The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-01
CRISIS IN OPERA IN VIENNA
IlIK or A NEW DIRECTOR IN
ION WEINGARTNEFS PLACE.
Complaint q Lack u stars and of sue
ccusdul Novelties AZ the HmpeEial
opera House Commenda ton Ter a
NeN VERA Composed By Julius Rittner.

u1Tfs a. ana - neleAAAfy oofuuAfys
matters financial. are not going well
A. tho Vienna Imperial Opera Hou@s
III. Papers have proclaimed q cri1is.
rossir has spoken Of a Cnangs IN
tAs trectorslip, the incumbent. Herr
f-rt Won weingArtner. has ssttauSnaly
der.ed all intimation Of vaoatinG a post
A.. med only q year and a half ago. and
r-1st significant fact Of all tho public
A. srge has shown unmlstakahls Signs
q affection.
Wen Herr Won wsingartner succeeded
Gustav Mailer a. director Of the vienna
Orsra HOUSE he found a sufficiently large
following. ready 10 aoCspt him with en-
thl-asm a. the night nan for a post Of
Singular responsibility and u would only
have needed a couple Of inoontrovegtihle
slr.rsses, to have lifted him 20 that
high vantage ground Of popularity which
hs PREDECESSOR had reached. In spite Of
numerous sins q omission and commits
san. which the more critical had from
time 10 time laid to his charge. Though
the end Of che reign Of Mailer had not
been 80 glorious az the beginning. he
resigned from osics stIll a. the heiEht
ofhs popularity. And thls very popularity.
In spite q winning manners. an evident
desire 20 do everything 20 please. q musical
reputation inferior 70 none other on the
continent. Herr Won WeingartnsF has
not for Ons moment succeeded IN cap
turing
Resides in spite Of plenty Of hard work
-. - IL a..
uve proof Of that one essential for sue
csss IN any branch Of art--a strong.
innate love for the special work he had
taken in hand. Though Identified with
operate performances years ago at
Mannheim. and later during bis career
IN Berlin. Herr Won Wcingartner has
Bever been a musician whose interest
oentred in the theatre a. such: his
sympathics did not seem 10 20 beyond
the orchestra, and all that pertainSd 10
the stage had apparently but a secondary
interest Tor him. and 10 this lack. 20 which
Ultimately his various miEtakes. since he
Aas had the responsibility Of manage
nant put on his shoulders. must be at
tributed. IL urauestionably oNing a great
Which he has had.
The story Of opera in Vienna to-day II
much the same a. that Of opera IN New
York. in fact Of all the world over Com
retition has complicated matters from
year 20 year. while the Increasingly
smaller number oi available singers and OF
really valuable works has added diaculties
m the matter Of forming an attractive
rArertoire that can only be Justly appre-
GATED BY those within the inner circle.
Italy's productiveness. a. far A. export
~ concerned, seems limited 20 one oOm-
poser, Puocini. while France. beyond the
products Of the ultra modern sJhOol.
which has a. yet only been accepted IN
America. can boast only Masssnet, who
appeals 70 audiences outside his native
and. Ia Germany there Il a wOful lack Of
modern operas. Richard Strauss represent
ng practically all that interests the
musical world At large. unless IL be DIAL
bert. whose Ireland can no longer he
hooked upon In the light Of a novelty
To maintain the public Interest there
fore niaht after night vith repertoire
that ia continually growing mTre stale
ard unavoidable and with a troupe ~
singers whose availability in the most
rases must b. st down 70 the fact that
hsy have not been found valuable enough
y % enticed away by q more T.rohtl able
engage ment elsewhere a assuredly a
task that Can sst the best manager think
ING.
And theso are only a few q the STUN
hing bloCks in the way of any one at
tie head q Operatio Affairs here. In
addition a general DISCRIMINATION had
heRun for some time hack, while the
rentrictiona and considerations b he
taken add % the complications of the
,iuiati0n A. a whole.
Ii NOuld need a more energetic hand
nan Herr Won Wetngartner has ~ yet
shown 90 bring order out of ~ much
chaos and a firm resolve 20 carry cut
-ome hNed programme % work. such
- My n musician with an intimate and
Exhaustive knowledge of what Is being
dom IN the field Of opera all the world
over mn p0sseH. And 70 would seem
- n this very knowledge were one %
ne directOrial Qualities Herr Won Vein
-artner does not possess.
Ills novelties and REVEALS have one
and al been u the tentative order. and
though IN an irmness they have eNhib-
It'd pronounced oathOlicity Of taste they
have done little Or nothing % stimulate
rhe fast waning interest Of the public
f'r the doinEs At our opera house.
The last novelty Of the season - a work
~ a native composer. who already 3
couple II years ago presented himsef
with a work called -De hothe Gzed. .
which evidenced sufficient talent o.
warrant a further encouragement ~ II.
Dor II suhventiOned opera houses do net
assist native composers. the QUESTION
very naturally ARISES. Where are they %
SEX for that furtheranoe u their efforts
Which they need 20 help them on IN their
Work7
Vow, wife the new opera, which its
Euthor-oompossr proosnts with disarm-
NJ ieRree Of mOdosty ~ The Musician
two acta. text and music by Julius Bittner.
Isnot u kind 20 win much favor outside
NJ Austria and Ger maryland even then
o. would not 90 20 predict an all too pros
nNrDus caFssr-it az least belongs 70 that
.t'egory Of works which, all things c0n-
1ered, deserve 10 be brought OUT az a
|a4ilng opera house like that ~ Vienna.
Move al. it u one that docs not through
ry zpeeially sKacting role make undue
arands on the resources OF a moderately
r- equipped troupe. What In required
f.# lrtists now engaged are perfectly well
20 accomplish. To achieve the
gded and we'll balanced performance
.' vas gwen. 20 h. sure. a considerable
cunt u careful preparation was heoes-
...r but this has been carried out with
dent cunscisutiousneas. and tho result
success ~ gratifying ~ any manage
emit oan desire. How lasting u will be
mains II course 10 b. seen.
DIR Musixant' tells n story without
ny complications, and one that 10 a.
1utally German ~ Die Msistsrsingsr.
b Of whose spirit u has absorhed.
ching tho inviOlabillty. 81 TeutOnic
.tI art a. opposed 90 Italian or French