Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1904-12-13
GREETED WORK Of Wagner
'PARSIFAL" AT FORD'S A
GREAT SUCCESS.
The Festival Drama Which De-
picts Most Wonderful And
Sacred Life.

Amlust SOlBIuu anu Q6dbn like
stiffness which was felt with all the
intensity of which ones nature is cap
able, q representative audience wit
messed and heard, and seemed TO drink
in, Richard Wagners festival play,
'tParsifal, F." at Ford's Opera House in
Baltimore last night. 1t was the
most wonderful performance ever seen
in this country, carrying one back. as
it does, TO the times of Christ, when
His divine personality was still the
aotuating principle of life.
The theme, the atmosphere. in
which il held all enthralled, the
wierd, monotonous but self-contained
music. the ever shifting views of an.
cient scene and sacred acts exerted a
thralldom which it is impossible to
describe or even imagine. Even though
presented before an audience of var
ious shades of religious and social
temperament and complexion. not a
suggestion of sacrilege was apparent.
One seemed to be transported hack
through the long ages and made to
walk as a little child again, amid
those influences which made the
Christian martyrs possible. and carry
down TO us those sweet and tender
acts which have made it possible for
Christianity to endure.
The beautiful story, as contained in
this. the masterpiece of Wagner. with
all the imagry and motif. the
splendid climaxes of pleasing and sat
isfying denouemeDt. forces its import
upon one in manner impossible to
avoid aud without that straining after
effect which characterizes some of the
earlier efforts of the great German
composer. That it was possible to
present this masterpiece in English
after the greatest men of the age who
have studied the drama had said it
could not be disassociated from it's
German inception, is a triumph of
English perseverance and ingenuity.
The accentuation of those parts
which, in the hands of one who did
not appreciate the sacredness of the
situations which it was desired to de-
piot, would have been travesty on art
for arts sake and a sacrilege on
sacred thought, were handled with
the greatest of delicacy and thorough
ness. 10 tell the story it conveys, in
cold words, would be but the idle va
porings of q poor mimic. Wagner S
operas and festival dramas cannot be
criticised, and the feeble effort of alien
hands to tamper with his finished
works of art would be but wastes of
effort. 1t would convey to the unpre-
pared mind, to the mind removed
from the actual influences of the play
itself, nothing at all in keeping with
that which is really depicted.
The performance as rendered last
night, it can be said, was most satis-
flying. Not one of the large number
of persons who sat for hours and
watched it, like the unrolling of some
far off, yet ever present sight, but
that left with new thoughts, brighter
hopes and stronger aspirations, worth
ier and better, paying homage to the
wonderful mind which had fashioned
it and the still more wonderful life
which it depicted. Prominently the
foremost artist of the evening was
Nine Kirby Lunn, as Kundry, who
has the stage presence, the voice and
the power of analysis which carried
her to those heights which it was
little thought she would attain Mr..
Alois Pennarini, as Parsifal, though
somewhat heavy for the part, was ex-
cellent, as was Mr.. Franz Egenieff,
as Amfortas. The other parts, both
great and small, were also handled in
the most pleasing manner.
To the residents of Annapolis will
be given on Wednesday tomorrow an
opportunity of witnessing this won
derful production. Those desiring to
attend the matinee performance it
will be necessary to take the Short
Line train leaving at S55 a. N. For
the evening performance the g. 10 train
must be taken. A special return train
will leave Baltimore at Ills p. m.