The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1901-11-22
Bispham and De Reszke
Receive Rounds of
Applause.
Singers and Orchestra
Interpret Music
Suparbly.
By Blanche Partinqton.

new wagner to most of US here,
NI and to judge by last nights re-
Wv ception OF die Meistersinger'
at the Grand Opera-house bids
fair to rival the master in his more ia
miliar heroic mood. There was another
huge audience, and between its delight
and surprise-in the rollicking and jov-
ial humor of the opera and the beauty
of its Interpretation, it outdid itself in
the way of applause, succeeding in get
ting the very unusual concession-in Wag-
merriam opera-of an encore, for the stately
quintet at the second acts close.
die Meistersinger' is a cruel joke on
the critics, composed, seemingly, to prove
that Wagner was fully capable of writing
all the contrapuntal and other platitudes
that they had accused him Of being I'M
able to conceive. First one threadbare
phrase and then another. in the Handel
manner, according to Bach, Haydn
scrap, a bit of Corellrs quaint archalsm
make their appearance in the score with
simply irresistible effect. Then they are
punched together, for Herr Wagner was
not content with simply Initiating one
man at one time but Jumped then. in
lordly fashion into joyful contrapuntal
ecStacy that combines all their difficulties
at once. The music laughs and grimaces
at his critics from one end of the score
to the other, from tie Handelian ''Tabu-
lature,'
Each Master-Singer-created stave,
Its regular measurement must have,
BY sundry regulations stated.
That never must be violated,
to Beckmesser's conventional plagiarisms
scattered throughout the drama All this
with Wagner al his most melodious for
contrast The astounding climax of the
second act, a chorus with an absolute
naturalism of expression-it is a crowd
OF Journeymen in a casual fight, who don [
stand in rows and sing in rows about the
troubles particularly choice contrast
10 other choruses one is haplessly fami-
liar with. The quintet, the encored Quin-
tet, is another of Wagner's small jokes on
the conventionalists, and last night the
audience laughed with the orchestra quite
as much as at the hardly more tangible
JeStS of the singers.
The individual success of the evening
was Mr.. Bispham's Beckmesser, a superb
effort. 1t is not often the humorous side
of Mr.. Bispham gets a chance, but in the
Soured and grabbed master singer he has
an opportunity TO show what the mis-
chievous twinkle, in what is sometimes
WotanS on eye, means. 1t means for
Beckmesser reading of the part that
could not be bettered, with a beautiful
Inconsistencies of its humor. BeckmeS-
ser is the incarnation of all the critics
whom Wagner despised, the academic
genius to whom the new is necessarily
the worthless, who sees music only in the
set phrase and time-worn rhythms that
have served bygone centuries to weari-
ness.
particular pleasure to blast the heterodoX
genius in the bud. Mr.. Bispham paints
every phase of the character with brill
liant skill; the sour unbelief in the new
burgher, the vain, meddlesome, Snarling,
Quarrelsome character of the man. His
Interpretation has a Shakespearean flavor
about it in its rugged strength and hui
NOR, and he sang with every note in
stinct with the spirit of the role. His
makeup was another touch OF genius
and he looked like one of Franz Halls
burgOmaSterS.
De Reszke's Hans Sachs. the poet-shoe-
maker of Nuremburg, also was of the
glories of the performance. He sang
superbiy and his noble Characterization
of the part set 1t with the long gallery
of masterpieces that he has furnished for
our pleasure. His Mad" song was
beautifully gfven-again with a Shakes
pearean suggestion-and in his song with
Eva and Walter he displayed an unusual
tenderness and depth of feeling. DIPPED
was the Walter and to me he is not suf-
fciently heroic in the part. His voice is
fresh, young. strong, but there is not
enough of it, nor here, of the necessary
dramatic impetus. But he is always an
knight he was not lacking in his custom
airy charm. THE Prize Song failed to
rouse the audience as ii should have done
by reason of the effort of its singing.
Nine. Gadski is delicious Eva and was
in her usual sweet voice last night. She
showed tender coquetry and archness IN
the part that one does not commonly as
soeiate with her art and was altogether
charming as Pogner's daughter She was
bonn Dafded Win BOUQUETS from all sides
of the house. Schumann- Heink had too
little to do with that glorious voice of
hers, but did it handsomely and the rest
of the work was acceptably undertaken
by Mr. Blass as Pogner. Mr.. Muhlmann
as Kothner and Mr.. Reiss, who gave a
vocally pleasing rendering of David's part.
A pleasant feature of the affair was the
/ appearance Of six San Francisco girls
among the apprentices, pupils Of Mrs
Anna Won Meyerinck. who must be con-
/ graduated on their very successful work
1 The names of the clever young women
are:
Miss Helen Heath, Miss May Cullen Miss
/ Lulu Feldheim, Miss Maybelle Craig, Miss
/ Belle McCurrie. Miss Estelle Davidson, Mis-:
A. Fritchie, Miss Mohns and Mrs. G. Adams.
| The orchestra was at its best and Mr..
Damrosch was, as usual, hailed out to
/ bow acknowledgements.
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