The sun., 1902-02-09
is THE OPERA HOUSE TOO Big?
WAITER DAMROSCH on THE
MUSICAL SITUATION HERE.
His Theory OF the Public's Lack Of Interest
In operate Novelties and ITS Demand
for Stars He " You'd Make the Metro
poiitan Smaller Experience Elsewhere

1
The most perplexing question for the
operatic impresario in this city Is concerned
with the repertoire to be offered 10 the
New York public. The stubbornness OF
the people in refusing TO accept any new
operas and thus enable the powers to ex-
tend the list Of popular works lie a stumbling
block that will have more serious results
in the future than it has to day.
For the present operatio way cannot
last forever. Jean de Reszke is not going
to DO able to sing Romeo and Lohengrin
forever. There must In the course OF
time bo other Cdrmens than Nine. Calve,
and Nine. Sembr ich will not always be
here to keep alive the Mozart and Rossini
repertoire. Nor win audiences at the
Met ropolitan Opera House be able forever
| to enjoy the Eisd Of Nine. Eames or the
Eiisabeth and Isolde Of Nine. Ternina.
80 closely identified in the affections OF
New Workers. are the opera and the
popular interpreter that It is difficult to
! separate them, and decide what really is
the popular opera OF the local public. Per-
haps the most accurate conclus ion is that
a very limited number of operas are popular
on cond ion that they be sung by certain
noted singers.
| The number Of stars necessary depends
on the innate hold of the work on the au-
diences. 'Lohengrin.' for instance, will
draw a large audience with two of the fore
most singers.
| The same is true Of Romeo ct Juliette,'
and in a still greater degree Of Faust"
Carmen. II a French soprano from the Midi
has the title role, needs but one star.
Aida needs two stars, and then II is
not certain that the public response will be
large. LES Huguenots" needs all the stars
that can possibly be crowded into 1t, aud
even with that kind of treatment, the opera
| finds the public cold to-day.
| Thus II will be seen that the nun ber Of
operas which the public goes to hear for
their own sake is small. The combinat ions
| Of stars In the part cular works must be
| manipulated adroitly and the peoples
| liking for certain operas, such as Faust,
| 1Lohengrin' and Tristan und Isolde must
| not be forced by giving them too frequently.
All of them have variable degree of favor,
| dependent in all cases on the popularity
| of the singers that take part In them.
| Outside of this small set Of operate works
| that may In themselves be said TO draw the
! public. there il no interest or tolerance for
| anything else. Maurice Grau il not man
ager Of any illusions on the matter Of public
| taste. He knows by this time what the pub
| lie wants, and long ago came 20 the conclu-
| sion that he will not be the person to try to
make il take anything that II does not like.
| He continues to produce at the MetTopol-
| itan every season certain number of
| novelties, not because he expects the public
| 10 come to hear them or because he has any
| idea that there is al widespread desire TO
| hear them. He continues the work of intro
\ ducing these new compositions here be-
| cause he feels hat il is due to his rank as
! an impresario and because these novelties
| reveal his singers favorably In new roles.
For one of these operas he had some hope
| last year The public Of this city knows
the play Of Sardou called La Tosca :, for it
| has been acted here repeatedly In French
| and English and only a few weeks before the
| Puccini opera based on the same work was
| given Sarah Bernhardt had made revival
OF the play the most successful experiment |
Of her French season with Coquelin at the |
Garden.
So Mr. Grau dared to hope possibly for the |
first time in his career as an impreeario, that
a rev work might really interest the public. |
Nine Ternina, one OF the most popular sing |
ers in the opera. was to have the title role, |
the music had been highly praised In Europe, |
where the work was the sensation of the |
operate year and the public was familiar |
with the action OF the opera and its story. |
These circumstances led the manager |
Of the Metropolitan to hope that the patrons |
Of that temple of art might for once take |
some interest in novelty In that same |
season La Boheme' had been a complete |
iallUre so lar rs lTt pubic was COilCtTHtu,
but that was based on an unk known text.
IL might be expected TO take its chances,
therefore with the rest Of the novelties.
So Mr. Grau allowed himself to hope that |
'Tosca' might prove an exception and |
awaken some interest in the Indifferent |
New Workers But the opera fell just as |
fiat as its long array of unappreciated pred |
ecessors and the public remained valiantly |
away to await the appearance Of "Lohen- |
grin" and it's stars or some other equally |
familiar work.
Mr. Grau has never since that time dared |
to hope that any other opera might sue
ceed The peculiar circumstances that
existed in the case of -Tosca' temporarily |
His knowledge Of thr public taste was |
fortified by the expel .ence. and although |
he continues TO give novel ties at the Metro |
politan. it Is not with tho slightest mis- |
givings as to what their fate will be. Some |
times as in the case Of .Tosca" and -ManrI,'
he gives the best and sometimes for the |
sake Of variety, as in "Messaline, he gives |
the worst. But in every case he affords |
the public an opportunity TO hear the recent |
operate novelties of Europe. although it |
does not seem 10 care about them.
This exclusiveness is not Of course an !
indication OF a great deal of taste for music. |
nor does il mako the impresario's task !
easy II the public could be brought to |
hear the other works In the repertoire with |
as much appreciation as II does the few !
favorites so long as they are performed by |
certain singers, IL would DE TnuCi easier |
to arrange a seasons repertoire.
Mr.. Grau is just now wondering how in the |
world he is going To map out a repertoire |
for seventeen weeks next season, which |
will probably be the length of the New |
York season of opera next winter, With |
the public indifference to all but few |
works such an enterprise Is difficult.
Walter Damrosch IL one Of the persons |
who think that there exists a good reason |
for the apathy of the public in regard To
new works and for its taste for only few |
operas lie has been in the business of !
opera ever since his career "a IA musician |
began and he has had opportunities 10 study !
the system in this city a. IL exists to-day |
and as II was in the German regime at the
Metropolitan, when his father and later
Anton Seidl were the conductors. SO Mr.. |
Damrosch's theories on the operate stua-
tion are interesting.
My theory Of the operate situation
as IL exists in New York and therefore at
the Metropolitan to-day Mr.. Damrosch |
said, is that the theatre is entirely too
large And 1 have been cndeavoring To
persuade Mr. Grau that Il would be Of great
-. ..tg.. s,l.y ~