New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-03-07
MUSIC.
z xrREL1rNG TRAGEDY ENDED.


re stage machinery creaked a great deal yester-
= .fternoon at the performance Of the last act
o. geological tragedy Of THE Ring of the
mpIv,,,, vet there moments when the
-,,sIling force of the singers players and con-
s..o- Dushed all thought Of external shortcom-
-, out Of mind An intense earnestness inspired
T the singing actors; Mr.. Damrosch felt the glow
,l.h eoes out from this tragedy like the glory Of
=. new era Of love which follows the downfall
s+be old regime Of heat and power symbolized in
- finale Of the tragedy, and his musicians were
a,s.tiye responsive and joyously obedient Few
,tbe many performances which the work has re-
LED in New-York since II was given TO US in the
German regime have been more emotionally K
sitng.
,a5 70 present the entire tragedy in proper
,b-sfognony and perspective there would be much
o. condemn IN the representation. When the Wag-
~, cult was its youth IN New-York the cry Of
esrilege would have been raised had there been
q dange in the representatives of the persona ges
in the course 81 A cycle; and had II been said
tbst the same singer might be a Rhine NIKE and
Fria IN the prologue. Fricka and a VaIkyria IN
Tie WaIkdre" Erda again in "Segfried" and
simultaneously denizen OF the Rhine and Wal
bsla IN ''Gotterdzmmerung'' the indignation 81
N, public would have been overwhelming: yet this
rreoosterous and disturbing achievement was &C.
eonplished by Nine. Schumann- Heink and the de-
votees Of the decadent Bayreuth of to-day are
estopped from fautfnding by the fact that this
emil
uer wont to thunder at is also nova
DAY st the Wagnerian Mecca where it has the
sanction OF the high priestess of the cult herself
So too, we had two Siegfrieds. two Alberichs
(urnvoidahly) and other land and sea changes
which II would be idle reCapitulate Such things
sre Of course. just reprehensible in NewYork
rs IN Bayreuth, but circumstances make them
somewhat Jess blameworthy here. for New-York
DOES not profess 10 proclaim and illustrate the sole
WAY ~ Wagnerian salvation. The obvious lesson
~ ~ all
N5elung dramas should be incorporated in the
regular subscription repertory and the pretence OF
q special cyclical representation abandoned Then
n might enjoy Nine Schumann-Heinks protean
transformations without heartburninEs
Yesterday Nine. Schumann-Herk again wrought
mon the feelings Of her audience till they reached
ne extreme Of pleasureable poignancy IN Val
t-aute's recital Of the sorrowful resignation OF
~otan. but she had companion on the same
hf+y emotional plane IN Nine. Ternina. Hers was
superb impersonation OF Brinnhilde as eloquent
n gesture as II was convincing in song and decla-
nation: pathetic with the pathos OF a woman
who was more than demigoddess suffering the
rbas+isenent Of parental duty: tender with the
tenderness Of absolute wifey love; fierce with the
fierce fury of a woman scorned; noble always
Mr. Won Bandrowski presented n dramatically
picturesque and well conceived figure of the heroic
type as Siegfried. All that stilted in his i'm
personation lay in his singing, his use of voice
which has little charm in the manner which has
become conventional on the German stage But he
was Interesting instructive and sympathetic in
pose and gesture. Nine Reuss-Belce's Gutrune
vas q companion piece. OF such the singers Of
Bsyreuth. Mr.. Edouard de Reszke has worked out
the most distinctive character in his list IN Hagen
gloomy, hard. unyielding Of purpose. the incarna-
ton in speech, action and appearance Of a wicked
will Mr. Mdhlmann's Gunther a superficial
conception. and there variety OF mood IN
his utterance. but his defamation frequently
worthy of praise The Rhine daughters, Miss
Schef. Miss Brideweu and Mime. Schumann- Heink.
were ingratngly harmonious and tuneful.