The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-03-21


sario in this country, and in spite OF
the fact that he has given us the best
opera we have ever known in this coun-
try. The following paragraphs from q
New York paper, telling something or
Mr. Graus work in grand opera pro
ductiOn will be of general interest at
this tiTaes
He and Mr.. Abbey went after Col.
Mapleson and his stars without delay.
They bid first for Patti who was in
cIined to favor Napleson, but still want.
ed the best she could get and as a re-
suit Of this competition Patti was re-
tanned by Colonel MaplesOn only by the
payment Of 81, 900 a performance. Later
on Abbey and Grau did lure Patti away
from Mapleson, but they had to pay $4,-
800 a performance in order to get her
The opera season of 1SS3-'S4 was tina
first in which the rival companies were
pltted against each other Mapleson' =
stars were Patti and Etelka Gerster.
and Abbey and Grau had a strong COM
pany including Christine Nilsson and
Madame Sembrich. This first plunge
pertinent for Abbey, SchOeffel & GraU.
They lost $250000 and threw up grand
opera the next season, going back to
the management of actresses like Mary
Anderson and Sarah Bernhard in an
effort to pay the tremendous debt their
one season Of opera had piled up for
them. The wealthy men who had built
the metropolitan opera house didn't feet
with grand opera, but they had the
opera house on their hands and they
finally acceded to a proposition MAIDS
by Dr. Leopold Damrosch, father OF
Walter and Frank Damrosch. that they
give German opera exclusively there
Under his MANAGEMENT. German artists
We're not as expensive as the French
and Italians, and DR. DamrOsch be-
heved 1t could be done without loss.
There were seven years of German op-
era at the Metropolitan after this When
Dr. DamrOsch died Z. c. Stanton be
came manager and he brought Anton
seidl over as conductor. German opera
continued at the METROPOLITAN until 1891
Meanwhile. MI Grau and his part
ners had been dabbling in music again
although they hadn't tackled opera on
large scale They Outbid MapleSOn for
PATHS services and took the prina
donna on a concert tour of the country,
making considerable money, despite the
fact that they paid her 81 500 a night
Later they began making fragments
from the operas part of their concerts,
with Patti as the star and these per-
formanceS were given with great sue
cess in a number of cities The result
of It was that for the winter of 1856
1885 they organized an opera company
with Patti as the star, and after a brief
road tour gave a short season of opera
at the Metropolitan, following the reg
ular season of German opera. The en-
terprlse was successful until Patti tried
to sing Carmen and made dismal fail
ure of it. Abbey. SchOeffel & Crau made
no further ventures in opera until 1890
when they brought Patti and francesca
Tamagno over and gave a season OF
opera at the Metropolitan, following the
regular German season. The plan was
for the stars to appear alternately The
Patti nights were very successful but
Tamagno's nights were losers.
After the season of German opera in
1891. a very poor season it was, tho
Metropolitan stockholders made up their
minds they had had enough German
opera, and that they would have French
and Italian opera, no matter what ii
cost. Once more Abbey, Schoeffel &
Grau were invited to take up the man
agement and, despite the disaster
that had attended their first experience
in 1888, they accepted it. That season
marked the first appearance here of the
De Reszkes. Emma Eames and Plancon
It was the finest production of opera
that had ever been attempted here and
was more successful than any previous
experiment. From that time until 1885,
the Abbey. Schoeffel & Grau company
managed the Metropolitan. After the