New-York tribune., 1905-11-26
MUSIC.
u1rmpERDINCK's FAIRY OPERA.

sret
= stnce an experiment made at Daly's Theatre
nah;,itate EngeIbert Humperdinck's opera,
,ys-eel ,nd C5retel' in an English version. came
.rebt II looked like promising venture.
- Great WAS the interest felt in it Mr. Seidl
- charged with the musical direction. COM
- ~ Fingers was brought together. partly from
Ion5on and partly enlisted here. Sir Augustus
1rsrris director OF the opera at Covent Garden,
s tbe financial backer of the enterprise The
,,.v-York end of the undertaking was seriously
5sred AS numerous orchestra as the score
.,snds II ii is to be effective could not be &C
oro,nolated in Days Theatre. but Mr. Seidl did
80 hest he could. and his band commendabie.
,r,ree Of the singers. Miss Jeanne Dousti, Miss
,gelssnger and Mr.. Jacques Bars. disclosed ample
bsrties. but the English manager had no knowl-
doc either OF the needs Of The opera or the de-
lands of the New-York public; indeed. in his
.ecY on the opening night lie displayed igno-
-a,ce also Of the name OF the composer and the
bistorv of the work. 1t is still remembered with
,-ousenert that TO him the composer was MI
,I,r,rer5incleI" and the opera some beautiful
,7,so COMPOSED for this occasion. And so great
,oo,atIorls were disappointed. and after worrying
5onr from october till November 10. 1885. the
cnsra was withdrawn with record of failure
=, deserved by the work. and only partly deserved
hy the performance
Yesterday afternoon. at the Metropolitan Opera
tIouse there was a revival this time in the orig
,,al German with q full artistic complement of
,erfornlers and d worthy scenic outfit 1t was MT
,,opriod's second novelty in season which mas
rdu-ed only a week. and for this reason as well
as others a notable achievement. Fate looken
rnor IL IS she does deservedly and undeservediy
nm so many of Mr.. Conrieds enterprises, with
,uo auspicous eyes. There was a superpIy nd-
-,erals audience and in IL were hundreds OF chlI-
6-eu who not only drew for themselves the special
,slpe in the opera which theirs. but also con-
,ributa5 a large and delightful sum to the enjoy
rnsnt Of their elders. The composer graced the
occasion with his presence, and after the second
and last scenes showed himself over and over
again together with the principal singers the
director and Mr. Hertz. the CONDUCTOR
-o the enthusiastic spectators and auditors
The stage pctures we're always adequate
snd in some instances sumptuously beautiful The
Decentralization of operate institution seemed
10 have stopped short at this work. which 1noeeo'
offers nothing for its encouragement-a matter for
-rofound gratitude. The opera capitally per
+ormed-so capitally, indeed that 1t seems churltsh
10 point out even few OF its flaws. The singing
actors seemed TO feel the rejuvenating influence
which must go out from any beautiful old
folk or nursery tale. any myth legend or Mahrchen
which publishes phase of the joys and sorrows
o|e people and threw themselves into their work
with aIl-compelling spirit The orchestration of
the opera is frequently torrental-a seething, boil
ing bubbling flood turned to float an airy cork
but Mr Hertz held his hand well IN hand. modu
lstlng its many voices into a pleasing euphcny,
vet keeping its spirit full and vital. And the
fairy opera fulfilled its mission and spoke its
gel Of beauty.
Though dozen years have passed since il first
saw the light of the stage lamps. the mission and
.vangeI Of Tfansel und Gretef still large. The
.psono Of Wagner have Iabored increasingly to
apply his system to their creations They have,
Ike him. explored and exploited Morse myths and
Teutonic legends, and. going further, enlisted an
Client romance and classic history but with this
single exception all 70 avail. 1t seemed like
plunge from the sublime TO the ridiculous 10 turn
from the spectacle of dynasty OF gods going TO
destruction because of sin TO nursery tale of two
children lost in the forest hitting upon the habi-
taton OF witch who lured children into her tolls
l,v appeals 10 their love for sweetmeats and then
pte them, and who, at the end, fell a victim 10
her own wicked Vaccinations; but TO those who
are able 10 see surviving fragments of mythoogles
IN fairy tales the change was not SO great MI
scisns were astonished too to see the ~-oie
elaborate constructive apparatus OF "agherIah
lyric tragedy employed the end Of something
which did not differ very much from
Christmas psntomime; but their astonlsh-
rnent was turned to admiration and delight
when the new score unfolded the charms Whlch
German folk melodies and tbematic motives derived
from them might have when utilized in Wagners
manner and with skill akin TO genius Now new
path seemed to have been opened. Attempts were
made TO pursue it; by Herr Humperdinck himself
by some Of his colleagues and by his pupil Siegfried
Wagner. son of the great Richard Nothing came
Of them but "FIAnsel und Gretel" still maintains
its dewy freshness. keeping young the physically
aging hearts of those who knew II in its youth, and
showing how supreme art can be used to preserve
that righteousness of appreciation which lies at
the bottom of all seGse of the truly beautiful. IL
IS doubtful if Mr. Conried will do anything more
truly artistic this season than this production OF
Herr Humperdincks opera When he lowers
noble institution to produce another operetta
to take advantage of popular curiosity and
the idly careless spirit OF the times for the
sake OF bis private exchequer, the ghosts
al ypbf
him Meanwhile It is TO be hoped that the fairy
opera will have many representations and there is
no reason why its story should not be toto AGAIN.
once upon time there poor woodcuttef
VINO lived at the edge Of forest with two cnii-
dren Hansel and Gretel. Also, there was step
mother The family's struggle for existence was
hard AZ al times and, when there came perloo
of unusual want and famine the wooocutoeI u7
SPARED Of finding food for so many mouths. lheh
The wicked stepuaother proposed that the chlloreh
be taken deep into the forest and left there 10 oe
Long the father held out against the cruel plan'
but at last driven by great stress OF need ne is-
sented But the children had overheard the pioI
and when next day. their parents TOOK them hito
the wood and left them there they round thefr
wsy back home by following the track marked oS
some pebbJos which IIansel had dropped at inter-
Eals in the morning A second time ola 'he sep
mother attempt TO carry out her plal' anu NV
The children really lost their way lot IiaiiSet nav
been unable to provide himself with pebbles anu
thopph he ba6 marked the path by dropping bread
crumbs they could not help him on his return ne-
the birds had eaten them all up 30 pI"lhiei
aad sister wandered about in the loresl i0'
davs and y,era like TO die Of hunger, when they
suddenly came upon a house in a direction TOWARD
which they had been attracted by the singing GO ol
snow white bird. And such a house me
walls were gingerbread the windows oai'es
sugar; and cakes and tarts and an nl.iiinei ,U %
svea,r,as,e .dorned the door and window sills
and tie caves. what sight for children about to
fiia Of ~
Isl LII Of the house mere