The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-23
"pARSIFAL" IN A FINE SETTING
,ru YORKS PRODU CTTON TO BE
HETTER THAN iYREETHS.
"Details Of Herr COnrlcd's Plans--ImRrONed
scenery and Costumes are Promised
NottI Way GOn,inct--New Settings for
Other operas as Weli--.The Repertoire.

Ntbcr Ispcras rs Well The Repertoire.
The most interesting assurance OF the
rroducton of "Parsifal" that Heinrich
Copried has brought from Europe is a
score of the work that has been used in
The successive performances by the con-
dpctors at Fayreuth from Herman Levi
down to Felix Mottl who gave it to Mr.
Conred. On this score are marked in the
handwriting of Richard Wagner, Levi.
Hans Kncse aud Herr Motif the changes
Of tempo the cuts and every detail of the
perIornlnce of the opera 1t will be used
Al the rrhratsals here which will be 5, pr
intended in their entirety by Herr Mottl.
The latter has not yet decided whether
he will conduct the performances, although
there seems now little doubt that he will.
Motifs position in regard to the pro-
dction vi "Parsial" here is different
from that of any of the singers whom
Nine Wagner has tried to persuade To
have nothing to do with the performance.
NM. Bulgslaler and Van Rooy and Nine.
Ternna have never been associated at
Rayreuth with any but the festival per-
formances organized there after the death
Of the Master lis he is called there. They
cane in contact with Frau Cosima only.
Felix Motif, on the other hand had his
training under the conn oser and men like
Richter and Levi, who we're associated
with Wagner at the beginning Of the
theatre at Bavreuth. SO it may be under
stool that he * dsnclined 10 participate
IN performance given agail o. the
composers wishes and the protests Of his
family.
TO any but operate minds, however,
there will seem to be- little difference be
tween conducting the performance out
right and aiding the plan Of the production
In every way, preparing every detail up
70 the last rehearsal, and then declining
to conduct the public performance. II
Is thought by most of Herr Motifs friends
that Frau Walnnr. when she sees that
ne per nance is inevitable, will ask Herr
Motif to conduct it.
The Success of "Parsifal" WILL as Mr..
Conried admits, have to be sensational
70 make the experiment pay. or even
10 avoid loss. The opera ia to be given
outside OF the subscription and its audi
ences will be gathered from the outside
public and not the regular oPeragoers.
The prices are to be doubled.
The performance will begin at 5. Al
there will he an interval until ofor dinner
At 10 there is another intermisson, and
the opera will end at H. Then the pei
formances are to he given on Thursdays,
not an opera night. That will tend 10
make the public that goes to hear "Parsi-
fal" still more special In its character
"If Parsifal is the success that am sure
II will be-" Mr.. Conried said yesterdayto n
SUN reporter, II am certain that within
three years it will begin to pay for itself.
IL cannot estimate the expense Part
of the OUTLAY goes toward the building Of
the stage and that cannot, of COURSE. be
made part of the cost of 'Parsiial' But it
v III cost well toward 500 900.
II shall never produce the opera outside
If New York Only one stage on tside the
Metropolitan would be possible. That is
al the Auditorium in Chicago.
Il do not expect to give it even there.
Possibly, in after wears. vcs--but certainly
not for the present.
The costumes 10 he used for the opera at
tho Metropolitan do not follow at all the
Rlyrruh models, and Mr.. tonried has
shown great wisdom in discarding the latter.
The Bavreuth production OF "Parsifal"
today ia i,Ist HI it wa, in 1882. when it was
first given Some Of the costumes that are
supposed - he most beautiful are gro
t"a Iuev tastel"ss.
The most notable case Of Gg,iness among
TIE costumes If to- he noticed in the flower
Cir dresses They are comic and not lovely,
a. hey are supposed to be. But year after
wear they are shown at Bayreuth and the
audiences tolerate them.
In the last twenty years the ART of cos
tanning on the stage has greatly advanced;
hut that has not been Needed by Frau
Wagner, who allows the inartistic dressing
of Parsifal" n continue. One reason for
that is, of course, economy as the same
dresses are used for many years and there
are persons who say that the dire sSes used
to-day in this sacred opera of Nagner's
include some worn at the first performance.
That may or may not lie true but it is
fact that they are excessively German,
clumsy and tasteless now in pattern and
color.
Mr.. Conried got his designs from Prof.
X. Loeffier Of Vienna, famous designer
The flower madens are to he dressed in the
colors Of blossoms they represent. The
girls representing the iris. rose, daffodil
and other flowers wear long flowing gowns
Of colored lace and chiffon that float beauti-
fully in the air Their long sleeves fall
almost to the ground. About these gowns
there ia piquant suggestion OF art noure1u
that gives them distinction,
And the women who are to wear these
dresses are an attractive enough lot to make
the dresses more attractive than ever.
They are Camille Seygard, Marcia Van
Dresser Fanchon Thompson, Josephine
Jacoby, Lillian Heidelbach and Josephine
Schafer such A conlely group is rarely
met with in the exalted circles of grand
opera, where experience is supposed to
count for much more than pulchritude.
The other costumes for the principals
are great artistic improvement over the
Bayreuth models and in point of color
Tho stuffs are, in addition, much more
costly
The scenery used here ia TO be painted
with the ideas Of the twentieth and not he
nineteenth century in mind, and will GER
ianly be a delight TO those persons who
nave suffered under the highly-colorcd
views shown in Bayreuth. The garden of
khngsor at Bayreuth ia binding tiiScord
Of color, and the gigantic flowers painted
about the place look like the od-fashioned
pictures on tin cans of preserved fruits and
vegetables that used to delight the heart
OF childhood. The painter Of the Bayreuth
scenery, Prof, Bruckner, refused to paint
the S"ts for "Parsifal" at the Metropolitan,
and although Mr.. Conried did not realize
the benefit thereby conferred on him at
The time, he il now delighted at the refusal
-, Tn addition to the scenery of "Parsifal."
there is to be entirely new scenery and
coN tunes forthe Nibeungen Ring which has
been given wit II Wrpt ChcdIv Rhah nv araunrv