The sun., 1910-05-08

se11Nhy ohS me Gay an Opportunity
1or carrying q out unoxpectedly pre-
the TIhleries. The RmpsrOr Napoleon mn.
had singled her out Tor q oonVorsation,
which lasted lOAger than customary
on such OCCASIONS, and a. thsy were
talking they haDpsnod % touch on the
subject OF the ODSra. The Princess on
being asked quite candidly told the
kmperOr what she thought of the par
icrmanoes at the National Academy az
Ot Music and eKprOaaed surprise that
the repcrtoire should be 30 restricted,
seldom Offering more than The HuEus-
nols, William Tell and the sFavOTiia =
why y Il that greater variety cannot
AuatriaF she asked, and having arrived
at this junctune the Princess realised that
the prOpitiOus moment for @Tannhkuaor'
had arrived. and sumInnning all her Oollr-
age she added; In fnct, your Majesty.
! have a grcat favor TO ask of you IN OOa-
nertion with th8 opera
"A favor In Oonneotion with the
operag' the Emperor answered Ia HE
deliberate way.
-Yes-thsre 'is a work I should dearly
love % see performed hers.'
And what work may that boz asked
Napoleon. r.. ..
-'IannhAunsr. your Majesty. by Rich-
ard Wagner, one Ot the greAteNt oomponoru
Of the present day. They do the opera IN
Vienna, where, 20 BE- sure, everybody does
not appreciate it. though all those who
ought to know pronounce it q master
pieOe.'
-'TannhAussr.' Richard WaRnsrl' re-
peated the Emperor. tWiriing hia mus
tAch In q way that was Characteristic. Il
have never heard either name. But you
tell me the work h really fnel'
A the Princess assured him OF it
he turned % his Grand Chamberlain.
Count BacCiocchi. who had the mipeFin-
tendance % the imperial theatres. and
said 10 him In his gentle way;
Listen. bacciocchi. Princess Metter-
mich u Interested In an opera called Tam
hausor' by . certain Richard WAgner,
and would like 90 hear IL In Paxis. Let
it be Riven.'
This IL how sTannhanssr" made Ice
first entry into Paris The Princeas gave
an amusing account Of the disastrous
fate OF WaRner6 work when u was hgst
producsd aud spoke 0f the master AZ
rehearaals antaFoniEinR every one con
nected with ths psrf0FTnance. from tAs
singers and musicians down 10 the last
scene ahiftor. The bo4holdlora were ac-
Custouned % have the ballot oone on at
10 O'Clock. and When they leaFnod that IN
-TAnnhauser- this waa not 70 BE- tho cass
they conspired 10 do all IN thelr power
10 kill the new work. How theY IN
glorioSaly slcossded for the TINA bSing
u ono az the most familiar episodes In
the great composers hfe.
The Princess took occasion 70 oHpiodo
the current tale that on the nighe o. the
premiere Rha wns 20 excited And hri-
latsd that ahs broke her fan beating
it on tho Cunhions In the bon.
con ths contrary" shs eAid, Il W@s
outwardly never 40 calm and c0lleotod IN
all my life. whatsseT may have felt In:
wardly. Only on reaching home said
70 my husband: i rocognine that this
music u nothing for the Parialans
The only thing that had pleased UaS
burg. and after that had beNn played
the andisncs Applandod IN tn dtrpction
Of ehe Prinosas's boz, a. " the music h1a
Tbe untowaFi fRas of "TAnnhaunsr' IN
Paris proved DISASTROUS Tor wagner ~
more ways than one, for reCkcning with
a sncceas, ha had In his sxtFR RvaRAnt way
run up debts to the amount Of 5000 lranos
which he was quite unable 70 pay. These
the Princass took in hand. and starting
a suhaonpti0n amOng hef friends. which
Hne n01ueu WIN 9su0V ttaANas Nv ~@A1 ~
AZ little toward her a. toward 30
MANY % his bsaefactors did Wagner
show himself grateful In lettsls Of be
that were subsequently, publiahed he
apolsP of the Prince and Prilceas Aeeter-
nich in anything but a grateful. appgeciA-
tive manner. assuming 90 have forgotten
an ha owed 20 their Kind in6uenees.
While paying the heartteSt tribute 20
Wagner's supremacy ~ an Aragf tRe
Princess, without undue inststsnce.
touched on his failinRs a. man, the
/ greatest OF which were probably vanity
md inRyHtit,1de, and though she said
| nothing that biographies and letters have
/ not long ere this disclosed % whomsoever
cares u record the confederation by 90
! disintsrested an authority viii certainly
count for something In future estimates
| Of Wagner's character.
/ The Princess supplemented her reool-
! leotions Of Wagner by some charming
stories Of Liszt. who IN al such reoiials.
I when placed SIDE by side OF wagner
plays the more sympathetle role; but
I what ahe had % relate Of hia improvtsa-
/ tions AZ Counod's or his perfOrulanCas
| at the Tuilerigs, in appreciation OG which
tha Legion q Honor was beatOwed on
him. added hut little 20 tho picture OF
| Iirzt the musician and LiHzt the man,
I With which every 0ns is familiar.
HIS playing four hand Vlennesc waltz
| with the Princess she mOdestly under
/ took TO present ~ Characteristic Of hia
| great amiahihty; but a. the la1Es majority
| Of her listeners had no clear idea Of how
well or badly the Princess NAV have
| PLAYED az that time u would be difficult
! 10 adiudgs 20 whom the real hOnora of the
occasion belonged.
Before and after tho WaRner-Ilnxt
storiea Alfred GFtinield. the typical
| Vienna pianist. and Lilh Lehman, 20
whom the Princess referred ~ her 'doar
I and kind friend contributed s0nie
music. and as an epiiOgsie the pOlyGlot
conferencihre related in French some
amusing episodes from her intercoNrse
with the Empress Rugenie In q trip thsy
made together - far a. Biarritz.
The morning bore the stamp Of success
that belonRs 70 all Princess MettsTni0hs
undertakings. Everybody had delightful
time. most Of all possibly the oonferen-
ciere herself. considering both the pleas
ure she Rave and the eminently saeis-
factory results Of her eleefnOsynary
Undertaking. W. vON SACHS.