The sun., 1910-05-08
VAGNER'S FAILURE IN PARIS
REWINISCENCE TOLD nv
PRINCESS METTERNTOH.

haeuseF" M the krOneh Gnpa4aA-WnW-
wey's Inierpretseisn og Mh Mnato
lecture bY q Princess Ter ChaFily.
yuNNA. April 17.-When tho Emperor
Wali.m visited VisnnA = few yeaFs ago
hare was one person whom he eKprssssd
.p~,al wish 20 have invited 10 the
,,rou. functions given in his honor.
mi. was tho Princes sietteEnich. To
EiB. - 20 she world AZ lArgs. this remark
arc woman is typical Of al that tho
IMAGINATION evokes when tho name Of
Vienna ia spoken.
though horn In Hungary and d0micilsd
IN Paris during those years when her
hme was at its height, none the leas Il IL
.sths representative Of what 10 attractive
nd Individual IN the Austrian capital
hat her name has become famous and
vil 20 down 10 posterity. When her
husband. ths rsigning Prince Mstternich.
4.d the estates went 70 the other branch
a The family. and his widow aflxed her
maiden name. SandOr. 10 the name she
h.d previously borne. though 20 this
Av. and presumably Tor ell time. she IL
kpoWn a. -the Mettsrnich" 90 all Glasses
of the Austrian population, whose aaec-
,on she won many ysaFs ago and for
ubom che is indubitably the most popular
perAon in the whole realm Of Franz
Josef l.
Nesrly thirty years ago hsr diplomatic
cnrner came 70 an end, but since then
,ha has done 20 much In her private
,nnaci,v a. one % the leading ladies Of
,bs Austrian court circle by way %
farthering all kinds % charity that the
pa1nd Of her greatest usefulness must
- placed in that time when she had
cs.sed to he the Austrian amhassadress
Al the French court. The number Of
fAtss. balls. haEAaTs, garden parties.
lair. and exhibitions that were started
undsr her patronage and for which she
vas ever ready 70 work with indefatigabls
Energy and devotion n legion. and it 10
not an exaREeration 10 sNy that millions
nave basn colleCted and distributed 70 all
Kinds Of deserving charities the source
Il which can he traced hack solsly 20 the
initiation of the beneROent Princess.
Que of the institutions in which the
Princess Pauline II greatly Interested
tho Poliklinik. q public hospital. which.
Ike 40 many % tts kind elsewhere. b
unequal to all the delnands Of 20 large
ci,y a. vienna. It's needs aroused
. the active sympathies Of Princess Nist-
,-rnich. and having already this winter
made her appeal for charity through
her yearly redOute. q masked ball that
had brought IN several thousa nda, ahs
hit upou the idea Of raising tbs funds
required to beater the condition Of the
SICK nurses by announcing a OOHftrsRcs
~ lecture. IN which she Herself proposed
10 relate some Of the experiences from her
Interesting life. IN days gone by she
had been. AZ al the world knows. ths
friend ~ Liszt ard Wagner. as well ~
n tho Emprsss Eugene; and Of these
historical persOnaGss she promised 10
spsak
BEFORE an audience Of about iSO guests.
recruited from tho highest aristocrAtic
and financial circles. the oOnffTenco took
llaca, and IN spite Of her seventy odd
Years and lack % prsvious exporiencs
a. a oonfegenCiiFv shs Interested and
amused her Gudisors 90 such a degree
that already there h a very general
desire on che part Of the public at large
ior her 20 repeat her lecture.
she spoke Of her first nesting with
Richard Wagner at a time when hls name
bad. 70 be sure. throughout Germany
become a. familiar ~ a household word.
though his popularity was az its inoep-
tion. He wAs rehearsing Tristan just
then with the artists Of tho Vienna Opera
Rouae. though. az IL subsequently turned
out. the work was not 10 have its initial
psrformAnos there nor to be heard In
Vienna until number Of years later.
Princess Metsernich, who was one Of the
hrst 70 recognise Wamer's genius a.
evidenced in HE earlier works, asked
llszt. with whom she wss well acquainted,
,o introduce him 20 her. and IL was ar
-anRsd that the great pianist vas 70 bring
hls future s0n-in-lhw 10 visit her. The
arst impressioR ahe received was % pale.
fimid little man. who sat on the edge OF
rs chair in evident emharrs ssment. /.
being asked by the Princess u he played
NiIN fuaAEniNefles llN NAAANNtHNH
YES, I oan make myself understood
Yn the piano. though ! cEnnot express
myself IN the orchestra.
linxt smilingly remarked: Your piano
uayinR is not much to boast Of. crtti-
. sn not much % the taste oF the irascibls
Htte man. who could not beGr any Judg-
n-nt ~ his abilities that wEs not % a
distinctly laldatOry nature.
-Perhaps not. In your opinion. was the
raioinder. Thought can't lind it 80 had
few days znkMf the two composers
we're again at the Prtnceas's. lstszt sat
the piano and Wagner wanted 90 give
sr .dea Of some OF the -NibelIngen'
u sic which he was composing &c the
'ms. by means Of some vooal excerpts.
Nothing less mellihuOus could well be
IuaRined added the Princess,
liz -AnR the Spring song from the
.Nalkdre' like a cFUaking raven. -WO-
ians Farewell" was beloved forth in
.isntoriAn tones. A. an exhibition Of
ruUaism Il was simply appalling. and yet
suoceecdsd admirably IN giving the
Isars~t conception Of his divine music.
lha Princess referred specially 20 the
manner in which Wagner intsrpgstsd the
.uau@ IN -RhsingOld' when the giants
suf-ar. aiding that she had never since
,.n. a. many psrfOrnancss az she had
uf'n@--s.d ~ tho -NibelunRen' prelS,de.
r"s~'v-d ths sans profound impression
rufn the stazs presentment ~ from ths
U1a Interpretation by Wagner him
..f
lu-gnifcant ~ hs may have RD-
AIRED when speaking on other subjects.
rr~ Hn vas started on an analysis Oi his
Eu ark ~ ths expOaition OF his plan
and d-a- he appearsd ~ 70 nastsTful n
"rs"nahty that he Of neoeasiey deeply