The Indianapolis journal., 1903-12-27
High-Class Music in New York
in
siono f Parsifa

amid the quieting influences of nature, and
when sounds the trumpet's dire alarm, no
matter what the nature of the contest that
calls him into the lists, he hurries TO the
full consciousness of himself and the COM
plete possession OF his power In the dln OF
battle"
Thus those intimate brothers in life
and art walled together against the world
while enjoying ii to the full. They mourned
over their pleasures and shook their heads
at their happiness. No others in the history
of music reveled in such an extravaganza,
so rich a profusion of tone colors. and their
gifts of luxurious orchestration and les
sons in that art are their most valuable
bequests, yet Liszt became an abbe. and
Wagner wrote 'Parsifal.' both declaring
the coolest asceticism. The subject is hard
ly serious. and il may be ended by a note
that in the two compositions just per-
formed, and ii was evident that LISTS tai
ent was the more melodiouS and the
brighter-he could not prevent his being
born a Slav.
Mr.. Kogel, of Frankfort was again the
conductor, and he hastened, always regu-
larly. the orchestra through the parts of
the Brahms first symphony that are by ma
ture beautifully deliberate The grandeur
of the triumphant finale robbed of
much of its majesty. Mr.. KOgel shOne in
the Liszt and Wagner numbers. which he
directed with the greatest enthusiasm, urg
ing the ponderous Philharmonic machinery
TO vigorous excitement until the, atmos-
played with the orchestra suite by Bruno
Oscar Klein, whose home used to be in
Cincinnati Mr. Schulz is one of New
could not make the suite more than inter-
esting.
Description in these letters of Mr.. Con-
ried's massive and gorgeous production of
'Parsifal." shown on Thursday evening
at the opera house. must be postponed a
week. OF the spirit of Wagner's music
drama a great deal has been written; few
of the periodicals are without "Parsifal'
article by some critic. For the most part
the tone of these exposition3 is heated, for
or against. Passing the mass of undiscrimi-
mating laudation. there are a few comments
that add a greatly needed touch of humor
TO the matter Mr.. Benjamin de Casseres
wrote the following letter to the Sum- with
the caption. ''Is 1t. After All, a Comedy?"
"Netzsche-a Copernicus in psychology,
Dowie in constructive philosophy-asks in
The GenealOgy of Morals. apropos of Par
sifal,' whether that muSic-drama is not the
secret laugh OF Wagner: whether IN
L
quote the great German soul-rummager:
" Every artist only reaches the last sum-
NIT of his greatness when he learns to see
himself and his art below him, when ne
knows how to laugh at himself. Is Wag-
ners 'Parsifal his secret laugh of su-
periority at himself?
''Tne healthy sensuality' that Wagner
embraced in his younger days-did he un-
| learn all that? Or did he intend 'Parsifal
as a sly. satiric dig? Did he really forsake
Aristippus. with vine leaves in his hair
nall oil fEf
pis? AS Shakspeare's greatest comedy is
Hamlet. as Ibsen's smile is emblamed in
The Wild Duck. and as George Bernard
Shaw is most tragic in his wittiest comedy
| Candida. may IL not be, as Nietzsche inti-
mates, that 'Parsifal is. after all, really a
smile from the heights?"
That is piquant enough. though 1t hasn't
any truth in it; Wagner was never light
minded. even in his comic relief" Mr.
James Huneker takes "Parsifal' seriously,
and in an article in the January Metropol-
| itan he says:
THE duo of Parsifal and Kundry is
musicaliy effective. for there the eye and
| ear can grasp the situation-at least a dra-
matte one-despite the morbid imagination
OF the poet, who could in his search for
| vOpultuous depravity, mingle a mothers
/ kiss with a courtesans Here in Paris is
surpassed In the piquant and decadent. By
| the magic OF his mothers name. Kundry
| evokes maudlin filial passion, and with
/ his mothers name his lips she kisses
| the youth into the first consciousness of
| his virility-Or a semblance of IL, for at no
/ time is Parsifal a healthy, full-blooded
| young man. His act of remuneration denies
/ life. His purity Is fruitess. The early
fathers, jealous monks and anchorites of
| the Christian Church did not hold women
/ lower than does Wagner in 'Parsifal'
His days We're drawing TO a close
and. in the of Tolstoi, life no
| longer seemed desirable. Love, he preached
| is the primal curse. So when Iud-
wig (King OF Bavaria) came TO Wagner's
rescue he embodied the whole happening in
| this dark parable-Parsifal is Ludwig. as