The sun., 1902-11-29
"LOBENGRIN" AT The OPERA.
GEORGE ANTAES MAKES HIS DE-
ByT AS THE KNIGHT.
Albert Hertz, the New German Conductor
Also Appears for the First Ttme-He
Makes . Favorable ImprcssiOn-Mr.
Bispham's Dey elopments In Telra uiund.

Makes . Favorable ImpressiOn-Mr.
Bispham's De, eiopments In Telra mund'
The first German performance Of the
season took place at the Metropolitan
Opera House last night The opera was
the succulent and ever-popular 'Lohen-
grin" OF course, there was a large audi
ence. "Lohengrin" is one Of the operas
which appeal TO the great mass OF careless
operagoers 1t is sufficiently sentimental
to please the most imaginative matinee
girl in the world. Think Of a helpless girl
accused of crime and pursued by relent-
less villain and an assistant rillainess.
Think of her having dream that won-
derful knight would come 10 defend her.
Think Of the dreams coming true and the
knights arriving Just In the nick of time.
Then he tells her that she must not ask
him his name. The villain and the assist
ant villainsss egg her on 20 do it. He tells
it, and then goes back into the no-man's
and whence he came. When the noble
lord rescues the shop girl from the polished
villain he always tells his name. marries
her and they settle down to prosaic domes-
ticity. "Lohengrin" is ever SO much moro
lovely than that.
Doubtless the average operagoer takes
some such view of -Lohengrin." Wagner
all his life deplored this public attitude.
He felt that his poetic meaning was missed.
Who thinks in the theatre sufficiently to
compass the significance of the elemental
man who cannot find perfect faith willing
10 accept him at he il? Who il intellectually
active enough to comprehend the wiiely
resistance of Elsd TO a secret knit into her
lovers personality? Who accepts the
poets view of Ortrud. the seXless. political
woman? How many see in Ttirdmund the
operate Macbeth. infrm OF purpose, tempted
by overweening ambition 10 his destruo-
ton, dominated by his more masculine wife?
No. to the mass "Lohengrin" il a SEN
,imenta love story. and tho mysticism Of
the ae ral music of the K night and its con-
trast to the rude. gross music of the evil
elements O. the drama are lost to them.
They hear the pretty melodies. the fluent
vocal solos. the prismatic orchestration.
That is enough For them singing and
acting of the kind suited 10 Gounod's Faust
are a delight The German attitude toward
the drama is incompreheLsihle. 1t is rot
wholly 'faultless, for Teutonic opposition
10 pure legato singing works havoc with
some parts of "Lohengrin.
II was the training which came from this
German view llldt ut'lEutNttl ITotu dU W
wise commendable impersonation OF Lohen-
grin George Anthes, lately tenor of the
Dresden opera made his first appearance
in this country last night in the title role OF
the opera. He made all agreeable impress
sion. though he was not acclaimed as an
artist of the first rank. He would hardly be
80 regarded in Germany where the standards
are not ours.
He has an excellent voice. clear, pure
tenor in quality. and sufficiently large
He enunciates well as all trained German
singers do. He declaims with vigor anc
dramatic meaning. His legato singing |.
short of breath and deficient in smoothness
Only few Germans know how to articulats
their consonants without breaking the now
Of the cantilena. As for his acting, Mr.
atmosphere about his Lohen0rin. II was
very matter-of-fact performance. II
must be said in justice TO him that he was
very nervous. He had been here long enough
to know what 1t meant to face New York
audience for the first time. N is likely that
Mr. Anthes will grow In popular favor IL
other words, when we have discounted hi
shortcomings we shall like him fairly well
The other members OF the cast were al
old friends They were Nine. Gadsk
as Flea, Nine Schumann-H -Heink as Ortrud
David Bispham ~ Teirdmund, Mr.. Muhl
mann as the Herald and Edouard de Res2k'
as King Henyy MIR Birpham is a cease
loss worker He has developed his Tel
T1mUNU III dcllOH anu EeSluft W ilRi
degree. He has carefully fitted his move
nlens TO the music with good effect. Hi
Teirdmund is an interesting study, though
u has moments of exaggeratlon. Mine
t,adski sang Elsa with intelligence. Th
others repeated familiar appropriations.
Albert Hertz. the new German con
,iuc,or. made his debut. He will in al
probability prov" Ia b. very serviceabl
man He was in state of nervous anNiet
last night and his motions in conducting
were so violent a. TO be somewhat annoy
ing and to distract attention from the stage
Ho will probably improve in this respec,
His reading Of the score was excellent
tNdar his guidance the orchestra gave
vcll-baanced and finely graded perform
aucc Of the prelude.
An through the opera the ba,anc" betwee
iu-t runant- aud voices was well preserved
whit, tho details Of light and shade, o.
pccial,r in the bras-cs. wern CAREFUL
ror:ni out. His treatment oG crcscenC
aud diminuendi was admirable. IN shor
Mr.. Hertz conducted "Lohcrgrin" in
marnnr calling for hearty praise.
The chorus sang better than usual ls
night II vas, Of course, Not alwavs tr,
to the pitch. hut il was vigorous. RI
stage management of Johannes Elmhla
was generally satisfactory. This afte
noon LA Travata" viii he sung and IN