The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-05

But alasl there Is one vital department OF
which nothing has yet been said
Now that the season Is at an end and
thoughts are turned toward the next one,
it may be permissible TO express tho hope
that something will be done TO improve
the lamentable conditions existing in
the orchestral department The Metro
polItan Opera House needs nrst Of all an
adequate and competent orchestra. Tho
writer OF this department observed one
Saturday night performance OF Gounod
opera at which there were not more than
forty men In the orchestra.
The result was that the strings we're en-
tirely overbalanced and the orchestral
playing was rude and noisy. On regular
nights there have been more than this num-
Der Of players, but there has not at any
time been a sufficient number Of strings.
This part OF the orchestra Is altogether
too weak for such operas IA Aida, Faust,
la Gioconda and the Wagnerian dramas.
Furthermore, the orchestra Ia so over
worked that the wind instrument players
before the end OF season cannot do
themselves justice at all Their tone be-
comes hoarse and rough aud their intona-
ton matter Of chance. The orchestra
ought 10 be larger by dozen strings at
least There is some poor material in 1t,
too, and this ought to be weeded out, union
or no union.
There ought to be at least one great con-
ductor In such an institution as the Metro
poltan Opera House. Mr.. Conried brought
ono last season. but he became satisfied
that Mr. Motif did not bring any money
into the house. and 80 no conductor OF SINH
lar rank was engaged for this season. MIR.
Conried, however, was mistaken. Mr..
Motif was an attraction, and II he had re-
NAMED he would have become great
favorite. He might in time have taken
the place made vacant by the death OF
Anton Seidl.
The conductors now employed at the
opera house are not equal to the demands
OF the institution. They are by no means
incompetent men, but something more than
mere competence Ia required for such
house. Mr.. Hertz. the best Of the three,
10 overzenlous. drives his men too hard,
gets bad results from pressure and over
blowing and has notions about tempt which
are incomprehensible at times. But he
has genuine artistic enthusiasm and no
least natural He eds a superior to
regulate him.
Mr. Vigna has in two seasons con-
clusively demonstrated his inability TO
conduct the older Italian works He
makes mincemeat Of such things as
-LElisir dAmore' and Lucia His
Barber Is no Joy to lovers Of Rossini
He is better in the modern operas, but
some of these he cannot conduct properly.
His Aida" is admirable. He learned 1t
from Verdi He misconducts -T0sca"
sadly, and In La Bob me- he has little or
no respect for the singers.
There would be wonderful difference
In the effect Of this work II the orchestra
and the artists were in complete accord.
The flnesse of the score and the eloquence
which might come OF a fine rubato are
lost Noise confusion and vulganty are
too frequent Offspring of the conducting
of Mr. Vigna.
Mr. Frankie has just begun TO make his
presence felt in the conductors chair. Per-
haps it would he well to wait another sea-
son and see whether he makes any prog
ress Up to the present he has done
nothing to call for oommendation. Ger
tainly his heavy footed treatment OF the
music in Die Fledermaus' did not entitle
him to laudatory notice.
It will be gathered from these observa-
tons that Mr. Conried's first enthusiasm
for high arr has suffered the shock in
evitable upon its contact with the sordid
philistinism OF the operagoing public
One can mentally picture the impresario
at the close OF his first season sitting In his
private office with his hands thrust as
far as possible into his crowded pockets
and his ewes fixed rehectively upon the
numerous figures in the carpet and heav-
ing great sigh as he pathetically MUIR
INJURED to himself
What's the use? They don't appre-
ciate high art and can make more money
without IL
SO this year he has judciously refrained
from such eItravHgances as Lsuten-
schlagers. Motifs Fuchses and the multipli-
cation of fddes. has let things slip and
slide along Az well IA they could under
small people and has made small for
tune
BUT the facts remain that for the sake
of ts own prominence in the world Of
music the Metropolitan Opera House
ought TO have a great stage manager and
a great general music director At tho
same time it can never sink below its own
level in the rank Of its great leading
artists W. j. HENDERSON.