New-York tribune., 1908-08-16
copyright. 1905. by H E KrehbieD

j
period Of three years. from 1881 to lSSo ana a.
order 10 cover the ground shall leave out What
sppertains to the repetition OF works incorPoIateu
IN the repertory of the Metropolitan opera HOUSE
during the preceding three seasons
The period was eventful one ana nlafkeu 1ie
Highwater of achievement and also OF popuiaflt!
OF the German regime. but also the beginning o1
the dissatisfaction OF the boxholders. which result
ed years later in return 10 the 1tallah IoIih-
II witnessed the introduction of the King OF the
Nfbeluug" in its integrity and illustrated in sur
prising manner the superior attractveness OF Mag
uer's dramas the rest of the operate list Out
side Of Nibeung dramas it brought two absolute
novelties the knowledge of the public and re-
vived several old operas Of large historical and
artistic Significance which had either never been
heard all in New York, or heard so long ago
that all memory OF them had faded from the pub
ne-nind. 1t the light Of competition flicker
out completely at the Academy of Music. and after
year of darkness 1t beheld the dawn of Italian
rivalry in what had become the home OF German
art.
Twenty operas were brought forward in the first
three years OF the German regime. They were
.@fannhauser" "F1delio." Les Huguenots.'' Der
Frieschdtz'' ''W.Iliam TELL ''Lohengrin." Don
Giovanni" THE Prophet 1'Masauiello.' "Rigo-
letto" la Juive" Die walkdre' Carmen
The Queen of shebs.' die Meistersinger." Ri
enzi," Aida" " 'Das Goldene Kreutz," Tristan und
Isolde and Merlin" On / have down
the titles in the language in which they live in the
popular mouth in order TO avoid what might seem
like affectation 1 to the German form
always in the story simply because the Italian and
French works sung in GERMANY Additions
TO the list in the Of 1SS7-'8S were 'Sieg
fried" Der Trompeter Won Sakkingen." 'Eu-
'ryaathe.' Ferdinand Cortez' and GOtterdammer
ung''; in the OF 1885 So 'IAfrlcaine.' 'Das
Rheingold" and II Trovatore": in 1SSe-'9o 'Des
Fliegende HoIlander' I'm Ballo in Maschera."
Norma and Der Barber Bagdad-'
The record OF the last two years indicated
falling of in energy, but though it caused disaffec
-aa
with the activities of the establishment twenty
years later under much more favorable circuH-
stances. For the last of the three seasons under
discussion additions to what was called by
courtesy the established list had been promised;
but counting in Norma" "a special performance
for the benefit Of Liln Lehmann) and The Flying
Dutchman." which had been promised only by i'm
plicaton in the plan Of a serial representation Of
agner's works. only four additions were made.
Two causes operated toward the disappointing out
come One was epidemic of influenza which
prevailed during the greater part OF the winter and
caused much embarrassment TO the singers; the
other was the ineffciency Of the chorus-a defect
which has not yet been reTledied. but was greater
in the season Is07-0S than a decade earlier
-'OtelIo" in readiness far as the principals
were concerned, but the chorus consumed so much
time restudying old works that II had TO be aban-
doned; also I,alo's lie Roy d'Ys-" Though the
stockholders were giving opera themselves for
themselves. they took steps toward making 1t
a permanent institution. Their decision TO give
German opera made from year TO year, and
the end Of every season brought WITH il practically
q complete disruption OF the company There had
q reorganization each fall The directors
were unwilling TO give their own manager the de-
gree OF permanence which they bestowed without
hesitation upon lessee. and the policy of the house
thus kept continually in controversy. The fact
is that the activities Of the Germans were not 10
the taste of the stockholders who getting ser-
ous art where they were looking for fashionable
diversion This became painfully obvious when the
Of rba ants off hox
the institution such degree that the directors
were compelled TO administer a public rebuke TO
themselves and their associates and stigma was
placed upon the institution from which It has 'suf
fered very unjustly. since But a discussion
Of these incidents be more intelligently and
proitably introduced later in this narrative.
The fourth German season began on November ?
1887 and ended on February 49, 1855, and consisted
Of forty-seyen subscription nights, sixteen subscrp
ton matneeS extra matinee In all four
teen operas produced The two Wagnerian
novelties. ''G0tterdammerung'' and ''Siegfried,"
were the most popular features of the season, the
latter being given seven times though it the
last of the seasons productions. II brought into
the treasury total Of s30324. average of
s4sS2. and heard by audiences averaging 2.S1.
II ''Siegfred" was good second. It had nine weeks
advantage Of ''Ci0tterdammerung' and per
formed eleven times with total receipts amounting
TO SS7.l24 So or average Of 1884 90 Pursued BY
its old fatality. 'Fidelo" dropped 10 the foot of
the list with four performances, which yielded only
1
OF which Sls0Os7 "a came from the box Office sales
and subscriptions, s17o1So from the stockholders
assessment Of $3.50 each box, and s5l,5s3 from
rentals This assessment was only $4,000 more than
the cost Of maintaining the Opera House, which
about s146Co. The staging Of new operas cost
s7s.727 p more than half OF which expended
on Spontint's Ferdinand Cortez-' The scenery
for 'Segfried' had been purchased the year before
and also the costumes for that drama and "G0tter-
damrnerung" The principal members Of the
pany were LiIu Lehman. Marianne Brandt. Au-
Euste Seidl-T<rauss. BRO di Marion. Louise Meis-
stinger Albert Niemann. Max Avary, Emil
Fischer, Adolf Robinson. Rudolph Milde. Jo-
hannes Elmblad. Herr Ferenczy and Herr Ale1i
The first American representation OF Wagner's
'SieEfried-' took place November Q. 1857. Anton
seidl conducted and the parts were distributed as
follows: Siegfried, Max Avary; Mime. Herr Fe-
renczy: der Wanderer. Emil Fisher; Alberich, Ru-
dolph Milde; Fafner. Johannes Elmblad; Erda
Marianne Brandt: Briinnhilde. Iilli Lehman;
Stimme des Wadvogels. Auguste Seidl-Krauss.
The production CT this drama invitation
20 the people Of New York 10 take the longest and
most decisive step away from the ordinary
ventions Of the lyric theatre that had yet been
asked them. time Il seemed foolishIy pre-
sumptiye TO attempt prediction OF what the
sponse would be. A season before Tristan und
Isolde" mad been received with great favor and
under conditions which cid admit a question
OF the honesty ana intelligence Of the apprecia-
lion. This encouraging TO the lovers OF wag-
ner's dramas but the difference between opera
OF the ordinary type and Tristan und Isolde is
not great between Tristan und Isolde and
.'Siegfried' notwithstanding that In the love trag
edy Wagner took as uncompronaising stand
ever did Greek poet, and hewed 10 the lines of
lis theoretical scheme with answering fidelity.
the subject matter of the drama lies distInc-
fion. Despite the absence OF the ethical element
which places ''Tannhauser'' immeasuraby higher
than Tristan" as a dramatic poem. the latter
drama con1ains an expression Of the universal
zr4af SC xenH trzIT1 fri and