The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-01-25
I'arsifal Sup!e,rl.bl]llly q. ! ! y s, Sung ~
Before a Brilliant, ! J III a. i \,
Audience.
AC CAD MY RE.EC.HlO'E'D,'. E (, !: !! I'D
THE CIR IN D I lNELl,O| I :, J, ODY D Y
The Bull ding From ii PIT 3. to 70 5&Eti ] g
b ONE, Was Filled Eli az Never 1E.4,5
;t5 Beforc ~ With the "c Concord N
of Sweet Sounds -'s'iI Only y ,l5 n
Praise for a Spleil-
did Company.

did Comp
No musical comppsltio has been Sflutre reE
so much discussed and criticised ~
yarlously discussed and criticised as + sf as
,,orl parsifal, splcndidl sung be tore q ' 4
brilliant audience tle s'aacI'ls
Al nfrht; nor have tho ~ lscuasio
N th rs criti clsn OF any been
confirc TO it's musical and dra t1latsc @ Slel-
tur,cs. The question has bee = rnlseo
~, II flcr or not such opera, s'-ca 60.
ahor,ld have been WRITE en- and pr l'ced.
a ri fs the opinion OF many nat tha pre-
.ai,t ion upon thc stage q the hollest
and most solemn ot the Chris stian nSs-$
,terics sayors no strongly Of sacrlle GO 1i. us
"a make It'll intoierybie. The composer. m q
,v ,,o this production and turned
K oyers AM, over IN his mind lion speto're
IN ,ed iced Gtt to- WRIT ting. was not unintll-
f,iIsof tho seriousness solerlrllty e nd even
holiness of his ilene, nd lt was hls llral
and his desire that tho on y 81
Aifnls Should be conf ned a tfesst tlcatrc IS
at Bnyrau III, designed M
1,ulity $whicha Senvelopcd and y flucEceei
ff those Who rendered III he parts NJ R,,s BWelt ",
asStIosc ho beard. n; When vas pr
5,nsrfl to ,,rndu Farsi FIJI I'm 81 ofk
Ile,i ,rc under condi tons ft, OH felent
fron, q hose B eSisting a IA ayrcut y and ~
$yIoIatio of Tie wishes Of the ST com.
,Oscr. X here was an out 4ots pro
gal III Rlcn was 0posed .Io ~ roa 1.t ocs
1,ursjfal iii others GIT " Iile e1e
The arrangements cou ID not posslb ~ S so
complete HI In n Ork here was 81 m. n.
s =, he;.s Il, INV q q protest But the per-
eforJtIat,cc In Richmond last rltE by3 NJ
sayaEc,s 20 mpnny haze g q lsarI7,ed me
The scr! ties, there sue \ Ia TIE
asiIii was 81 per ces Gull sot Y
ulfy u s gfriceri ty and q reverend ts. and nc
:,xelect audience received II It 4 III Il III eS aasl.t
4 Spirit. There wns no tp la no " y q,
nlonstration, no uiisec cond t.ai: II
i was moro IN tic nature OF ~ reli giots ser
vice and better d ecor was p. q
served of he hnlond q q
IT. rs not necessary to say q tl.at every
Il seat q In the Academy of Music was oc-
&cupied, for 1t lins already been announced
s1hat Tho entlre house uld have been
sold three or four times over, so great
was the demand for seats "a 1t was not al 4
together 4 Richmond audience. for there
4 we're many visitors from yarlo GUS sect ms
Il or tic State and even from other r5 State tes.j
3 Dutfit was a respectful and az ppreciatl tive
audience and Pnrsifal was thoroughly cii--;
h joycd, si3 5 "a VI
& No Intense Clinlaxes.
,ParsifaI is not a great drama and va =
mot Intended to be, There are no IN
+ tense clin1axcs. no startling situations
Il US tho theatrical critics say. It consists
OF long narratives for4the most part sad
~
or the music It would be rather n dull
performance. The great length OF the
piece Is q lso against It, and would mako
N It into,crablc and impossible as O play.
siltSis not to sbc nfcrrcd from this, how
4 eyer, that tho narrative " without inter-
b est. The thcme Is the most Interesting
&; OF all themes and there 4 Is nh individual
Interest In each OF the leading tndlv vldnal
I, characters. 1t Is full of eloquent emotion.
q which Is communicated from from stage 70
audience. The listener becomes II cccssnrt-
~ reconcilcd to the unaccustomed nature
K OF the story, 3und the impression which he
& receives Is solemn and inspiring. iiS 395
lii scenic effect Parsifal is magnificent.
& Indeed, if ono may Judge from the critl-
cisnl OF Lavignac. the scenery n on
tho American stage IS III somc respects
even better than that ut Bayreuth.
LavIgnac says that tho Bayreutll scenery
as u whole succeeds In producing the de-
sired Illusion, but that there are cxccp-
tions and among those scenes which
seem to him defective he particularly mGn-
44tions that oG the flower lnaldens. with
its loud and brutal tonos and monstrous
and improbable booms, which rather re-
mind one of%itlle hotel wall decorations
OF small provincial towns than of 1,',W-
il crs and magic and sorccry> This critl-
clsm does not apply to the scenery Of
4 Mr. Savage's performance, Indeed, the
scenery and the adrolt nlanner IN which
1T Ia handled constitutes a feature In Itself.
and ndds Immensely TO the enjoyment, This
would bo Z difficult under any clrcuM-
stances, even lii IN theatre with sccneIy
made and arranged for tho Bpurpose, but
Z tho difficulties arc multiplied when the
scenery must he transported from one
point to another and rapidly put into po-
4 Sltion, i ,,i i44faY
Parsifal Pilgrimage. 4
Parsfal Is In nsthree acts, ch u which
4 il divided into two scenes. The first
scene shows the enylrons OF the Grail
Castle and Is followed by u View OF tie
I interior of the Grail Chapel, The sec
n ond act opens with an interior scene ~
Il ISllngsors Castle and gives way to the
beautiful flower garden, When Parsifal
gains possession of tho second spear ne
makes the sign Of tho cross with ". and
the flower garden, like magic, becomes
u stony desert, The third act brings Par
N stfal back after his five year pilgrimage
+ and shows still another exterior scenein
the mountain topped by the Grail Cas-,
lie, The interior of. the Grail Chapel IL
again presented, being the one scene tha,
4 Is repeated The change from the exterior
scenes to the chapel scenes is effected lhy
means of .panoramas, The scenery IL
/ moved off the stage very adroltly and
wound up on huge wooden Windlassfs,
Il; Each pleco Of scenery must be moved at
the same rate OF Speed tho pace being
sot by the music Of the orchestra AS
tho view of forest and field passes before
tha audience the grass tho rocks, tho
,ss'I I7 lcontinued on Third PaKe,l n. ilS