The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-18
season concluded yesterday:

wv h
Marta. .,.""........ 4ISonnambula ....,..,.., 2
Parsifai, .,'... ". 4 l]LL''Esiiisir d''Amore 5000.
TannhHuser. ...,...... q FledermauS.. ..,.,,.,.,, \
II lro Vatore",..,,... AtGypsy Baron ,,,,..,..' :
Paglacci ..r....,.... 81
COMPOSERS REPRESENTED.
Wagner. ...........sl Ponchielll. ".....,., 4
yerdi..|"""""".,.iS IS ke0ncSvAno"."",...
DoniZetti. .....,.....,.l3 Belinl... .......,,...... z
bumper ulnck' ..s,...' III blzeL. ....s...'.,.'.. :
Puccinl.. Mozart ..........,... z
Gounod' :,.'..,....,.,. . strauss Z
m k."..,,.,.., % Rosslnl .'......'''.'.'' :
FIotoW'.
SUMMARY.
Subscription night performances, ...........,,.. 81
Subscription matinee performances. ........,. ~
Saturday night p~er1Ormances.. ,..,..,....,..... ~
Extra performances IL
Total. .1O4
Mum Der OF operas glven"""".. 81
The performances OF double bills account
for the discrepancy between the total az
shown by adding the representa- tons Of
the various operas and that shown by
adding the number Of nights, matinees,
extras. DC. IN Barbiere di Siviglia' was
not at any time given in it's entirety.
"Tosca' and Don Pasquale' each suffered
one curtailment in the arrangement Of
double bills.
In spite Of the heavy claims Of the Italian
list made possible by the immense popu-
larity of Mr.. Caruso, the Wagnerian drama
was not permitted to lapse into obscurity.
Wagner as usual leads the van with thirty
one performances to his credit, while the
admirable Verdi comes next with fifteen.
There were forty-seven performances OF
Italian operas, not including two Of Mozart.
Only seven performances of French opera
were heard, while Germans, outside Of
Wagner, had twenty-five. Half Of these
,root 30 anIi,nlP uyhNco NhQ rTninn
little fairy opera was one Of the genuine
successes Of the season.
No novelties were produced. The re-
vivals consisted Of "Hansel und Grstel,'
1.-THE Queen of sheba, Marta, L Son
nambuia" and The Gypsy Baron And
all this cost $4,000 a week more than. opera
under Maurice Grau.
Let us by way Of instructive comparison
refer to one Of the typical seasons Of this
.niggardly and inartistio i~mpresario, who
never made any proclamations about ar
tistic ideals, but simply advertised the
highest priced singers in the world. Take
for example the season of 1Se9-i9o0. In
that year Mr.. Grau gave thirty operas in
1O2 performances. The list consisted OF
the following works, brought forward In
the order named; =
Romeo ct Juliette," Carmen lie
Nozze di Figaro Faust -~Lohengrin,'
II Barbiere di Siviglia,' Don Giovanni"
I'll Trovatore,' AIDA Die Walkdre,'
Der Fliegende Hollander,' "Mignon,'
"Don PasquaIe,' LIE Prophetic" Tam
hauser,' "Pagliaoci,' "Cavalleria Rus
%ticana,' die Meistersinger,' la Ira
viata, LES Huguenots,' 'Das Rheingold,'
4~L'Africaine," "Siegfried,' 'G0tterdam-
merung, " Tristan und Isolde, "Rigoletto.'
Lucia merry Wives Of Windsor -Fi-
delio," III Flauto Magioo.'
And yet it cost SIC, 900 a week less to
present such a list as that than it does to
present such a one as the operagoers Of this
town have had in the recent season. Itcost
$40 900 a week less to give Die Walkure'
with Nine. Nordica as Brinnhlde, Nine.
Ternina az Sieglinde, Mime. sohumann-
Heink as Frickd, Ernest van Dyck as Sieg-
mund, Van Rooy as WotdH and Lempriere
Pringle as Hundin1. 1t cost $4,000 a week
less to give Don Giovanni with Nordica,
Fursch-Madi, Sembrich, Maurel and Ed
Guard de Reszke than to give it with Nor
dica, Sembrich, Jomelli, Scott and Gourmet.
1t cost SIC, 900 a week less to give Faust
with Jean and Edouard de Reszke, Las
sale. Melba and Mantelh h 1t does to give
it with Caruso, Eames, Jacoby, Scott and
Plancon. 1t cost $40 900 a week less TO give
Christian und Isolde" with Jean and Ed
Guard de Reszke, Bispham. Lehman and
Marie Brema than it does to give it with
Burgstaller, Blass, Van Rooy, Nordica and
Walker.
1t is a good thing once in a while to look
facts souarely in the face. II 1t costs the
present management so muchm more to give
casts so ~indisputably inferior, then it would
be well to get back to the older and cheaper
method Of giving opera
Finally in his report Mr.. Conried oonfesses
that all his promises Of adequate re-
hearsal and perfect artistic representations
can never be fulfilled. Every n who
knew anything about the conditions under
which opera is given in this country told
him when he took the Metropolitan that he
could not carry out these promises, but he
was quite sure hat he could.
Now he throws up the sponge and admits
that there is no place in the house for proper
rehearsals and that they cannot be held
ANYHOW in the midst of a season which calls
for such q number Of performances in a
week.
There is no time for rehearsals. There
never was. There never will be-, The best
opera that can be given in the Metropolitan
is all-star opera, and that can be given for
$40, 900 a week less than the limping, stag
gering sort Of thing that has been going on
there for the last three seasons.
w. j. HENDERSON,.