The sun., 1910-01-09
"DIE WALKUERE" WELL SUNG
A STRONG CAST AT THE METRO
POLITAN.

f1areuCe Wnitenuh 6tVeN an ENninlNlOu
OF Correct wagner slnging-Miss
Farrar In ''MadAmA ButterNy''-"n
TrOVaIOre" Heard at the Manhattan.
waRner's Die waIk1re' was given at
the Metropolitan Opera House yesterday
afternoon. The deoadence Of the Wag-
merriam music drama was demonstrated
by the fact that there was not a seat left
unoccupied in the orchestra and that there
was a goodly fringe OF foot auditors be-
hind the rail. This was very proper
exhibition OF public approval. The per-
Torrance was on a scale which could
have been equalled in Germany only
'at one OF the great festivals Of Munich
OF Beyreuth.
This does not mean that it obliterated
memories Of previous performances at
the Metropolitan. We have heard most
Of the roles interpreted in more imposing
style at one time or other and we have
had a more vivid illusion OF a tragedy
enacted among the tremendous person
ages OF Morse mythology. II We have
come to an era Of very human gods and
soddesses we have only followed. as was
inevitable. the line OF progress-or retro
eression-in Germany.
We cannot even hope that better things
will come when We find our own Scan
dinavian deities, for the truth is We are
now supplying many Of the German
. opera houses. and ever and anon we bring
back 20 our shores some singer who
Ianguished in comparative obscurity
here and went over there. to be received
with open arms because he was 30 much
better than those to the manner born.
No less than Ave OF the principals in
Yesterdays performance were American
by birth or training. or by both. With
the exception OF the Wotdn OF Clarence
Whitehill their impersonations were fa-
milar. and Mr.. Whitehill's was not
exhibited for the first time. II In safe to
cay that it was not on view for the last
time. for in the present state Of Wagnerian
Interpretation this assumption acquires a
real distinction.
In Germany the theory Of Wagnerian
defamation Is that beauty OF tone and
clarity Of enunciation are irreconcilable,
because beautiful tone means dwelling
on the vowel sounds and enunciation
demands that these be made secondary
to the consonants. This theory OF singing
was not entertained by one Richard
Wagner. who has very plainly stated his
belief that the vowels must be the gen.
orators OF musical tone and the publishers
thereby Of dramatic emotions He did
demand that his text be clearly articu-
lated, but 90 did Charles Gounod.
The correct method OF Wagner singing
IL that employed in the artistic delivery
OF lieder. It unites beauty OF tone. musi-
cal phrasing and nuancing with inteIli-
gible delivery Of the words. This is
the kind OF Wagner singing that Mr..
Whitehill does, and he does IL extremely
well. with much nobility OF tone and dig
nifty Of style. He is = decided acquisi-
ton to the list OF local singers, and his
Wotdn. conceived. according to the con-
temporaneous German idea, as a very
human parsonage. is a noteworthy con-
tribution to the gallery Of Wagnerian
portraits.
Wich Mme Gadski as a brilliant voiced
BrlnnhiIds. Nine. Fremstad as truly
tragic Sie0IiRde. Nine. Homer as a venRe-
ful Friekd. Mr.. Bsrrian as a very musical
SieomEnd. Mr. Blass as sinister Rvndin0.
a capable choir of valkyrs and Alfred
Hertz in the conductors chair. the per-
formance rose to a high level OF merit.
The audience was enthusiastic and called
the singers before the curtain many
, times.
Last night -Madams Butterfly was
sung with Miss Farrar as Cio-Cio-Ssa
and Mr.. Martin As PinksrtoR. The house
was packed and the performance was
received with hearty applause.
At the Manhattan Opera House in the
afternoon That's was sung once more.
Miss Garden. who had sung Aarg1srste
on the previous evening. disposed OF her
familiar role OF Thdis with ease. while
Mr.. Renaud repeated his admirable
AthdndsI. In the evening the opera was
I'll Trovatore,' with Nine. Grippon as
LeoNord. Nine. Doria as AsEcen1. Mr..
Zerola as Adnyico and Mr.. Sammarco a.
II Cont di Luna. The audience was
large.