New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-19
MUSlC
"Siegfied" at the Opera.


mustered salutary corrective to the emotional
atu'uoe prevailing Just row in musical circles. He
save Siegfr1ed for the first time this season. and
Even the hardened observer OF things operate
nave recognized a tonic element in the event. IL
: "e nave not had too much Of one aspect OF Wag-
Hef genius. II "ParsfaT' is too interesting and
important work of art ever to be given too fire.
Guenuy IN New-fork, 1t is at all events certain
mat the public has been preorrupied with it Of
Ia'e mat discussion OF the compassionate discus
SION or Wagner as OF all great creative artists
vii never enc-haA centred too much his swan
sung Die Walkure' has already been given
twice this season. but both performances we're in
.>o'enoer. month before 'Parsifal" was brought
forward for the first time. 'Lohengrin," Tam
ii""aer and Tristan und Isolde have all been
"e3l" more recently, but none OF these would
SsIEe' IN any case to provide precisely the right
contrast 10 Parsifal" For such purpose Die
MelstersnGe-." or one OF tue Nioelungen dramas
especially "sicgfried" Is far more to the point.
"asHer deals SO effectively with the elemental
passions that VIC associate him as matter OF
NOuIse win IDEAS Of naked force. primitive
strehS'n and the wide spaces OF an unspoIed world
III MN we look for the large utterance OF the
early GODS and we find it. But find 1t. para
uoAlcaly often modified by the accent of one of
lle most sophisticated artists have lived
profoundly self conscious he has moments in
which he overlays his thought with a strangely
complex atmosphere. and "ParsIfal" Is one of them
1t marks the elimination OF all that was meta
physical In his genius: in II he travelled from
the magnificent simpcities of the N!beIungen
cycle "SieSfried." then given midway between
TWO performances Of 'Parsfal." is a call from
moroid mysticism TO sauer things aud warning
against forgetfulness. amid the rarehed melodies
which Wagner ntertwined with his version OF the
Grail legend Of what he had In him that
insp!ritns as sea spray the forest winds.
The entrance OF Siegfried into Mines cavern
Presages the fall OF the gods. We who are In the
secret. know that he will dominate the dwarf that
lie will forge anew his fathers broken blade and
that with II he viii not only slay the dragon but
shatler the spear that menaces him In the last act
and pass unscathed to that heroic woong Of Brunn-
hide in which purely human passion causes all
the glamour OF Wall ALA TO fade and disappear.
But even II We did not know these things. even II
we were assisting at a spectacle the dramatic sig
nhcance OF which remained for g time unveiled
we would DO conscious. Wagner develops his
purely musical scheme. OF the buoyant spirit. the
joyous note OF life and love- by which this poignant
romance. SIS he tells It, Is steadily controlled Here
is OF the turbid deiirium Of Tristan. glorious
but sombre. as there is none OF the hne drawn
ecstasy OF "ParsiiaL' Here Is only the hre of
youth. with something OF that naIvete which Was-
ner could preserve the stage and In the
chestra. for all his soohistication when he was
working amid what may call his Nibelungen
conditions. but which eludcd him when he wrote
"ParsfaL" Never mis- gift for racy pct-
uresqueness used TO better purpose than In the
opening of ''Segfrted.' where Mime, at
his anvil, and Siegfr!ed. playful and now
half tragic. seem like creatures stepped from
artess wonder. The Wauderer on his appear
ance. heghtens the tension OF the drama. but
Siegfried, with his thrilling sorg and his glad
welding OF the sword pushes all that is sinister
into the background. and the grim passages that
come fror: time 10 time out OF the orchestra can
not diminish the sheer delight OF that stream OF
sound which rises In the FIRST act and flows on In
the second TO pass. in the famous forest scene.
into W0gners most exuu!stely lyric vein Com
pare the music in this with that OF the Good
E.an iS a IL
self untouched by any esoteric iRtimations. Its
sylvan sweetness is that OF the very In which
SicgtrIeds ringing mingies with the singing Of the
birds. Again Wagner. with his consummate mas
terry OF the picturesque begues the eye as well as
the ear the episode OF the killing OF FasneT fol-
as gloom follows light and the third act opens
with even more tragic significance. But II carries
10 the hero's meeting with Brunuhde and in
the familiar climax the Ture beauty OF the drama
touches the Imagination with sense OF intensely
human strength and happiness We have spoken
thus ut some length OF a masterpiece familiar
enough 10 our readers. simply because II seems
worth while TO emphasize at this time the bthe
and wholesome strain which runs through so much
OF Wacner's art and which "Parslfal' Is apt
temporarily 10 obscure.
Mr. Motif brought Il out IN bold relief last night
rs he led his musicians through the score OF 'Sieg
fried" That score Is rich In poetic phrases. touches
that fash sharply athwart the hearers mind. and
others that are full OF a grave and moving elo-
quence IN the Interpretation OF such details,
In disclosing all the light and shade that they i'm
ply without losing his grasp upon the music In Its
large relations that Mr. Motif excels. and he gave
n suuerb reading OF the work The singers
all obviously imbued with eaGerness to put a fine
performance their credit and their ministrations
Were in the main productive OF adequate effects
AS for the scenery. that which for the first
and second is new: the third act has. for that
matter a practically dress. since II has only
been seen hitherto in the pertorna noes OF Die
Walkure' and all OF it Is well painted. The me-
oh worked smoothly enough
the dragon. that unconscious humorist. wobbed
about with altogether visible means OF sup
port. and not only the wire that him, the
cheap glitter OF his scales. damaged the Illusion.
Such details could easily be overlooked. however
in view Of the excellence of the performance in sl
essentials.
MT Krauss is a. robust rather than a debonar
Slegfried. but this is natures fault. not his he
acted the part with engaging spirit. and pleased
his auditors. despite a tendency be a little
cumbrous in Of those bits OF pantomime to
which Wagner gave much pictorial significance.
Nocally his performance was throughout high
plane. His Outburst the close OF the Grst act
was positively eectrifying. Mr. Van Rooy in
dne voice and sang the music OF the Wanderer with
noble suavity. But his performance almost paled
beside that OF Mr. Reiss. who gave impressive
realty 10 the eerie character of Mime. revealing
malignant cunning. all Its clements OF harsh
comedy. MIR. Goritz. as Alberich. equal
the occasion. unexhilarating but competent. Mr.,
Kloepfer. short notice. took Mr.. Blass's place
and looked well after Fafner's thankIess duties.
OF the women in the everything amiable is
be said. Nine. Homer admirable as Erda
ana Miss Marguerite Lemon sang the bird music
charminely. But Nine Gadsk. OF course. as
Brunnhi!de, fell the chief honOrs. The audience
waited long for her. The third reached the
stage at which she appears only al very late
hour But patience was rewarded Nine Gadsld
sang as If she cast truly in the heroic mould
she stately yet genuinely impassoned. and she