The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-06
NOTES OF OPERA IN EUROPE.
WORKS PRODUCEDIN PARIS RARE
LY SEEN ELSEWHERE.

Massanet's '"1hais" Has Just Reached -.
Observation-Disclosures Farrar's Tri.
umph Ut siente Cario-schaliapine .
''Mephlstopheles' with scanty Clothes.
New York hears few now operas. but they
are still produced In every other city
that supports an opera house. Paris hears
as many new works as any other European
city. Few modern works by French COM
posers pass the borders Of their own land.
Charpentier's Louise Ii one Of the few
recent operas that have gained interna-
tional vogue. One opera that has recently
aroused great interest in Paris has not
even been sung outside~of that city. This In
Debussig's setting Of Maeterlinck's 'Pelleas
ct Melisande.' In spite Of the popularity
It gained In Paris. no French opera house
has ever followed the example Of the Opera
Comique and added IL to the repertoire.
It will be interesting to observe II
'Aphrodite,' an opera composed by Camine
Erlanger out Of the novel Of Pierre Louys,
will meet with the same fate. 1t has Just
been sun at the Opera Comique. The
salient features Of the novel were utilized
to furnish the material for Eve brief acts,
which were monotonous SO far as music
and action went, but approximately
beautiful to the eye. Such operas have been
known to please in Paris for a long time 4.
and this essentially French production
may enjoy the same popularity that used
to 60 to the operas Of M~assenet, 'Thais, .
sLe Mage sEsolarmondes-whioh were
all 60 beautiful, p~iotor1ally. that Paris rev
elled In them when q beautiful woman was
tho central figure. They were rarely heard,
however, In any other country.
II has taken aThais,' for instance, o long
time to reach st. Petersburg. Il was sung
there the other day at the Italian opera,
which, In spite Of the disturbed political
conditions Of Russia, has this year met
with great success. The Paris tradition
was observed, for sThais' was made to
exploit a beautiful woman Lima Cava-
lieri, one Of Heinrich Conried's future
prima donnas, sang the title role. MAttaa
Battistini, the noted baritone, sang Athanail,
and these two artists, with the assistance Of
the beautiful music, succeeded In making
the work o popular success.
Emilio di Marohi, whom we used to hear
at the Metropolitan, took part in Verdi's
bOH SdTlObl WllCu I6tOll uuubbOukB
recently revived at Monte Carlo In honor
Of the Schiller centenary. It was cele-
brated q year ago In other countries, but
those matters must be estimated by some
other method In Monte Carlo. Geraldine
hrrar met with great SUCCESS In the role
OF Elisabeth Every new part appears TO
bring the young American soprano fresh
triumphs. She and NJ. Sohaliapine have
been the most conspicuous singers at Monte
Carlo this year. The young Russian bass
made a profound impression In .Verdi's
revered opera and added another role to
his extremely limited repertoire. He made
his fame in three parts, He Is a great
Mephistophelss In both the aFaust' Of
Gounod and Berlioz. He wears scarcely
any clothes in the part and instead Of tights
he covers his skin with o bronze paint.
This is made up with some metallic ingredi-
ent that causes his body to shine in the
light with every gesture. He Is not yet
80 and Isl giant In physique, with q voice
that Is said to correspond to his physical
proportions. Another role he a this
year at Monte Carlo was In Rubinstein's
opera "The Demon which made a very
favorable impression at it's first perform
anoe In France. 1t was in this part that
young sohaliapine made his first great suo-
oess in Russia.
Kathe saenger-B ettaque, who came over
here last year without making q profound
impression, is no longer to be the leading
dramatic soprano at the Prinz Regent
Theatre In Munich. She goes to the opera
house at Stuttgart. Charlotte HUM, who
used to be O oontralto, has followed the pop
ular practice and become a high soprano.
She will sing the dramatic roles at the Prinz
Regent in the future.
The Peoples Opera in Vienna, which gives
performances at considerably cheaper
prices than the Imperial Opera House. has
Just acquired from the Wagner heirs the
right TO produce certain Of the composers
operas, which were formerly heard only at
the Imperial Opera House. In the future
both theatres will be free to perform aTann-
hAuser,' aRienzi' and Der Fliegende Hol-
lander The Frankfort Opera House will
be the next in Germany to give a Wagner
and Mozart festival. The performances
will continue throughout May and enlist
the services OF singers from other cities.
Felix Weingartner has Just heard in
Weimar a performance Of his opera, Sores
tes." A new version Of The Marriage OF
Figaro has just been sung In Vienna under
the direction Of Gustav Mahle. Samara's
latest opera, which is q new version Of the
Enooh Arden tale, Is called 'Biondinetta.'
A soldier wounded in battle sees various
figures In his dreams. One Ia hS u%nfaithful
betrothed about TO marry a,other. He