The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-07

Birmingham MuacIaH MtereghngIy
 DHcuyes AmeyIcan Grund Obeyu

Maretzek. Max and Maurice Strakosch.
 Ullmann and Colonel Mapleson. It was
 Colonel Mapleson who in the sos inaugu-
 rated the star system.
 In 1855 New York had it's first taste of
 German opera under the direction of Carl i Bergman, who in 1859 presented Tam
 hauser the first Wagner opera given in this country. Another short season of
 German opera was given in New York in
 1862 under Carl Anschutz. During this half
 century the New York and New Orleans companies gave performances in many of
 the larger cities of the country. Phil
 adelphia had French opera in 1927 and
 Italian opera in 1S29 The Philadelphia
 Academy of Music. built in the sos, be-
 came the home there of Italian opera, as
 well as French. English and German in
 after years. Chicago first heard grand opera in 1850 San Francisco in 1853 and i Cincinnati in 1859. With the opening of
 the Metropolitan opera house in New
 York in 1883 the death knefl of the old
 Academy of Music as New York s home
 of opera was sounded and in 1886 closed
 it's doors, but not without loss to the Metropolitan management of $500 600. On the opening night at the Metropolitan,
 October p, 1883, Gounod's Faust was pre- sented, the cast including Sembrich, Nils son, Schalchi and Campanini. Patti,
 Gerster and Pappenheim were in the com pany which opened at the Academy the same night. The history of the Metro- politan from the sos up to within the last
 two years contains most of the notable achievements in grand opera during that time The management has been suc- cessively in the hands of Henry A. Abbey, Leopold Damrosch, Stanton, Abbey again, Maurice Grau. Heinrich Conred and now Gatti-Casazza, from the famous LaScala in Milan. The opera presented during the earlier period included some of the best of the French, German and Italian com posers, such as 'Tannhauser,' 'Fidelio,
 William Tell 'Lohengrin 'Le Prophete,
 Les Huguenots Don Giovanni 'Rigo- letto Die Walkure Der Freischutz,' and later during the regime of Anton Seidl as musical director. Tristan and Isolde Die Mestersingers, and the com plete Ring of the Nibelung' were given.
 Parsifal was presented-after much con- troversy-for the first time outside the Bayreuth theatre-at the Metropolitan in 1903 under Conreid. Following Seidl as musical directors have been Hartz, Mottl, Mahler and Toscanini. the present incum- bent. Many of the worlds greatest sing tlS nave dpDSdTtu al lne MelTODOllIdI, and this seasons array of artists includes Sembrich-after 25 years since her first appearance there-F arrar, Goritz, Scotti,
 Maria Gay, Bonei, Caruso, Frenstad,
 Gadski, Homer and others whose names
 are not so familiar, of equal ability. In
 addition to some of the better known
 operas Aida, Carmen La Boheme,
 'Traviata, "rosca,' 'Gotterdamerung' and
 Madam Butterfly presented this year several operatic novelties have been given,
 notably D'Alberts 'Tiehand' and Puccini' s 'Le Villi.' The most sensational novelty
 in opera ever presented in this country
 was Richard Strauss 'Salome' at the Metropolitan two years ago. Only one performance was permitted.
 The Metropolitan company has in years past visited all the large cities in this country as far west as San Francisco, but it's appearances this year will be confined to the largest cities of the north and east. In Brook : lyn, at the magnificent new Academy of Music, built at a cost of $1,300 ,000, re- placing the old academy built in 1860, the Metropolitan company is in the midst of a series of IA performances, which opened on November IA 1908, and closes April D. 1909. Boston, Phil adelphia and Chicago are also in the Metropolitan itinerary. Since 1906 the success of grand opera in New York has been shared. with the Hammerstein ! Opera company, which, incorporated in that year through the push and enter i prise of oscar Hammerstein, has re-
 suited in widespread activity along
 operatic lines=the inevitable result of i healthy competition. This company i established in the Manhattan opera ! house is now in the midst of its third successful season of grand opera pro- l 6nctiOn which anlkS with fha haSt in
 the excellence of its artists, It's con- l ductors and4.its operas. Mir. Hammer i stein's activities have not been con- 1 fined alone to New York, for he has recently opened his new opera house in Philadelphia and is presenting season l of grand opera there. The New York . 1 Philadelphia choruses and orchestras 1 are kept entirely separate the soloists
 alternating between the two cities. Campanini is conducting in New York
 and Struani in Philadelphia. The Ham,
 merstein companies are booked for 100 1 performances each in New York ant 1 Philadelphia, with two weeks of opera 1 in Boston. The New York company ap l peared twice in Boston in January Con l spicuous among the operatic novelties produced by MT. Hammerstein this sea l son are Debussy's "Pelleas and Me | lisande" Massenet's "Juggler of Notre Dame" Saint -Saen's Samson and Del 1 ilah," and "Thais," a success of last 1 season and the product of the collabor- 1 ation of France, Gallet and Massenet l has been repeated. Much of the sue
 cess of these productions is due to the work of such artists as Mary Garden l Tetrassini. Melba Dalmores, Mariska- l Aldrich, Maria Labia, Polesi and others.
 The American rights for Strauss
 "Elektra" have been secured for the Manhattan by Mir. Hammersten. In face of the success of these two New York companies, one failure must be recorded-that of Henry RusselTs San Carlos Opera company organized in London in 1906. Opening in New Or leans in November that year, and aft erward visiting great many of the principal cities in the United States and Canada, in spite of excellent work and several famous artists this com pany was disbanded in the season of 1907-'0S in Cincinnati MT. Russell Is now at the head of the new Boston Opera company which, in September of this year. will occupy its own building now in course of construction, and
 means for Boston permanent opera from the date of it's opening. Through the energy of Henry W. Savage it has
 been proven that grand opera in Eng fish is both feasible and desirable in
 this country. Beginning in 1895 with
 his Castle Square Opera company, two
 years in Boston, two in Philadelphia, three in New York, at the American,
 then at the Metropolitan in 1902, his success in presenting operas of other languages entirely in English has been continuous and well merited ''Parsifal.
 which he produced In 47 cities of this
 country; Madame. Butterfly" and this =