The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-23
NETWORKS new POLTHTENOR
NJ. DE BANDROWsKI TELLS HOW
HE CAME TO SING MANRU.
he IL . waEnerian Pioneer In Poland and
Is Transiating the Trilogy- Accident
That Ended His Career ~ Frankfort
Music In Poland - Views OF New York.

brought here by his friend Ignace Pader-
ewski to sing the title role Of -Manru,' Is
known in his native Poland as the great
pioneer there for the works Of Richard
Wagner. He was at work at his desk in
the Hotel Manhattan the other afternoon
when a U reporter called to SEQ him
On one side Of hin was a score OF Die
Walk1re,' with the German text, while on
the other was a book In which he was writing
In some most unfamiliar script.
Il Am just putting the finishing touches
10 the first act Of Die Walk1re' in Polish. :
he said. in order 10 have 1t ready for pro-
duction next October. The first Of the
operas OF the trlogy VIII then be sung in
Polish. l have already translated 'Lohen-
grin and 'Tannhauser' and they are sung
regularly In the repertoire Of the opera
house at Warsaw.
But the Wagner operas are not making
rapid progress in Poland. They are I'M
known there but for the two works that |
have mentioned. Jean de Reszke took a
company TO Russia some years ago to sing
the Ring. but in Poland only 'Lohengrin'
and '~TannhAuser' are known.
1T is not IN easy matter to get permission
to sing a new work In Polish. 'Halka' and
some Of the older works are always sung
In that tongue. but with the later operas
the story Ia different. II was even hard
to arrange for the performance Of 'Manru'
there In the language 1t was written in.
although that was finally done. and the
work will be sung In May.
Il am looked upon in Poland as the great
pioneer Of the works Of Wagner and | in
tend to translate at least the entire trilogy
I.4z D1Iiah yhathar \ ahau ainn in n
there or not Il another question.
Il think that by the time the performance
Of Die Walkure' comes in Warsaw l shall
need nothing so much as rest. l have been
singing Manru ever sinoe last summer.
when I began il in Lemberg and afterward
sung the role in Cracow.
.Then | sang all winter in st. Petersburg
and Warsaw and finished in the latter city
| only to come directly TO New York. Here ]
shall sing Mdnru seven times more.i In add
| ton to Lohenorfn and possibly Siegfred; so
| have begun TO feel the need Of rest.
Zone thing important about Manru' Ia
| absolute fidelity to the costumes. One
gets the impression from the costumes
at the Metropolitan that the characters are
Hungarian, rather than Polish; but that
happened because Of a singular accident
that kept the costume models from reach
ing this city.
M. Paderewsk had a Polish artist de-
sign the costumes for all the chorus and
the principals and these were sent by ex-
press to New York. AS they were being
put on the steamer at Bremen they we're
allowed TO fall overheard and we're lost.
The only one tha, reached here was that
sent to Nine. Sembrich, and her dresses arc
typical Of the Galician peasant. But all
Of the others went into the water.
at was, Of course, too late TO have new
designs made and the only thing to he
lone was to send to Dresden for the cos
tune plates used there. But the result
was that the gypsies and the villagers
al look like Hungarians and not like Poles
NJ. de Bandrowsh Is no longer a MEM
Der Of the opera company at Frankfort,
where he has sung for twelve years, or the
greater part Of his operatic career. He
made his first appearance in Berlin after
he had finished his studies in Italy, where
he studied under San Giovanni ut Milan.
lie sang in the larger Polish cities for "a
while and then settled down 70 his long
stay In Frankfort.
There he remained until last spring, whom
his connection with the company ended
~curiously. He had been Ill during the pre-
ceding winter and had for that reason been
excused from creating any new roles. con-
fining himself altogether to the familiar
parts OF his repertoire. In the early spring
he went away on a vacation TO recover his
health. Naturally, he returned 10 his native
Poland.
One Of his near relatives IL the manager
Of the opera house at Lenberg, and whilo
he was there on a visit this im~presario do
cided to give -Manru.' 1t had already
been sung at Dresden.
NJ. dc bandrowski was asked by this rel
alive to do him the g eat favor Of creating
the principal part ia the new opera. The
tenor was on a vacation and thought that
rs his time was his own he might as well
avail himself Of the opportunity and sing
a part that appealed to him strongly. 30
he did.
No sooner had this news reached Frank
fort where he had been too III to sing In new
operas, than the storm broke. The end Of
fl was that NJ. de Bandrowski left the Frank
fort Opera House never to return as Il MEM
Der Of the company, although he may sing
there "a a guest. That means that he may
be engaged for separate performances.
1Bu twelve years is long enough 70 sing
In any theatre no said the Il 'er day 4
| should never have remained thcre had not
INV contract been 30 unusually favorable.
Il had every advantage that a singer
| could AK. There wil never again be such
al agreeable position IN the company iJr
my SUCCESSOR, as With my d pa tune the
| duties were quite changed aGd the priv
leges that l enjoyed will not be possible
mi. de Bandrowsh does not in tho least
resemble an opera singer. And he looks
least OF all llko a tenor. ne ihlBnl We u
LAWYER or a IN OF letters. The gray sack
coat that he wore the other day hung
loosely on him and he IL quite free from any
| suspicion Of dandyisrn or Alteration in hls
| attire,
Most OF u Polish singers he said,
ARE Poles by birth. ~ no one else Is likely
to learn the language. There are some
Russians. OF course. aud they are employed
In the chorus, as a rule.
The Polish singers usually 60 TO Parls
| or Berlin TO study, although some are sat
isfed with the Conservatory in st. Petere-
burg. There are, OF course, not n great
MANY cities In which they may sing, but
thcre are enough to keep them employed
and 10 make a career.
Most Of the Polish cities OF any size
have opera houses, and then 81 they sing
In other tongucs-and most or them DO -
there arc engagements 10 10 had IN inc
| Russian and German cities. .
"Just before / left Warsaw, where l
sang in Polish in Faust. Lohengrin' and
'Tannhauser,' l also gave a performance
of Die Nalk0re'-that IL, OF the nlst two
| acts-in concert form. The work pleased
immensely and IL seems certain that the
| opera will be a success when l have nnished
the translation, and we may give II next
autumn
1T Is strange That we Polish, musicians
ANH.E