The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-01-25

rho dtrectoi,Siast flight was Mr.. Roth.
well, at, ,fIpglistifah, u striking appears
funcc, ard itffmnys we'll BIO sud Of him
that lie Hooked the y,nrt.' He Is persons
aNy masnaticg and commanded the attcn-
fion pf the f1ualcinna on tic stage and Iii
tho orchestra. ,tlnd there was perfect re-.
sronse to the expression OF his baton.
4 ils device for directing tho "invisible
choIro II ingerius lie has ut The left
Side 8 4 fis desk u box With four butt
tons. THESE control four electric wires.
whicl, lead e. las many transDarences Iii
Tho chorus sioft. d The ttansparencics are
S,,,1nbered ones two three ana four, and
The light is flashed lii each ono Of
them precisely to Il tile Il conductors time
Wagner made q specialty of orchestra
ton and sit'is said Of. hinFthat lie treats
every instrument With the same certainty
Of touch as y he had played itshimscif;i
10 demands hing sof IL beyond what Is
entirely Within It's capacit he does not
have recourse to complicated methods III,
his orchestratiorHt he combinations nt.c
always clear ana simple the result 10
which, Is sonOritytS for III is plain and pow
rerfrl. Everything Fcombifnd melody, linr-5
mony and iorchcstr tipnS Is acccntuated2in
determining tic NJ dramatic action. In
parsifal,a the orchestra Is not a nero ac-s
compartment. "A It Is essentially q purt o.
the opera, l1nrmonizlng sWltl the voices
and blending with the poetry as the
Personal inspirations
or Wagner's music lin general and Of
Parslfal Yin particular, little need here
Be said. I'VE are III no longer, says
I,ayignac, ain the period when Wagner
vas debated and stood In need of cham
plons; ifSa6fcwG rare dctractors still exist.
they are now n quantity neg ligible,aanr
need hot trouble lis mt Sall Over all his
compositions there fovers, like the dove
Iof tic Grail tho breath OF his personal
a the Individual characteristic
note OF his genius; hence It follows that
whilst we are able to establish with Ger
stainty The chief lnesEof Ills artistic gem
cnloRy,git Is Impossible to Mound him
with any OF his predecessors and each
81 his ia ges Is us though sealed with his
seal With the &indeliblc mark Of his In
ccnlincnslirable genius" All musicians ans
have their favoritee, and Wagner IS not it'
a fayoritc with, allg!& But Ills position y in
the music world is as sure as snakes
peare' position In the dramatic world
and while there is no dsputings OF tastes,
5NVagner's mus Is the music Of q gcnius,
standing upon fL e merit ana de1fyln l
criticism. III Saass5 ts n {, KS .5l9S
5",Ass for the comparisons which are FREE
iuuently Instituted, Us q modern critic
aibetwceilg this and other of Wagnenir'tss3
works, they are for the most part y ilh p-a
ipropriate and misleading. The question
Is not whether he music Of Parsifal IS /
as Vita, 81 as vigorous,as animated, as
moving. as spontancousso or as enjoyable
as the music OF sr rlstnnEo or Die Walkure.
All that is largely a matter Of personal
preference and varying opportunity. The The
{rea question NJ Is liter the score N of5
0Parsifal adequately. II q appropriately cons
ylncinglya and iinstructivcly reflects and
expounds the feeling and Significance Of
the story to Which s.i Is related and OIL
the scenes which It ccoinpani and
that lis a question which, III the llghtsofs
poetic, Intelligent md y deeply emotional
performance does not seem 10 admit Of
more q than ono reply. The greatest
proof, perhaps. OF gncr's genius is the
fact that he was as strong us ~ a.
poet 4 as he was u as q 4 composer, COM
bining In marvellous d egree the power not!
onlyHof poetic conception but Of express
Ing his concept tom rs well lii lilnaungc as
In music, a i gift With which few COM
posers have been endowed. IL this re-
spec 'yYagn was Al mos urique. NJ &
9S'l t. was to hear tho GROWING wv ork OF
assembled at tha Academy yes I rda y at
terloon. . b y Fl lei ocls ma land
ninldelis had gathered mt tho entrance to;
| the sky gallery, iii order % he In time
for the rush, when the doors should be
thrown open. Il AT the signal, 81 the rush
would have done credit to a college foot
ball 81 teanl,5%and the men and maidens
stood not upon the order Of their going.
They rushed and sat- and nothing more,
save few tender spots In the ribs and
hendgeur more or less dsheveled, to en-
.phasize the attack Those who had re-
served seats were also early 4 to arrive,
and when the trolnbones gave warning,
most persons were In their places, ready
for the start. It is to be presumed that
all who came had prepared themselves
for the story and its music, and there
was a. feeling O. nervous An ticipation.
bordering on excitement. for those pres
ent realized that they were 4 o enjoy the
most notable performance OF i he 4 age
and the most notable musical a event Il a
Richmond audience .hal eriSwitnessed.
The.lights were extinguished. and as the
notes Of the first motive were sounded
by the orchestra, tho listeners found
themselves In an atmosphere Of mystl-,
cism, and became saturated with the
spirit Of tho weird and unusual occa-i
sion. ,i
Praise for Nine. Lunn.
After the first act, which was cons
cluded at Ills. the audience went homo
Ito tea, but returned With gcommendable
promptncss, and when the tronbones
gave the signal for the second act, the
seats wore all filled, and there were few
Interruptions from late Corners.
or tho singing little need be added AS
Kundry Nine. Kirby Lunn was q revela-
ton. II Hers was by far the most difficult
role: requiring a strong personality and
consumate acting. to say nothing OF q
wide range Of voice. all which qualifica-
lions she possesses in an eminent degree,
Her voice is a rich contralto, and her
low notes and notes OF tho middle reglster
are slnerb. But the part cal lsia now and