Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-22

| Gailhard. was expiring So to make good
impression he hastily took up this THAI
| mara
Opera Failed First Night.
1t was magnlficently staged-as is every
thing at the Paris Grand Opera And
every care was lavished on IT. Singers.
chorus and orchestra fought against the
score; but ''Thamara' was produced and
failed so ANONYMOUSLY that single night
/ that II was thought TO be buried forever
But, note, IT had one representation. It
has right to three. 1t is these two others
that NJ. Gailhard is going to give 1t next
November.
At the same time II is perfectly well
known that certain new operas by great
composers are now going begging In Paris.
Massanet has a "Therese" all ready to
the libretto of Jules Claretie. Alfred Bru-
neau Is waiting around with a "Lazarre,"
words by Emile lola. Xavier Leroux has
a "Theodora' which will probably be
brought out at Monte Carlo And Pucinni,
after having rejected "Cyrano." has made
Pierre Louys' La Femme ct lie Pantin'
into an opera.
French geniuses, "Thamara," the "Ronde
des Saisons," the Fills de rEtoile" and
"Lancelot" practically sum up the past
decade. The director of the Paris opera is
In possession of unique public, at once
knowing and careless. Its floating hale
Is composed of simple signtseers. Its fixed
part will tolerate old things with the ut
most complaisance. while its judgment OF
new things is of immense severity. And
this is the explanation of the chestnut syss
tenn
The year 1866. as | have already men,,
toned saw but one novelty-the famous
'Ronde des Saisons'' The preceding year
also saw but one-the Fills de rEtoile" Of
Granger. that had a very decent run of
twenty-three representations. In that
same se1son. also. they brought out for
limo Do usn, . h. r-is
tan ct Isolde" of Wagner And il had iust
five representations.
Reliable Cid Favorites.
Yet during the same year Gounod's
Faust" had passed its 1.OOoth representa-
ton on the stage of the Paris Opera.
Gounod's Romeo ct Juliette" had passed
its 234th representation, Mozarts Don
Juan" its 333d, Rossini's William Tell"
its s45th; Saint-Saens Samson ct DELLA"
its 201st; Verdis Aida" its 232d. his Rig
oletto." its Goth; Wagner's "Lohengrin,'
its 236th, his ''Tannhauser." its 1J0th; Mey-
erbeer's 'Prophete," its J51st, and his Les
Hugucnots," its 1.023d representation on
the stage of the Paris Grand Opera.
II is a debatable question which is the
greatest money producer, the ''Hugue-
nots" or Faust but there is no shadow
OF doubt that, taken together. these reliablar
old favorites can always be depended on to
draw enormously bigger audiences to the
Paris Grand Opera that any present-day
novelty. from no matter what land.
During the past year it was .Faust's
that had the banner representation. real-;
izing $4,000, the highest receipts of the boz
office for 1866 The year previous it was
the ''Huguenots' twice running. with S4,-i
600 and 1910. respectively. The practical
coincidence Of the sums will indicate that
the house was each time completely filed
the seats and boxes of annual subscribers,
of course, not being included. Were they
estimated, these receipts would be raised
enormously. STERLING HELLO.