New-York tribune., 1908-08-09

opera .erln.. and the coming and going OF Aioert
Niemann; secondary IN Importance were the pro-
ducfion of Wagners ''Renz with "hieh i"es $50. e /.
nected the return of Anton Schoft to the rahss o. o.
the company. the surprising triumph VI
and the production of Brtii's opera. Das goioohe
Kreutz' and the ballet Vienna Waltzes tristan
und Isolde was brought forward on becehioei l.
1885, under the direction OF Anton seioi- Inc us
tributon of characters was as foiio"s' iiis' =.
Albert Niemann; Isolde. Ll Lehmann:, Kong
Marke Emil Fischer; KUrwenal. Adolf kopns"H'
Melot Rudolph Won Afiide; Brangane. Marianne
Brandt: Elm Hirt Otto Kerllitz; Steuermann Emil
Sanger Sen,ann, Max Alvary- The 1nterestihs
character of the occurrence was fuiiy appreclateu
by the public, and the drama was seen ana hea u
by a remarkable assembly. The last seat had oeen
sold four davs before and the vast audience room
was crowded in every portion. The tenseness o.
the attention almost painful ana the eiiece @ o
Herr Niemanns acting in the climax OF the TIM u
act was so vivid that an experienced actress VINO
sat in baignor my elbow grew faint ana ai
most swooned. At the request OF MI S'al'oii' %
Mr. Seidl he never ventured again TO expose the
wound in his breast. though the act Is 3ustiieu' -
not demanded by the text The enthusiasm ai'Vi
the first act was tremendous. The performers cdiio
forward three times after the fall of the curtain
e,d ,bar Mr. seidl who had the greenest
larrels that had yet crowned him, was caloo upon
to join them, and twice more the curtain i"se
enable the performers TO receive the popular 'liO
,,te Five recalls after an act would have meant
nothing AN'-A-NN-4
II u,as of vast meaning here. The reception ae-
corded Wagners love drama was not soch ah
one as comes from an audience easily pieaSsu % ,
attracted by curiosity alone 1t told OF Keen anu
lofty enjoyment and undissuised confession OF tie
Dover of the drama The applause came after the
last note of the orchestral postludes. Inc draiia
was nerformed eight times in seven WEEKS anu
took its place as the most popular WORK III ."o
rener,orv though in average attendance 1t fell a
trife short of the three representations OF L L
delio which also served to sgnal1Ze the season.
shall have something to say presently aOou'
IIsrr Nien1ann and a criticism of his interpreta-
tton of the character of the hero of the Tragedy
can be spared. From histrionc point OF we"
it has been equalled only by his performances Oh
siegn,und and Tannhauser; nothing else mas
shown such stature that mas been witnessed oli
the operatic stage of New York. Nor has ms
defamation of the been equalled though
the compelling charm of Wagner's melody was
potently presented years later by Jean de Reszke'
Herr Niemann was long past the prime OF lie
when he came to New York, and when he went
back to Berlin after his last visit there was very
little left Of his public career; but the youngest
artist In the company might have envied him the
vhole-souled enthusiasm with which he set about
his tasks How completely he dedicated himself
70 the artistic duty was illustrated when, IN the
season of lSS7-'SS ne realized what had been the
ambition Of years and gave first performance or
Siegfried in ''Ci6tterdammerung." He had studied
the mart dozen years before in the hope OF ap-
nearing in II at the first Bayreuth festival: but
Wagner did not want the illusion spoiled by pre-
sentine the actor of Siegmund one evening as
the actor Of Siegfried another: and Niemann's
siegmund a masterpiece that must not be