The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-08-02
LOndOn'S Baureuth.
All the Bad and Little of the
Good Trans. | nted-Fash-
ionable FaVoTforPoor Man
agement and Poor Music.


Of course. Three seasons in succession
have crystallized the opinion that Bay
reuth is no longer a Mecca for musical
pilgrims, but a stuffy and superhuous
little village where bad cooking and bad
beds are charged for at prohibitive
rrices. And this Is the actual truth.
The three cycles 1.-THE Ring of the
Nibelungs in London this year were
about as good and as bad as one usually
finds at Bayreuth. There was the in
evitable bad singing and the accus-
toned number of accidents.
The interesting thing to a seasoned
observer was the audience, You en-
counter persons who talk of the 1900
production as some do in New York of
the golden age of 1SS6-1sSS. when Lilli
Lehman, Marianne Brandt, Seidl, Emil
Fischer, Niemann gave US the real not
the modern mock turtle Wagner. Tone
deaf, briefiess barristers calmly assure
you in the absurd little Hobbies of Co
vent Garden that Kraus is a greater
singer now than he was ten years ago
which may be. the truth. though, to be
frank. there is more roar than voice left
in the throat of this man. of monstrous
size
In a word. London has its Bayreuth,
and it is situated in Covent Garden.
Follow the smell. sir" said a police
man to one inquiring the way, and
you'll soon reach the opera 'ouse!"
Without Balance.
But old Bayreuth admirers who live
here do not like the idea Everything
that can be done in the way of critical
aspersion is DONE Not a performance
escapes. Even Hans Richter does not
conduct as we'll as in Bayreuth-the I'M
musical atm osphere, don't you know!
And the biggest joke of all is that
andre Messenger. the manager of the
syndicate, gets all the credit of the
productions, when it is doubtful if he
knows the Rhine theme from the magic
fire music. He is a French composer OF
light. graceful music and he has con-
Quoted for years at the Opera Comique.
Paris.
But what has that to do with Wagner
and Covent Garden? A manager OF Wag
merriam productions IS made. not born
made by years of intense application and
experience 1 doubt If Messenger is more
than an ornamental figurehead for the
syndicate.
Mr. Henry Higgins is very earnest.
hard working, well-meaning man - but
does he know? Some of the casts were
terrible TO behold.
Earl de Grey and his more famous
spouse. Lady de Grey. who is as tall as
the mainmast of a schooner. are deeply
interested in the welfare of the estsb-
nshment, but-the inevitable but-what
can they know of the practical side O.
operate management? Worst of ALL the
house is given over to balls of a ROSTER
ing sort during the winter and spring.
END the stage is seldom free for re-
hearsals- It is p sad state of affairs. Ear
worse than in New York.
Dance Hall or Theater?
And what a house, what stage, Only
a year or so ago e40.0 were laid out
to make the stage OF Covent Garden
equal 10 the Berlin, Budapest, Munich,
and Bayreuth systems. There is every
devsre imaginable in the varied scheme
OF stage machinery-everything but he
right sort OF stage. 1t is still eighteen
inches or two feet too low. in conse-
quence of which spectators stand up, or
bob zip, to see what is going on. This IL
illusion destroying.
The reason this defect was not recti-
fed is that with the stage elevated so
as to conform to the laws of perspec-
tive. IT would no longer serve as q dane
ing ioorI Was ever British philistinisin
aL6 obstinacy displayed so concretely'
A New Book of Snobs.
However. these unmusicaI folks are
getting OMIT Is impossible not to as
sumo a patronizing tone in speaking of
their magnificent ignorance of things
artistic. The national self complacency
comes out at its strongest when discuss
ing music. just as in Thackeray's days
there were English people who fancied
they spoke French without an accent.
and the great satirist made fun OF
them.
Today he would move about in Co
vent Garden during the entr'actes and
note the delightful air of superiority i'm
printed on the stolid, Unconditional Brit
ish face. That these stonecoId tempera-
ner is one of those tricks of fate which
startle and provoke a smile.
Nature never intended the Briton to
become an esthetic animal He plays
the role i'll at ease and without a CLEAN
of humor.
Prepared in Four Weeks
In the great Wagnerian triangle. the
stage is as important as the orchestra
and singers. Mr.. Francis Nelson, who
learned much from Seidl, is still a
young man and an ambitious. His hand
ling Of the heavy setting OF The Ring"
IS highly commendable. for he is handl-
capped by lack OF rehearsals. It is
enough to make any stage manager
swear when he reads that Munich has
been deliberately rehearsing THE Ring"
all winter and spring in preparation of
the performances this August.
Mr.. Nelson had Just four weeks to
rehearse. and, under the circumstances,
he did very well. Some OF his lighting
effects were most artistic, though the