The sun., 1900-12-22
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An Excellent Performance last Nisht 81 'hs
Ws,topo,,ssn Opsrs House.


metropolitan Opera uosse.
-Lohonsrin" wns sung ut the Metropoll-
tan Opera House last night. tho third per-
forrnanco ~ tho season. The cast com
! prired Nordica, Schumann- -Iisink. Dppel
Idouard de Reszkc and Bortram. Mr. walter
Damtosch conducted That this sweotly
lyrical opera, with It's legendary flavor and
its dash Of mysticism. Ia tho ruling favorito
In most opera houses of tho world Is fact
needing no verincation by the eruditc stat
!stcians Of music. Its melodies are easily
dlsccrnble they are not buried In q web
OF countcrpoint. nor aro they crystallized
into compact leading motives. In q word
"Lohengrin" IL decorated italian music.
highly spicod by WaRnerian harmonies
and with n sensuous orchestraton,
To this IL added q story which stIll balks
reasonable analysis. Il Elsa the prime ex-
! ample Of a young bride who seeks TO I'M
cover her husbands past' Is she Nietzsche's
young hysteric who liked best to be saved by
her own doctor? or did she really stay up
too late that fsteful. fatal and riddle-pro-
pounding night? She Is certainly a most
credulous girl. and Jules Iaforgue In his
wonderful "Lohengrin. Son OF Parsifal- has
portrayed her more witty than Wagner
But nowadays wagner's librettos are being
viewed more critically than they were a
quarter of a century ago.
And Lohsnorin-who was this knight in
shining armor. this friend Of swans defender
OF forlorn maidens, charming man and masi-
clanr According TO his lights. the much
abused Telramund. was quite right His
adversary was a sorcerer. q benign one.
yet a sorcerer. Being married TO one him
self. Teiramund quickly suspected the others
wizardry. II he had known that Lohenorin
claimed Pdrsfal for father. what a dire
confirmation OF his suspicious this would
have been--ParsTdi. the guileless fool, the
despissr OF Kundry. Of womanldndl After
all IL not Ortrud the one big character in this
very un-German of operas? Her music
does not swoon in blissful harmonics; but
she is always a tragic figure. -Lohengrin"
with its tranIu uonal musc-much Of II Ia
cloying and undr ramauc-is the dear old
fashioned Italian opera, though framed more
gorgeously.
Wagner got rid Of one convention by sub
stituting another Music sung bv costumed
singers Ia opera. nothing else but opera.
even II it's presentation be a mixture OF
met taph ysics magnificent orchestration and
striking tableaux. The old formula ut
tered with the intense eloouenoe Of this
composer raised a moribund form TO the
dignity OF an art But let not the delusion
prevail that the drama Ia In the text Of this
work OF Wagner's: his drama is always in the
music and in the superb stage pictures
psyche oloey. color. tone but not real drama.
The performance last night was a remark
ably fine one: indeed OF so spirited and fn-
ished a character that the mere recording
OF the fact should be suficient. The most
grateful remembrance OF the evening was the
superb acting and singing Of Madame Sohu-
mann Henk She easily dominated the
second act and her vengeance air was
absolutely sinister In Its intensity. The
duo Of Ortrud and Telramurd was sveepingly
delivered. II Is a pity that In the beginning
IL was so doubtful In intonation. Nordica
returns the same thorough and satisfying
Nordca Her Elsa is one OF the many roles
she sings superlstively we'll even II she does
not always reveal it's poetic. pale fragrance.
Her work In the third act was very convinc-
ing Mr. Bertram the Tslrdmund. Is fast
developing into singer OF lyric worth.
1t is a part for which. by reason Of his dra-
matte temperament. he is eminenty adapted.
Edouard de Reszke was a noble Heinrich and
sang nobly. The Herald Of Mr.. Muhlmann
was stentoran although not always OF tonh
rectitude The Lohenortn. Andreas Dippel.
was N good voice and did himself and the part
justice.
To Mr.. Damrosch must go the credit Of a
wholly adequate orchestral veraon OF the
work His accompaniments were Just and his
tempt throughout brisk without disturbing the
eloquence Of Wagner's phraseology.
Mr. Damrosch has massed his men 80 that
he secures from them the greatest resonance.
All the bass is we'll concealed but sonorous
enough when needed. The prelude was
given with a good pulse and had climax
differing from the new Bayreuth version
in this respect. The orchestral recrudes-
cence at the opera is a thing for which all
music lovers must be grateful