Omaha daily bee., 1908-08-30

Let us consider for a moment the perform
aaces OF "Parsifal' and "Lohengrin" of
August 4 and 5. The Parsifal was Burrian,
who was as interesting as a wooden Indian.
Edyth Walker as Kundry forced out pierre
ing high notes and acted like a woman
scorned even before the stainless knight re-
jected her.
The American was Clarence Whitehill,
formerly of Mr.. Savidge' forces, a re-
spectacle, honest performer without dis
tinction. The Klingsor, Berger. was a
mediocrity. All the small parts except the
first and second flower girls CFrieda Hem
pei and Bella Alten) were in much worse
hands that at the Metropolitan. Carl Braun
sang Titurel with a noble tone. and there
was one superb Interpretation, that OF
Gurnemanz by DR., Felix Won Kraus. Here
indeed is an ideal Wagnerian interpreter.
a singer of glorious art with a sonorous
and pliable bass voice Of beautiful quality
and a mastery of emission, phase and
enunciatlon guided by a complete and
poetic appreciation Of Wagner's drama. If
Bayreuth could provide a cast of such
singers it would be beyond criticism, but
DR.. Won Kraus was alone, and the super
iority OF his art did not seem to impress
itself upon the audience.
In "Lohengrin" the principals were even
worse. Mime. Fleischer-Edel who achieved
a brilliant failure at the Metropolitan,
sang Elsa. She has improved backward
with great rapidly. DR.. Won Barry, a fat
and plegmatic tenor with a good voice
and a most deplorable ignorance of the
art Of singing, was the Lohengrin. Max
DAWSON Of Hamburg, was a marvellously
bad Telramund. Edyth Walker played
havoc with the music OF Ortrud, but Allen
Hinckley, a young American, sang the
King respectfully. The best singing was
that OF Nicola Ceise-Winkel Of Hamburg,
as the Herald. In so far as the principals
were concerned the performance was below
the standard set in America by the Castle
Square opera company.
But now let us see the other side Of the
picture. ''Parsifal' was conducted by D..
Muck, lately conductor OF the Boston Sym
pnony orchestra HIS direction of the
work was that of a master. The scenery
and management OF the stage and the
groupings OF the people were quite as good
as they were in New York, but not better.
The orchestra was excellent, but not flaw
less, and the well known effect Of the
sunken and hooded orchestra pit had rs
usual value. The chorus, picked from the
best material Of Berlin, Breslau. Dresden
and half a dozen other cities, sang magnii-
Gently. Such accurate i~ntonation, such
phraslng. such enunciation. are never heard
in New York.
Siegfried Wagner conducted "Lohengrin'
in a style best described as lOose-jointed
There was no firmnes in his grip OF hi
forces. and precision and unanimiiy wsr,
both frequently absent from the perform
ance. But the staging OF the opera, 70.
which Mr.. Wagner was chiefly responsible
was beautiful and even inspiring. Tn
scenery was designed not only with grea
stagecraft, but with a fine feeling 70
pictorial art, and the rich and harmoniou
color scheme Of the costumes was admir-
able.
The arrangement or the action OF tn.
many people on the stage was worthy o
the study OF stage managers all over tn
world. The mass effects were splendid Il
their composition, While the characterize
ton OF the action OF groups and a md
viduals was mastery. Every one In N
chorus had something special 10 do, bu
every item was perfectly fitted into IN
general scheme Only viii a very intelli
gent chorus and many rehearsals coul
such results be reached. They could neve
be attained In the conditions surrounding
q New York season.
The singing cf the chorus In "Lohengrin
was even better than IL was in 'Parsifal.