New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-08

tales. ard which in time became the Holy Grail
we're limited at IN this journal last Fri
day. Those legends it must have been
that suggested the introduction Of a variant
of the HeroJias story into Wagners drama.
Through IL he .mbued hundry with a tragic pathOs
thai lifts her fa- above all her companions in the
play in philosophical! significance, well as dra-
matte interest. In the old story. after the dance
before Heroc, with its awful consequences, Hero
das secretly crept TO the head upon the charger
10 laugh and gloat It dhis IS the German FORM
we he,ieye). or to cover it with tears and kisses
(as the French say. At that moment a blast
issued from the dead lips which sent Herodas
flying Of INFO space Thus. ever since. she is
stn driven forward permitted rest only from
midnight till dawn, when she sits covering under
willow and hezel co9ses and bemoans her fate.
Thus Gurncmanz finds hurdry, all but nfeless, in
the third ACT OF Wagner's drama Wagner trans
forms the HeIolas legend TO suit his purposes,
which profoundly pathetic and beautiful. II is
not the head Of John the Baptist which she looks
upon. but the lace Of Christ as he staggered up
Calvary under the burden OF the cross And she
laughed him to TAen his glance fell upon
her and doomed her to wander ceaselessly, subject
to the powers of evil and 10 the hystera of laugh
ter, without the sweet solace Of tears longing to
make atonement for sin committed eager to per-
form works OF penance. filed with a longing to
meet again with love incarnate. that through him
she may ind rest everlasting. Time and again she
has behed one whom she thought might prove to
be her savior but the paroxysm OF lust and
laughter has seized upon her. and she has wrought
her work Of evil upon him and freshly doomed her
self to torment II is this longing for redemption
which supplies the tragic element in the scene Of
Parsifars temptation. Longing has turned her
mind awry, and. though she knows that her
dempton depends upon the resistance of her love
spell by the hero, she yet plies him with all her
demoniac powers Of seduction in the mad belief
that his love may bring her salvation.
To perceive ali this, however. close study OF the
drama is necesSary-study Of the text and study OF
the music-closer study than is ever likely to be
pursued during representation. than is likely to
appear 10 be desirable even possible to the ma
jorIty OF the persons who attend 'Parsifal either
in New-York or Beyreuth What the ordinary spec
tator and listener observes is wild creature. with
disheveed hair. savagely clad, curt abrupt and
violent of speech. who seems weighted with an eX-
haustion that draEs down in spite of her efforts
throw II off in the first act: beautiful demon,
who. after coming out OF a trance protests with
hysteTicai CALCULATIONS that only gradually grow
into speech her unwillingness to attempt the task
OF seduction and then undertakes II with almost
furious ZEAL coaXing, pleading and threatening IN
turn finally a mute penitent, who utteTs oul
a single word, and seems consumed with but q
single wish-to do service. That It IS much easier
TO present the Outward figure OF this contradictory
and paradoxical figure in its violent extremes than
body forth the concepts and emotions Of which
she is a symbol made evident by the difference
between the approximations of Nine Tern!na and
MISS " 6eQ save iOT an liLn1ODlIy OF L&LCltAl "a
preston which is reflex of a barrenness OF fancy
and a dearth Of emotional vitality. Miss Weed is
the better equipped artist OF the two for
the part. Her voice. too. is more consistently
beautiful than that OF her companion in
the part: but this said, all is said that be in
her favor. She does not live through the psyche
logical drama s Nine. Ternna does. She does not
seem have the penetrating lima gination required
to vitalIze the figure, give IL only voice and
motion, but 10 make every tone uttered and every
movement index OF the tragedy playing on the
heart Of the who is much a symbol OF
suffering humanity is AmfortaS She discloscs
only the outward shell of the character, and that
only by means OF ordinary stage conventions. She
IS mariCnette when Ternina Is a woman OF
thousand pUlssauces. A singer with ardor anguish,
tenderness. compassion rage. seif-denunciation
puIsing through her voice. coorfng syllable. word
ana phrase; actress Of temperament and intelli-
geuce-eyery gesture eloquent direct clear, signit-
icaut; every pose plastic and proclaimant: every
change of feature reflex OF the birth develop
ment OF thought feeling. There IS ideal
bound up IN Wagners conception which Nine.
Ternina does not realize. only in some Of the
eXterna.s did Miss Weed approach the character
all. II. l. X