The sun., 1908-06-14
NOTES or OPERA IN EUROPE
FRENCH CLASSIC REVIVED
Ar THE PARIS OPERA.

4 a Sho FsoCNAshOtiS--Nt t}DW hesstAh &VhotS-
ture singer-Rnssian Artists Failure
-D'Aibert ~ Composer and virtuoso
| The new direction Of the Paris Opera has
shown great activity in keeping its prom
ises. Rameau's @Hippolyte ct Arloie,
which had not been heard for years. was
recently sung there. The worhNp possesses
now only historic In terest, and as IL was
performed as nearly as possible in the
manner OF tho oomposer's day no modern
eiements were present to attract the public.
| Rameau's opera. which is now ITS years
old. will DO kept In the repertoire Of the
Opera. although no more attempts will be
maee In field Of Interpretation 90 unsuited
to the powers Of the artists now In tho COM
pany. Lucienne Breval was the only singer
who came through the ordeal with honors.
Mary Garden has made her first appear
arce at this National Academy OF Music,
singing in "Thais." Her second appear
| ance was great success. and critics find
| that her voice has grown even more beauti-
| ful since she returned to France. She will
also sing Ophelie in Hamlet" at the Opera
before she closes her season In July.
Massenet seems more In the ascendency
to-day than at any previous time In his
| career. "Thais" will be sung next season
Ia almost every important opera house in
Europe after seven or eight y ears Of neglect.
Even 1Ariape.' one of the musical spec
tacies which he prepared two years ago
for the Opera. il meeting with moro sue
cess than 1t was ever thought to deserve.
Next season 1t will be sung In Italy, and
opera houses in all the principal French
| cities have already accepted 1t.
Perhaps the music that Massenet writes
lies within the powers Of the present day
prtma donnas better than that of some
other composers, and It has been true since
the days OF "Esclarmonde" that no other
composer gave them such opportunities
+! to display other qualities which are more
natural endowments than bel canto.
AAriane' Is provided with a text from
the pen OF Massenet's sympathetic col
laborator, Catulle Mendes. 1t is In five
acts and deals with the NEUROLOGICAL
episode Of the love Of Aridne for Theseus.
The opera is full Of opportunities for
beautiful spectacle and abounds in the
French ibrettists are masters. II was
under consideration for the Metropolitan.
but Is now among those controlled ex-
clusively by Oscar Hammerstein. -Manon,'
which is to be sung at the Metropolitan. is
an old work and is no longer protected
When Signor Bonci made his first ap-
pearance in Paris, where he met with great
success, new Italian coloratur soprano
was In the same concert with him. This
was Isabella Svicher, who selected the
mad scene from Lucia d. Lamnermoor'
and "Caro Nome from SRigoletto' as the
best examples Of what she can do.
She made q sensational success and Is
hailed as one OF the greatest oolorature
sopranos ever heard In Paris. She is still
young and her discovery has not been
delayed 30 long as in some notable cases
Last fall she made her first appearance in
Rome at the Constanz, and since that time
has been regarded as the first Of colorature
SINGERS in Italy.
Gazette, have, accepted Jean Blocks ala
Princesse d'Auberge" which is promised
next season at the Manhattan. Geraldine
Farrar is to sing in "Manon' at the Opera
Comique.
The composer Of lie Clown" In which
amateur named Camodo, who pays all the
expenses OF producing his operas, even to
guaranteeing the salaries of the singers
Victor Capoul is the author of the text
OF the work. which has this time met with
more success than at its first production.
Then II was sung for one performance only.
"Maja.' Leoncavallos g new opera, will be
given at the Opera Comioue in October
Maria Gay recently sang Carmen there at
two performances and her realism is said
to have shocked the Parisians.
The Russian opera singers sent from
st. Petersburg by the munifioence Of
wealthy and patriotic amateur do not seem
to have met with success either in Paris
or Berlin. In the German capital the
financial loss was out Of all proportion to
the artistic character Of the performances,
since some Of the singers were worthy of
all praise.
The chorus Of mems voices was, as might
have been expected. the most admirable
part Of the performances. and the conductor
Of the orchestra the least satisfactory.
Glinka's 4Life for the Car was of course
produced by the company, and there were
Tschaikowsky.
More modern specimens included .Du-
little favor. The orchestra, which was
a local organization, contributed most
effectively TO the fiasoo Of the engagement.
Nothing. however, could have interfered |
with the triumphant success Of the Royal
House in St. Petersburg. Public and |
critics alike were enthusiastic over the |
beauty and the technical skill Of the dancers,
Felix Weingartner has refused to allow |
Selma Kurz. oolorature soprano Of the |
ba aGss ss Gns Of a.a the artists
to go to Paris to sing there In a benefit |
for the French troops In Morocco. FrAu.in |
Kurz Ia the only singer in her school at the |
Vienna Opera and her services were re- |
Guired there.
The intendant OF the Imperial Opera |
House, Prince Montenuovo, supported the |
orders Of Herr Weingartner, who is deter !
mined to maintain discipline in the ranks |
of his company. Il Ia extremely improb- |
able that Fraulein Kurz will be allowed to |
come to the Metropolitan next winter, as her |
contract in Vienna has still q year to run.
Eugen d'Albert has not appeared as a |
virtuoso since the success Of "Tiefand,"
and he has recently written to q German
newspaper to deny that he was O pianist
before he became a composer or ever
thought Of being q virtuoso.
"When first went to Franz Lszt," he
wrote, Il was 20 years old and played for
the master q composition OF my own, a
suite. Liszt who spoke admiringly Of |
what had played to him. expressed his |
wonder that did not follow the career of
pianist.
aHe insisted that ] must show my skill
In a concert hall. Until that time I had
supposed that all composers played lust
as we'll as did and that played In lust
the way that they did.
at was my meeting with Liszt, the ad-
miration he expressed for my playing
and the unusual qualities that he profeesed
to find In it that led to my success as