New-York tribune., 1903-01-25

mature Siegfrieo remains in the memories OF OLD
timers as the most luminous and pathetic that has
yet been seen here.
There other things in the representation
which have come into local performances by way
of-Bayreuth which, ineonsequentia1 they may
be from the merely operatic point OF view (Which
prevails in spite OF all pious protestationsl are
yet worth noting. One of them is divertng. II for
no other than that 1t illustrates the triumph
OF Madame Wagners persistency in some of her
old fads. Wotan and Brtinnhide red cloaks
in Die Walktre." Long ago the prevailing color
IN the costumes of the immortals in the tragedy,
Loge, the fire god, excepted, was blue. Wagner
mentions Wotan's blue cloak in his stage directions
IN siegfried" The reason ought to be plaln
enough to the most ingenious Of symbolists
The gods were beings of light Naturally their
color-symbol should be the color OF the sky LIGHT
alben sind sie," says the wanderer to Mime III the
riddle contest Thereby hangs amusing tale
told by the artist who designed the costumes and
armor for the first performances at Bayreuth OF
Der Ring des Nibeiungen." This Professor
D6per, whose published "reminiscences of the go
ings on at Bayreuth twenty-seven years ago
brought out vast fund of amused comment Pro-
fessor Dopler strove illustrate the primitive
period back to which Wagner had moved the Nloe-
hung legend by reproducing relics of the stone and
bronze ages in the Northand in the dresses and
arms of Wagners characters 1t was not long after
the dress rehearsals had begun, said Professor
D0per, that he began to hear on all sides lot OF
talk about improper of blue in the Costumes
improper, said the wiseacres, because blue v as an
unknown color the period in which the tragedy
supposed to play. Does not Homer neglect to
mention blue the color of the sky? That may
have been the incentive to the ingenious archeo-
logical criticism. Blue said Professor Dopier S
dilettante critics would have been conslcereu
black But let Professor Dopler tell the story In
his way, though much will be lost in the trans
lation, along with the German idiom and the calect
of one OF the speakers:
One day received call at the theatre, Just be-
fore rehearsal from lady. Frau Kathy E. who
husband on the g Following sunday had
cepted the invitation she began to pay me the most
particularly my fgurines, and suddenly asked me
had heard a deal OF whispering abcut blue and
black and concluded at once that the 21esto la nd
the little hand Of the amiable and pretty lady and
good kathy don't get your little head in a fever
M worrying in o H End eggs oaS aS9 make us y get to
work But Frau Cosima was not yet satisfied
Soon after came Her Exoeency Frau Won 5 and
The venerable Countess Usedom. with attacks , upon
ed out the countess. You have painted the sheet
u costumes SO magnifeently.nut tell me. mao Dlue
been discovered at that perlod!
The original of the last remark is really too good
10 be lost. This the aged comtesses speech;
'Aber sagen sic. Professor, sic habben grossartig
die blatt der Kostum gemalt, aber sagen sic MR.
der bau damals schon epfunden" Dopler
kissed the old lady's hand without q WORD, ana
turned away Nine. Wagners anxiety to review
Professor Doplers work the rehearsals went on
She found fault with the shortness of the sword
which Siegmund pulls out Of the tree in Hundlng IS
hui which D0pler had constructed in exact copy
Of the longest Germanic sword found among the
archaeological relics. One day she drove up to
the theatre 1ust d rehearsal was about to begin
D6pler saw her coming. ran out and kissed her
hand. She turned to him and handed out d large
quarto. with the remark: You see, my dear pro-
fessor there is a longer sword than that sticking
in the tree" The book treatise on the col
lection OF antiquities preserved in Mayence. Doper
was nonpussed for the nonce at the Illustration
pointed out by Nine Wagner and asked the loan
oS the hook for an hour. AS soon as he looked at
IT in his room he discovered tEat the object pict-
ured was not Germanic sword at ALL but Me-
rovingian spada.
We have had long swords Of late. Even Wotan
has worn one. Siegfried has also miraculously
acquired metal scabbard the origin OF whlch
would seem to offer interesting subject for
discussion. So long ago that it is tresome to
think of it, the magic sword appeared i'm the inal
scene of ''Das Rheingold" as derelict OF the
Nibelung hoard, give obviousness 10 the
schwertmotif' in the concluding music of the
prologue. To the protest of The Tribune against
such a gross naturalization of beautiful poeti-
cal conceit Mr.. Seidl answered that 1t
was an afterthought of Wagners which
came to him at the rehearsals in 1916
Possibly 1t certainly demonstrates what
The Tribune had to say some time ago about
Wagner's attitude Of incredulity touching the
imaginative capacity of the public. Passing that
much debated question, however, and returning 10
fOO6 rernuiSceuce
said that since the device of Illuminating the hilt
of the sword by electricity in the first act of Die
Walkure" has been in use, the poetical design Oh
Wagner has been ignored In the old days the
crlImbling embers the hearth used to SEND up a
flicker of fame, whose light fell for moment on
the sword bilt and gave motive and significance to
Siegrnund's words. Now the lilt glows like a ruby
without cause and douses glim, just as the
evening star does in -'TannlIauser, both here and
in Bayreuth. Wasn't it one Of the counts In Wag-
of ne
without cause?
But stop must be put to this line Of discussion,
for the end is too remote. few, small fraction.
Of the other things mentioned in the current
record Of The Tribune the performances-the
diapidated hut OF Hunding ian Inheritance of the
present stage administration) the wall which
swung open hinges to admit the moonlight,
which seems to have been too massive to enter
hv the door etc The musical performance must
have some consideration. Mr. Hertz accomplished
notable things with the orchestra. In the direc-
ton of sorority forced to its drest extremity
and sometimes to the destruction Of eupheny.
There were times when brazen blasts invoked by
his vehement appeal upset the symmetry Of chords,
blurred the meiodic contours and drowned
the voices of the singers; but
rule his readings full of buoyant
life and frequently the wood-wind and strings
spoke in accents that were full OF ardor, but stlll
gentle tender, caressing. He has won a warm
Mace in the public heart, made himself as popular
a hero as any Of the singers. There were few new
features in the vocal parts. Mime. Schumann-
Heinl.'s tonal foods voluminous yet pregnant with
meaning in every word and phrase; Mr. van
Roov's distinguished by the same characteristics
Mr. Bisoham's vivid ar dramatic analysis OF
noetry music and action: Nine. Nordcas offerings
sensuousiy AMI intellectually filing, convincing ana
gratifying NJ Edouard de Reszke's orotund and
sinister utterances. Mr.. Reiss's extraordinarily
subtle and varied npersonation of the part of the
.t-sT1 I7HaJ