Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-18
Plays Players and Playhouses

roles, C~hrysometis. sister Of Electra, is a
lyric soprano, orestes a baritone and Aesist
a tenor"
The composer says that he is In entire
agreement with ~Intendant won Huelsen OF
the Royal opera in Berlin. who is per
fectly willing that the new work should
first be sung in Dresden.
1t is only just that Dresden should have
the privilege OF presenting the work
INST he said, 'in return for all the trOu-
BILE that the theater took to meet the I'M
usual demands l made for the first per-
Torrance OF 'salome.' It was also the first
opera house that had the courage to give
my opera, 'Feursnoth.'
Then l have the satisfaction Of know
ing that this institution will leave nothing
undone 10 make the performance Of the
work the best possible in every way. In
Dresden. too, there is none Of the parti-
sanship that aiway accompanies the first
performance OF a new work in Berlin,
where everybody takes sides. They are
calmer in Dresden.
The first production OF the opera will
be in January, and in February the Ber-
lin performance will take place. Leo Blech,
with whom 1 am now arranging the de-
tails. will AVE charge of the first per-
formance in Berlin.
The opera belongs to Oscar Hammer
stein for the United States, and it viii
be given at the Manhattan opera house in
New York. / shall conduct the first pro-
ductiOn at Monte Carlo and at the Opera
in Paris. although there is at present some
misunderstanding as to the Monte Carlo
production. The direction of the Opera
claims that the performance there. which
comes first, Is a violation OF the agree
ment that the work is to first be heard
In French at the Opera. However that
may work out. l shall superintend the per-
formance in both places"
OF course the German emperor's recent
cordially to French composers at the
Royal opera house in Berlin made it GER
tain that the new Strauss opera would be
accepted there. especially as the emperor
has removed all doubt as to his feeling for
Strauss by making him a general music
director. which is an honor that only he.
SpontinI, Mendelssohn, Meyerbeer and
Muck among the conductors have enjoyed.
As a return for this distinction Strauss
has composed two new military marches
which he has dedicated to the emperor.
Strauss has already the text for his
next opera, which is also by Won Hoff-
mannsthal. He will spend the winter m
travelling through Germany with his wife,
who still sings his songs to the satisfae-
ton of the composer and the unexacting
German public.
Giacomo Puccini Is the only other con-
temporary composer who shares public at
tention with Strauss and he is not any
more inclined than Strauss to let his re-
pute decline through unwillingness to talk
ABOUT himself. He says that the o~peratic
version OF The Girl from the Golden
west viii have at least eighteen char
acters. The work will be ready for pro-
duction next fan.
There is but one woman's role. while
the three principal men have the most
important part Of the action. Then there
are several Indians in the cast, and ON
their music the composer eonfesses TO hay-
ing expended much study OF Indian music
In order that 1t may sound correct to
the ears Of his American audiences.
M hero is a simple man, half savage
and I should love to have Caruso create
the part" said the composer. who un-
doubtedly meant to flatter his country
man. ID enters covered with lust, wear
Ing high boots and a big buffalo hat and
carrying a saddle under his arm. I can
see Caruso now in this costume.
I have not yet decided at what theater
the first performance shall be given. It
may be that I will select the Metro
politan in New York, which is the city I
most love and one that 1 am burning to
return TO. Tina would give me a good
excuse for going over there 10 spend a
month.
In any case ] shall not allow the work
to be sung first in Milan, above all at La
Scala"