Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-17

produced this season at Budapest No
opera house Is more active In the produc-
ton OF novelties than that Of Budapest
Artistic standard in Paris.
Paris Is wondering whether or not the
new directors Of the Grand opera will at
tempt to raise the artistic level Of the es-
tablishment, which has become a laughing
stock Of Europe Pedro GaAhard, In spite
/ Of the mediocre character OF the perform
ances, is believed to have made a fortune.
Merit played a very small part In the en-
gagement Of the woman singers. The
places were In the market, and the singers
who could pay for them were engaged. The
influence back Of a singer we're considered
much more important than her art or her
voice, and Gallhard during his ten years OF
management never failed to take advantage
Of this state OF affairs.
The small number of famous singers
that have appeared there In recent years
is sufficient proof OF the way he managed
the theater. Messenger and Broussan have
promised to improve the forces of the
theater and see to It that the only artistic
performances of opera in Paris shall not
be given at the Opera Comique or the pri-
vate theaters.
NJ. Broussan is the director Of the Grand
theater at Lyons, and has made it one Of
the most noted opera houses in Europe.
During his first season he mounted the
"NIbelungen Ring" and Puccini's La DO
heme.' He put on GluclSs "Armide" dur
ing the second year Of his management,
and later produced Massenets lie Jon
gleur de Notre Dame" Tristan and Is
olde" and operas by DIndy. lie Borne and
Bazzari.
Messenger has been conductor and as
sociate director Of the Opera Comique for
the last eight years, and is a composer Of
agreeable light music. He has recently
been director at Covent Garden. That
would never be accounted n test of his
artistic ability, however
He Is now IS. He studied music first in
a religious school and later played the or
gan at St. Sulpice. Such a combination
ought to lift the National Academy of
Music, as II is called from the artistic
depth into which Gailhard brought It.
Debussys "Peleas ct Melisande" had
never until recently been performed out
side the Opera Comique because the diff
culties Of the work were so great and it's
popularity so uncertain that no impresario
was willing to undertake 1t. Now the OPP
era has been performed with success at
the Theater de la Monnaie in Brussels.
hithi NhihN4A Se1iAb AiAS WV VI AbAAAoSAg WIZ
ten for her.
The same theater has recently produced
the first and second parts Of Berlioz's
Les Troyens," which has been almost too
much Of a problem for any theater. Felix
Motif gave the opera at the Berlioz festival
he organized in Carlsruhe, but elsewhere
1t has remained unknown to the operate
stage.
Emma Calve recently lost more money
through one Of her freaks. In Dresden she
refused to sing in Carmen" with a Ger
man tenor, and the impresario brought
suit against the prima donna, who has just
been compelled to reimburse him for his
loss.
Wagner in Italy,
Both Tristan and Isolde" and "Goetter-
daemmerung" have been produced in Italy
this winter. "Goetterdaemmerung," given
in Rome, had not previously been heard
there for nine years Signor Borgau, who
has acquired fame in Italy as the best Of
Tristans, sang that role when the former
opera was performed at La Scala in Milan.
La Gioconda," which has been sung dur
ing the season at La Scala, has been the
most successful of all the operas heard
there, although Maria Gay has also made a
success with her realistic Carmen. Gior-
dano's Fedora" continues to enjoy great
popularity in Italy
Leopoldo Mugnone, who is to be the next
Italian conductor at the Metropolitan
opera house, opened the season at the San
Carlo, where he is now conducting with
La Damnation de Faust" Franchettis
musical setting of d'Annuncio's La Figlia
de Jorio" has not proved successful. Leon
cavallo is working on an opera to be called
The Red Shirt" and the scenes are laid
at Trieste in the year 1866.
Celea's next work is to be Gloria, Z"
which will be sung this month at La Scala.
His "Adrlana Lecouvreur" will probably
not be sung at the Metropolitan this sea-
son. Hercla Darclee, who is dividing the
winter between Spain and Italy, recently
sang Violetta in Naples.
The queen of italy has recently forbidden
the orchestras in the opera houses to in
terrupt the performance to play the royal
march when the sovereign enters the
theater.
Massenet arranged the opera OF
"Werther" for Battistini so that the title
role could be sung by a baritone. Jean de
Raske appeared in It here and Battstinl
has been singing the part in Italy this
winter
Failure I'm London.
The German opera season at Covent
Garden in London might have been mod
erately successful but for the extra per-
! tormances. The misfortunes that overlook
/ the troupe were also in part the result of
the high prices paid TO some of the artists.
! The season was organized by a London
syndicate interested in German opera and
anxious to give the works Of Wagner some
! what more conspicuous place in the roper
/ toire than has recently been assigned 10
! them at Covent Garden. Ernest Van Dyke
who undertook the direction of the season
/ is said 70 have his eyes on the post now
/ held by Henry Higgins as managing di-
/ rector Of Covent Garden, and he wanted to
show what he could do as impresarlo. The
/ performances were praised, but there was
no possibility OF making the venture sue.
! cessful even with the guarantee fund
]