New-York tribune., 1908-03-21
MUSIC.
METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE.
Beethoven's Opera in a New Dress.

Beethoven's Opera IN New Dress
The production Of "Fideio'' :ast night with novs
and sumptuous stage furniture and with new de-
vices designed TO augment the dramatic ef1ective-
of Beethovens only opera recalls several IN
cdents in it's history which deserve to be or~osht
into connection with the concluding act OF MI
Conrfed as director Of the Metropolitan Opera
House and the most noteworthy OF Ar. Mahiers
achievements this season To the composer
'F'idelio" was child of that fact Is known
to every student of musical history. On its firs-
production it failed disn1ay. With his heart
strings Beethoven yielded to the arguments
and prayers of his friends and revised MS score
In the new form It was revived and MADE oe,ter
impression. but the composer quarreiieo WIFI
his manager ard withdrew his opera from the
Vienna theatre He offered it to Berlin and 1t was
rejected. For years ii slept: then II was taken
in hand again by the composer and adapted to
revised text By this time four overtures had been
written for it. the second of which is that familiar
concert under the title 'Leonore
No. g." Again it brought forward, and this
time the world swoke to an appreciation OF It's
splendor Since 1914 It's has almost been the
ineffable word for the serious musician But sor-
row and disaster have followed upon innumerabie
to habilitate it in the opera houses OF the
world. When German opera took possession OF the
Metropolitan Opera House DR.. Damrosch MADE
haste produce it; but the financial results were
so drefu that two years later 1t was only upon
the urgent entreaty of some of the artists and
their friends that Mr.. Stanton consented to put
season
the manager to his petitioners. III I give 1t once
1 give twice, for have two Leonoras in
my company. and there must be no quarrel so
he gave the opera with Fraulen Brandt as the
heroine Friday, and with Fraulein Lehman
the following Wednesday. Mr.. Seidl conduct
ed, NIeIann the Fforestan. Frau Seidl-
krauss Marcelline, Robinson Pizarro and Fischer
Rocco. The enthusiasm boundless. though the
silly laugh Of a in Of the boxes at the
first performance disconnected Fraulein Brandt
at the beginning of the duet in the dungeon scene
that she broke down in tears and Mr.. Sefdl had
to begin over again. Now the popular interest
was so great that Mr. Stanton gave extra per
formance with Fraulen Lehman. and when the
record of the season was made up 10! Beethoven's
opera led all the rest in average receipts and at
tendance, though Tristan und Isolde was the
great novelty Of the year. Since then the opera
has been revived again and again. bat the people
always apathetic-
This the local story. No doubt every Euro
pean capital could also furnish bit Of romance
TO match ii. A few years ago Mr. Mailer brought
the out in Vienna with the help Of Professor
Roller. who designed scenery for it and GER
tain mechanical devices which Mr.. Mailer wished
introduce to enhance the dramatic effect of the
work. What these were will appear presently, for
nearly all Of them duplicated with painstakins
in the representation at the Metropolitan last
night Now complete the narrative Of some OF the
operas vcissitudes it Needs only to be added that
despite the elaborateness and Costliness OF the ne"
rnise-en-scene at the Austrian Court Opera, Herr
Weingartner, who is Mr.. Mahler's successor there.
sgnalized his advent director by restoring
the old scenery well the traditional treat
nlent of the score And Beethoven's opera,
which celebrates in loftiest phase. is again
an apple of discord in the city in which it first
light of the stage lamps What will be its
fate in New York? The question was not an
sHered by the performance OF last night and
the reception of it by the audience; there must be
a solution Of the problem created by the change OF
management before forecast can be made, for
the Metropolitans affairs IN sadly muddled
state and the season will come TO an end BEFORE
the artistic experiment be fairly tried One
thing was proved by the elaborate stage furnish
ings provided for the opera. and that is that MT
Conried has a laudably serious purpose in the en-
gagennent Of Mt Mailer a conductor. But 1t was
made equally manifest that Mr.. Conried has per-
rnitted important artistic elements in his es
tabIishment TO sink to level that is positively
disgracefu to the opera house, and that this fact
will initiate against the complete success Of the
few representations which the opera is likely to
receive within the next fortnight AS for the
future, it is yet shrouded in darkness almost as
impenetrabIe as that which yelled the stage at the
beginning Of the second act last night
OF the novel features in the version of Fl
deo"-for such the innovations practically make
it-those which will be readily recognized by the
public belong to the scenic department. Hereto
fore three have suficed and as rule the
opera has been played in three acts, SO that no
change of scene with open curtain was necessary.
In MI Mahler's arrangement there is return to
has two scenes, and the changes accompanied
by between-acts music will appear presently
The domestic incidents of Jacquinos wooing and
what follows up to the entrance OF Pizarro with
the guard used to take place in the courtyard of
the prison; in the new version they take place In
room in the home of Rocco, the jailer 1t is
beautifully constructed scene, though simple in
subject, and it Is scarcely open to question that
the music gains in effectiveness by the intimacy
created by the modest picture The announcement
of he arh or is by
ing of the curtain, which is not opened until the
march TO which the guards supposed TO enter
the courtyard is finished The picture is dis
closed the last chords are played. 1t Is STU
pendous pile of masonry that coafronts the spec
tator and the stroke upon the eye is much greater
under the circumstances than it would have been
had II been disclosed on the conclusion OF the
overture To the right of the spectator massive
tower rises and is lost to sight In the stage flies.
It not to be painting. but a veritable
structure and the heavy stone walls are imposing,
almost awful in their effect To the left there is
a lower wall over archway, above which
small patch OF sky is visible to the spectators sit
ting TO the right of the middle OF the house To
nearly half the audience. however there is no evil
dence beyond that which be adduced from the
architecture that the is in the open and the
joy OF the prisoners under the frowning walls
being permitted again to enjoy sunlight and air
seems TO have little justification. But such Choir
listers as sang the prisoners song last night
deserved release from their dungeons. a wofui
outrage was that which they perpetrated against
the wonderful music
There is the usual pause between the two acts
When next the curtain parts il discoses the dun
gron in which Florestan lies chained Here Pro-
fessor Roller has preceded with an eye so wholly
the picturesque that he has contradicted
only tradition but the text well. The old stage
directions call for "a dark subterranean dungeon"
but and over again the characters speak OF the
49,, nj" 1hs1 .hiob~