Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-02-29

| ments But I would like TO name as
| some of the things accomplished the
| first performance in this city of Par
! sital,' the first in this country of
| Richard Strauss Salome, the first of
Madam Butterfly. and then there Is
long list of first performances and
| REVEALS, the complete scenic equip
ment Of which was new and the pro-
| ductioH OF which was equal in work
| and strain to the mounting of an en-
! urey new work. This list includes
| Wagner's 'Rhengold, 'Wallluere.'
'Siegfried,' 'Goetterdaemmerung,' 'Ha-
| ensel and Gretel, 'Meistersinger,' Fly
| ing Dutchman' and Queen of Sheba.
Aida Manon Lescaut,' 'Adrienna Lee
couvrcur, Fedora. Don Giovanni
'L'Africaine,' Tannhaeuser'-and so
on; the list of newly prepared produce
tons is a long one
And, instead OF asking the audience
to wait until the end of the season for
its few novelties. as was the case
duling the Grau regime, L have man
aged to give these during the early
part of each. operate year.
Then there was the establishment
of the opera school, which has sue
ceeded in making it possible to have
excellent Chorusses i'm 'Meistersinger'
the pupils of which have appeared to
excellent advantage as the flower
maidens in 'Parsfal.'
And now, Mr.. Conried, having TAX
en- this look backward on the eve.
approximately, of your retirement
from the fray, take a look forward
and say what you think the outlook
for opera is here in New York.
Il think" answered Mr.. Conred
very seriously, that. stimulated by
the performances of opera that have
been given during the last few years
ut the Metropolitan, the public's in
terest in opera has grown very much.
They do not cry unintelligently for
stars alone. but their musical taste
has been so educated that they demand
and expect Il perfection of ensemble
cast of stars that produces a work
perfectly as a whole. And so the
musical taste of the great masses has
been raised to a higher plane. This
is great stride forward in musical
education and bodies well for opera
here in the future"
But do you think" asked the re-
porter, that this city win ever again
have less than two big opera COM
panies?"
yes, think New York will have
but one-and that one is the Metropolis
tan. 1t Is impossible To sustain prop
erly two Institutions of equal artistic
eminence, for IN the first place there
IRE not enough artists available, and
in the second place there is not nu-
merous enough opera-going public 10
patronizc two permanent houses for
seasons Of 20 weeks each.
The great public has no idea" con-
tinued Mr. Conried. what fortune
Is involved In grand opera these days.
TO conduct season of % weeks re-
quires $I50.000 for salaries alone. Last
season the total expenses of this Or
Eani2ation in the Metropolitan aggre-
gated $l471 900. So, you see the Civ
ing Of grand opera here is not child's
play In finances.
y remember here Mr.. Conried
set TO musing- that when / accented
the directorship of the metropolitan,
Maurice Grnu sent me cable, In
when he congratulated me In It's first
line and then pitled me In it's final
words. He knew--as | know now,
but as no other man knows who has
not ATTEMPTED this task of giving
grand opera-that the nervous strain
viii drain the life and force of any
man who nils this chair"