The sun., 1902-04-22
AN OPERATE FAREWELL.
The Maurice Grsu Company Sings for the
Last Time This season.

That lyric aviary known and beloved as
the Maurice Grau Opera Company was all
a-hutter last night In the Metropolitan
Opera House. For the final time this season
did the unfeathered birds Of song-as they
call them in parts provincial-lift up their
trained throats and warble-and all for
love Of their manager. The programme
was distractingly various, almost the entire
strength OF the company being put forth
to honor Mr., Grau. Acts from Carmen"
the -Liebestod" from Tristan und Isolde
la File du Regiment" -Otelo," "L'Afri-
caine' and Faust" were given. with Calve,
Ternina, Sembrich, Eames. Breval and
again Eames as leading ladies'"
II may be noticed that the French singer
led the vocal cotillon that the Polish dird
had the place Of honor, that an American,
a real Yankee born In Hong Kong, closed
the evening. Thus did managerial tact
reconcile clashing personal pride and hi igh-
minded patriotism. Van Dyck being i'll
and Bandrowsh and Dippel not available
one had a cold. the other had eaten his
dinner-"Die Wall<ure" was omitted.
The ideal operate impresario must needs
have the soul Of a plumber, the head of
Cecil Rhodes and the heart of a Nero TO
quotidan existence. Idealism does not
count heavily In this career To wear
alternate masks OF wax and bronze, TO
turn a withering profile upon supplicating
fair ones; 10 be diplomatic, brutal, tender
and evasive are few of the qualities de-
manded In a profession before the pros
poets Of which Napoleon would have quailed,
And lest he forget that he is only mortal
there Is the prima donna's S husband TO mirror
the fact for him daily, hourly.
Hardy as the @Numean lion" the bravest
managerwould rather face the clear obscure
Of an empty auditorium than incline the
ear of graciousness to the prima donna
in boots. On this rock friendships shiver
and stark intellectually becomes what
Ahne Gorren 80 aptly terms "a mere bundle
Of irresponsible vibrations" That Mr..
Grau is alive and able to read the box
Office tally tells the tale Of marvellous
endurance.
And he was very much alive last night.
II was his one night Of revenge, his night
Of freedom, when, from a mere manager
at the beck Of his singers, he was their
master and cracked the conoueror's whip
As the slaves OF the classic world enjoyed
their Saturnalia, why should not both
manager and critic win like privilege
at the climax of a successful musical seasonl
To see the petted singers going through
| their PAGES for the last time always evokes
| Joy In the breast of the hardened reporter
| of music Let the time be one for the
| casting aside Of all conventional phrasing,
| of the praise that kills, and prejudices
that hinder. In a word. why should not
| the reviewer of these melodious mines
| cast criticism to the dogs and endeavor to
| rlir of ha
who turks at the wells bottom?
| But how disturbing such revelations,
| how disillusionizing 10 those artists upon
whom has been scattered critical largess
during the seasonl To stab with inky
venom the delicate sensibilties Of The dear
souls who have soothed us for months
would be rank ingratitude. Why say to
| Calve that her Carmen is growing stereo-
typed Why hint TO frisky FRITZ Scheff
that she is bett erlooking than her singing
and her acting is more creditable than
urge upon Van Dyck to study the
little niceties Of voice-production;
to suggest 10 Bispham that patterning &
after Richard Mansfieldl he is giving US
too much Bispham in his various parts
| to wonder why Ternina does not mend
hcr top tones: why Sembrioh sang in
"Manru;' why Eames Is always called
| beautiful even when she sings well; why
Homer thinks that she is the vocal Iliad
why Breval attempts Wagner; why Alvarez
| does not have his ribrdto extracted; why
Scott persists In looking like one Of the
Sire brothers in all his roles; why Edouard
| de Reszke Is 40 loose in the joints of his
| lungs; why Gadski-but then she did not
appear last night and the absent, 30 de-
clares Gallo proverb, are always III the
wrongi
The list might be lengthened-yet how
unkind il might seem TO these anna ble
women and men who earn their money
so hard, that money the public earns sc
easily. Suffice TO say as a matter Of his
Schef, Salignac, Declery and Bars ap'
peared, with Flon conducting TerninG
sang nobly the "Liebestod in place Of Siep
iunde in die Walk1re, with Walter Dam
rosch conducting, In Act II. Of la File
Sa cav. farewell SsOTSs coSa 'hg peeTl Has,
I'll Psrla'- Van csgieren. saiis
nae, Gilbert, Dufnche. Viviani-particl
pated, the ubiquitous Flon conducting
IN -Otello, Act ", Eames, lovely Of voice
Homer. Alvarez-the dark horse Of thi
seasons tenors Bars, Journet. Dufriche
scotti, with Seppilli at the helm, in IN
last scene Of L'Afrcaine.' Lucienn,
Brtval. an effective Sehkd she gave th'
so-called Mancineli air-Elon's name should
not be omitted here. He conducted anC
for midnight memory Act V. from Faust
with that famous trio, Eames, Alvarez and
the giantlike Edouard de Reszke Seppill
conducted
To review the Performance critical,
would be- counting insanity, 60 chcht an
the inpersonations, 80 maddenlngly monoi
onous the music let IL be- said that thes,
fayOTites came, saw and sang IL haz beel
a brief but a tuInultu1usly busy Oporatl
saas1n May we hope that Mr. Grau vii
spread hls butter thinner over wide
slice Of musical bread ne1t winter' New
York can contemplate with equauamit!
the spectacle Il other and murr Nes'cri
cities starving for opera, while within
her yates We ieast There was an audi"no
huge In si,s representing about tliD
enthusiastic Ia tsmp"r. The orchestra
players stood the strain like veterans, au
ih. curtain calls we're too numerous 4
print And thus ends happy oI-Tall
wear. aud like most happy yrars, Withou
"a history
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