had not recovered from the effects of a
night Ion the other side" Dan Froh-
man went to Berlin with the idea of not
ing the wonders of It's wax-works, but
the only lifeLalSe piece he discovered
proved to be a man who had fallen
asleep on the empty pedestal of a mon
ster who had murdered his own daugh
ter In general. We are like the patriot
who roamed all through the world with
out seeing anything equal TO his home,
even remarking when awakened amid
the dead of the catacombs: This is
resurrection day and Americas first on
deck, by Jink!"
There is one exception to this rule, and
that one regards the famous staging of
heavy opera in Germany. Not only are
travellers tales" concerning those pro-
ductions true, but they are in no way
exaggerated. After taking a course OF
music in Berlin, Vienna or Prague even
the best of the singers we get here
seem strangely mediocre. The mechanical
proportions of a presentation are still
more inferior in this country. Compared
20 the setting given Wagner in his ma
tive land. even the metropolitan produc-
tfons seem as devoid OF scenery as does
a theater in the broad light OF a Sunday
morning. Stafford. the lecturer, once
remarked that the "Oh. Thou Sublime,
Sweet Evening Star" of "Tannhauser,'
was spoiled to him in New York because
the planet itself was left TO the imagina-
tion. This longing for realism may be
bit too rigid, but il is certain that two
torn lace wells let down, as they were
during the last Washington season of
grand opera. cannot change bare stage
into fairy grotto, or pink-tighted
woman into a Venus
To be sure there are many improve
ments IN theatrical architecture in this
Country that give us great advantages
over the less progressive Teuton, J. Up to
four years ago the opera house in DreS-
den and the magnificent theaters of Ber-
lin had no electric lighting and the
grooves or Sits had not ye. given way
to the newer system of bracins scenery,
but these faults have since been over
come and no longer figure as draw backs
in foreign presentations
The best productions seen abroad are
given in the Court Opera House in vi
| emma. though the Dresden and Berlin
palaces mentioned are not far behind and
those in Prague none at all. 4 One-night
Offering of ''LOhengrin' in the last
named city. cost, over and above stock
stuff and regular details, nearly all of
| s., 000 Part of iris was government
money part raised by subscription and
part the proceeds OF a ticket sale. And
yet such performances. are by no. means
rare.
Scarcely a week after a brief run of
''Tannhauser' cost 81. SI5. allowing only
| nominal prices TO the singers. Labor.
| too is cheaper there than here. and set
| tings do not cost nearly so much. As
! given. the opera was as much a feast for
! the eve as for the ear. Large spectacu-
| lar organizations have equaIed 1t in this
| country. but other combinations have
never offered anything worthy Of COM
| parison. Materna sang as an equal in
|
| program The Venus Grotto. before men,
toned as being poorly reproduced here
was a marvel of scenic effect Curtains
| of light lace threw the whole in.o a
| misty haze. without being visible them
! selves. In the center was fiery throne
| covered with velvets and emblazoned with
! sparkling stones Around IL. and as fan
| back as the dim light and many rows OF
| hangings permitted one TO see. was a
| rich ballet. while in the far distance a
| scintiilating waterfall played into lake
| on which danced suspended graces.
Swans and nymphs floated there, and
| the air was full of flying amorettes
| Both sides of the stage were powdered
| with pulveriZed glass, shimmerlng in the
| faint glow, and from every conceivable
place came music. The later change from
| day to night was also well executed. and
the star song, few moments after, left
| nothing to the Imagination. There are
| many bits of work here as beautiful but
| the point is that they are not in opera
| Henderson in his palmy days and Rice in
| this period have given us wonderful
mountings and gorgeous effects, while
| numbers of enterprsng managers have
| contributed mechanical details to their
| melodramas that Europe can never hope
| to rival. But in Interpretation and stag
| ing of heavy music we have yet every
| thing to learn.
Several of the performances abroad fan
| excel the famous ones of Beyreuth
| given by the widow of Wagner and
| daughter of Liszt. who is by the way
| one and the same person. Wagner him
| self made every possible effort to make
| that place the home of his work and
| his every plan was given full sway there
| and yet Beyreuth is an undoubted fail
| ure. The theater in that city is the re
| suit of the composers ideas and is al
| least eccentric The slant of the stage
| is tremendous. the interior is painted
somberiy in order not to take attention
| from the entertainment. and for the same
reason the orchestra is hidden. Applause
| is strictly forbidden. and the slightes
noise is followed by the election of the
| perpetratOr. The performances are moth
| ing short of grand, and the one cause
] that initiates against success is in the
| pre-eminence of other productions. Peo
| pie will not wait season to pay bis
sums in order to hear in Beyreuth wha
| they can have much better in their owl
| theaterS.
The Wagnerian festivals in Prague ar,
especially brilliant. The music is con
| Quoted by the finest leader on the con
| tinent. This man is the exact prototyp.
| of the master, and this, with certain in
| cidentS and historical facts. make ii al
| most certain that he is the illegitimat,
| son of Wagner himself. There must be
detracting strain in the Liszt blood, eveI
| though that genius did arrange many o
| the composers minor works for il i
| certain that the young man understand
his father much better than does tn
| wife. Besides his knowledge of the great
| est of German musicians, this prodig,
| boasts his ability to lead an orchestr r,
| through every note Beethoven eve
wrote without anything to guide hin
more definite than his own memory.
He was a wonderful fellow-this Wag
| ner. Whether we like his work or NOT