The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-17
Idle PLEDERMAUS GIVEN.
MR.. CONRIED'S GRAND OPERA
OPERETT4 WIN CONCERT iDDED

Johann STRAUSS Popular work sung,
Danced and spoken 10y stars Of the
Opera Company Great DOlnEs In
the ballroom Scene OF the second Act
Act-NIr. DIppel Makes Notable INT
Johann Strauss operetta, Die Fielder
maus, was performed last night at the
Metropolitan Opera House before q large
audience which paid double the Gust omary
prices OF admission to hear this work. 1t
was the frst time the operetta had been
given in the house and the first time it was
ever presented in this country with a cast
OF singers drawn from the field Of grand
opera. These are pregnant facts, big with
importance, and not to be treated lightly
by any frivolous observer Of passing events.
The last time Die Fledermaus' was
performed in New York was on Jan. !,
1900. when it was given by the Castle Square
Opera Company at the American Theatre.
Questions may possibly arise from this,
because W. A. Stewart, who sang the
warden, Reginald Roberts. the Eisentein,
and Gertrude Quinlan. the Adele, had all
been guilty OF assaults on standard
roles in grand opera, However, that was
not a particularly good performance, and
it must be confessed that MIR. Conried has
often given the operetta much better at
his theatre in Irving Place.
Last nights presentation was inflated
beyond the market value OF operetta not
only by the appearance OF highsalaried
singers in the principal roles, but by the
Interpolation OF sort OF Sunday night
concert in the ballroom scene. In TINS
several OF the most important members
OF Mr.. Conried's company, not in the cast
OF the work. were enabled to make their
contributions TO the welfare OF hard
working impreSario.
IL Is particularly difficult to arrive ut a
critical point from which TO view this re-
markable performance. Certainly, those
who attended il were not invited 70 con-
slider it purely in the light OF its adequacy
as an Interpretation of IA delightful musical
comedy. for in the yawning CULTS OF the
Metropolitan Opera House the plentiful
dialogue was bound to Ne lost. IL suffered
precisely the same fate ~ did the dialogue
OF Nicolais Merry Wives of Windsor
Neither could IL have been expected that
the audience would be lost in amazement
at the splendor Of the singing Of Strauss's
beautiful music for Nine. Sembrich was the
only one OF the great singers OF the com
pany who appeared in the cast. As for
acting, it would be hard indeed TO fire any
aggregation of grand opera performers to
the sparkle and merry humor Of Mr.. Con-
reds own company in Irving place.
The Truth seems 10 he tlat people were
asked to he astonished at the general lavish
ness of the expenditure made for this per-
Torrance and TO cape at the appearance
Of CaruSo, Nordiua, FTemstad and the
rest in a cafe ohantant spectacle at mas =
querade ball. 1t was perfectly plain that
the public had made up its mind to be
amused ty two things, first the spectacle
of great operate stars capering through
the roicking action and dances OF the
operotta, and secondly by the stunts y
which they elected to perform in the concert
scene.
The performance Of the operetta as such
had some merits worthy OF public atten-
ton Nine Sembrich's Rosdinds was
arch. coquettish and charming, but her
speaking voice did not carry well in the
house Her singing on the other hand,
was delicious II may well he doubted
whether the part was ever sung better
Mr.. DIPPED as Eisenstein shared the honors
with the prima donna, not by singing, but
by comic acting Of most infectious humor
Bella Alien as Adele did capital work The
other members of the cast were Edyth
Walker as Prince Ori0fskg, Mildred Elliott
as Ida. Albert Reiss as Alfred, Otto. Gorita
as Frank Emil Greder as Or. Fake, MIR.
Muhlmann az blind MIR, Bayer as iran
and Max Haenseer Of the Irving Place Thea
ire company az frosch,
The ballroom and banquet scene was
certainly a brilliant spectacle, all studded
over with tenors prima donnas electric
When the time for the stunts came the
audience sat up straight First Nine de
Macchi in evening garb sang lot Of notes
from 'Semiramide. Next Frank Pollock,
Burgstaier Van Rooy and Bass in Ty-
rolean rig sang a quartet. The Clipper
Quartet has them beaten 10 n minor second.
Mime. Ackte. in a bewitching Morse get up,
sang a song by Grieg in a quarter of n
minute. Then camc Scott, made up as
Fdhtdf in Verdi's opera, and he sang
Scottl Is that all of his FdlStdf we shall
ever know?
Mines Nordica and Homer and Messrs.
Ceruso and Graldoni in evening clothes
sang the quartet from "Rgoletto' beau
tifully. Mr.. Caruso was plainly irving TO
show his comrades what he really could do ,
for he sang in style beautiful beyond
description. Miss fremstad Carmenized
Delibes' song LES Files de Cadi2' with
her utmost diablerie, and thereby dif'eren-
tiated herself from ell her ASSOCIATED,
Fir ally Mime. Eames in her greer accented
costume from TN Ballo in Maschera, 4"
with Messrs. Plan con and Nubo, sang the
final trio from Faust Every time any
one sang. all the others who sat behind a
long table across the stage applauded. and
it was not only a banquet Of song but n
feast Of hrotherly and sisterly love. No
one would have dreamed that the green
ewes Of jealousy or the yellow fangs OF
| dissension ever had anything but holiday
behind the footlights at the Metropolitan
After the concert the operetta went on
and the distinguished guests OF Prince
/ Orlofsky- Walker raised their Poblets on
high and came in strong on tho final notes
OF the concluding numbers Of Act II. In
! tho third act things somehow seemed 10
decline and fall of. and people began Ia
go home before II was over, just as they
do when the prina donna IL going TO die
! in the last soene Of opera fever.
Was IL worth the money?