The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-24
NEW OPERAS IN EUROPE.
MUSICAL NOVELTIES o. TEE PAST
SEASON ABROAD.

MUSICAL NOVELTIES o. TIE PAST
SEASON ABROAD.
Peculiar Situate. In New York City-New OPP
erss BY the french Compesers-what Modern
Italians Have written German Activity.
New York rarely hears new operas, and the
excellent reason for this deficiency In It's sup
ply Of musical diversion is the Indifference Of
the public to new operatio creations. No
other city In the world spends SO much money
rs New York on its opera. or. to speak more
exactly. on Its opera singers; for II the public
here Is Indifferent to new works, IL Ia exncting
10 a degree unknown elsewhere a. to the quality
OF the singers who interpret Its music. They
must be the best that the opera stage has pro-
duced. and the singers Of this rank must have
every important role In the opera. II Is not
enough that one or two Of them take part In a
representation. There must always be a group.
81 If New York does without novelty In Its
supply Of music. II at least hears It's favorite
works sung rs they ara nowhere else.
That new works are not produced herr l. en-
tirely the result OF experience which has proved
beyond a doubt that only to its ~favorlte roper
toire will the public turn out in large numbers.
The Indifference here Is as great at first per-
formances a. at all others. however successful
luc WIN may NC a NV S'hidIoh''
In Europe impresarios give new works because
they are certain Of at least one large audience.
A new work given for the first time Is always
sure to be heard by a large gathering. II the
opera Il q failure there will be no repetition
OF this audience. But public curiosity In
musical matters Is always sufficient to insure
for the first hearing OF a work a considerable
audience. New York Is not alone In appre-
,io,ipy thu old unrka . N pnuoh mara flan tho
new ones that the bulk Of the performances
consist Of these old and tried works. They
constitute over tho whole civilized world the
bulwark Of operate repertoire everywhere.
In New York the principal peculiarities OF
taste are the NAL number of operas that
are really popular and the absolute rejection.
without O hearing. Of everything unfamiliar.
OF the thirty operas approximately that make
up the repertoire through the world. New
York cares for fewer than any other city
| and never has them varied by any novelty.
1t would be interesting to many persons to know
how small q number OF operas at the Metro
politan may in reality be counted upon to draw
large audiences through their own popularity.
OF course many are performed that have no
| such power. but that IL due tn the fact that II
would be impossible. even In new York, TO go
| on repeating the small number Of operas that
are really liked here, Their popularity would
soon be exhausted.
New York's distaste for novelties may In a
measure be excused by the fact that very few
works composed during the past twenty years
have made any lasting impression anywhere,
1t is said that the Paris Grand Opera House has
not produced a single success during the last
score OF years. And that theatre ia required
by the rules of It's existence to give two novelties
by French composers every year. This Is done
regularly. But after q few perfunctory per-
formances. they disappear from the repertoire.
The Opera Comiaue has the same experience
with nearly all the new works Of native compo-
sition that It produces. 1t rarely happens that
one of them survives long enough TO pay tho
expenses Of the performances. Some Of the
Italian and German works given there have
met with real success. such as Puccini's la
Boheme" and Humperdinck's "Haensel and
Gretel.' Mnssenet's "Cendrillon" has been the
most recent French work to find any extended
favor, except Carpenters Louise"
10 Italy Puccini and Leoncavallo are the two
moet successful composers Of the day. although
Unberto Giordano has met with apparent suo-
cess with his opera Fedora founded on Sar-
dou's play. Giacomo Puccini has also found
some degree Of fortune in the use OF another Of
Sardou's plays, for his ia Tosca" has been
In rehear sal at Covent Garden for some time
with Nine. Ternina and NJ. de Lucia In the lead
ing roles, and II will also be produced here
next season. go will Puccini's Ia Doheme,"
and these two works Of the young Italian school
will be the only novelties heard. In spite OF
the great number of operas sung every year in
Europe, there are few that would BIO worth the
trouble and time entailed by the production Of
novelties at the Metropolitan. The repertoire
there cold be varied In much more interesting
fashion. But the probability Is that for some
years To come New York viii have to be con-
tented with the operas that are liked by the ma
jority. and not the few the minority would like
10 hear. Some OF the more notable works sung
during the past year might. however, deserve
a place ct one time or another In the repertoire
OF the theatre.
The most successful native work Of the past
season In Paris was Gustave C~harpentier's
Louise which has been given more than one
hundred times at the Opera Comiqus and has
been accepted for production In Berlin and
some Of the Italian cities. The composer calls
his work a musical romAnce" and 1t u a
strangely realistic opera. Its SUCCESS In Paris
has been unquestioned. and that Is no doubt
due in part to the character of the story. Its
heroine is a young working girl, living with
her parents In a humble ffth-story lodging. at
the summit Of what It's Bohemian denizens
STYLE the sacred hillock" Of Montmartre.
Loui.e's father. an honest carpenter. and her
industrious mother. stand no nonsense about
morality or idlenses. The girl has made the
acquaintance Of a neighbor named Julien, a
poet, From the passionate conversation they
carry on from window to window II Is under
stood that II Louise's parents do not consent TO
their marriage, the lovers are resolved to dis
pense with. any ceremony in their union. The
| mother, who Il. preparing dinner. overhears
The amcrous ~colloQuy which she cuts short by
angry reproaches to her daughter, and when
the father returns weary from his days work
sent him in writing q formal proposal for lis
| daughters hand. The father. q gentle, good
hearted man. h~esitates, having no confidence
In Julien, whom he thinks a lazy fellow. Let
him show that he can work. and he may change
In her eyes Julien Is a ne'er-do- well, TO whom
r ness. and to empRasize his decision, she boxes
the girls ears. Louise bursts out crying
while the father consoles her with aifeetionate
Us temptations and misery. from which he and
her mother wish TO shield her. This act con-
tains a mute scene Of exquisite delicacy.
during which the father reads the proposal OF
marriage. while the Young gIl feyerish with
commentary Il delicious.
The second act contains two scenes. the
first Of which shows us Montmartrc at early
dawn, viii. the ragpickerss street sweepers,
throng among whom glides q mysterious III
| dividual clothed In black, whispering 20 every
young girl that goes by, This 1, III" Nortdm-