The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-17
COMIC OPERA IN VIENNA
IHRsE NEW WORkS M THE
MERRY WIDOw'S' AUTHOR.
Al sIa,e Passed tine lOoth PeFSasmanes
Nark Tue '-COuna 90 LuKeuburu''
0Hers IN Abunaanee % ARE ana Nler-
Vtr,ras SsssTs ssS=s A=sssssslOns.

Vi,p~Ss SsssT= Ss=s A=sss:slsa..
,,o,n,- opera IN Vienna dates back TO the
A. a.. an0e Of The Merry Widow a
..,I CoGsparatively - resent that Il
-..rrns but yesterday TO thsatregOsrs In
4. marta af the world. Al the time when
rol.Ann Strauss. AHll0cksr and Suppe
al gune over tO the majority THE par
..cu.A- style OF lyric work had become.
4 not quite 90 moribund a. In Paria. mona
ia. lees ~ decrspit that Il was relo9Ated
200 the modest demands OF homo con-
sumption. and even thess ere apparently
ErOuinG les frOm year tO year.
In interest attaching 10 the purposes
II foreign export had ceased and but few
peOple we're left who still had q coatidsne
fsllei In the enduring qualities Of vIenns~s
rperettas a. compared with the different
other forms oG theatrical entsrtainment
The rights to such works a. we're pro-
,Iuced had ceased to have any marketable
value, and Vienna. which had supplied
The Gyp~y Baron The BeGgar STU
deat- and -BOccacciO- TO the current
territories IL the civilized world. no
nnser Interested managers Or dealers in
r.u-icAl and dramatic property.
Tho I,h~aOme0sl AOd In many ways
,.niuue success Of The Merry Widow. :"
how ever. brought . noteworthy change
n comic opera not only a. regards tho
lmIsetns IL gave 90 works Of this class a.
whole hut also by restoring to the
Austrian capital the prestige 10 had seem
inEly lost and turning the attention Of
EUROPE a. veil 40 America 30 the hap
Jennings in this particular field % action.
The SUPPLY promptly responded 20 the
,Iemand. and while IN days gone by only
80 og the resident stages had been iden-
tiAed with musical works % q lighter
order AZ the present moment there ara
40 lees than six houses which al more Or
ls~s cultivate Operetta.
Indeed even the music halls include 10
noe in their style Of entertainment. not
~ mention the cahArets. where after the
usla theatre hours onS oct comic operas
~ we'll accreditsd composers have taken
firmly established place In the evening"
hii Six theatres out OF an available
dozen. three music halls. a. many cab
srets are certainly significant from
nurnericaI point % view.
Men like Oecsr Strauss and LIso Fall.
Who with their waltz Dream and
sDoIlar Princes have followed closely
N tho lucky footsteps Of Franz Leha-.
sssnredly owe not q little to the encour-
sRrment and stimulus which the glorious
career Of the lattsr's Merry widow
FURNISHED them. For IL was the 1rst OF
the modern comic operas. at least a. far
a. Austria and Germany are concerned.
70 tnauRurufe the system % long runs.
Previously even the most popular works
had not been able 20 boast "A record OF
ons hundred consecutive performances
and when in Vienna or Berlin careers
IKE that Of Tho Mikado- or The Geshn' >
were referred TO Il was with n certain
amount Of doubling wondeTment. as Of
something exotic and quite outside the
habits OF ordinary Continental play
houses.
But since the advent Of The Merry
widow" all has changed. Die Dollar
PYinnessin' had a long and prosperous
car~er FIN waIxsrtraum- could boast
ere Il vas Withdrawn the greatest number
OF performances OF any musical work
ever done in Vienna -Herbstmanoveu'
hebsl public attention far beyond the
hundrsdth night while Die Geschiedene
Frau" stayed IN the bills an entire season
without apparently exhausting ~ powers
~ attraction.
There we're those 70 he seen who said
that the new system % long runs had
here and there ~ be artificiAlly bolstered
10 and that one hundred consecutive
lights was not synonymous with Rs many
performances for which every available
sea, had bean sold. hut thu best proof
that the different managements must
have found IL profitable and still continue
o. 10 50 Is that IL has not bern abandoned
The three principal homes Og comic
opera m Vienna. the Theater an der Wien.
the Carl Theater and the Johann Strauss
Th-ater. have each been able 70 celebrate
. hundredth performance this winter.
nh every prospect OF reaching u not
exceeding the two hundredth on the
rlo@a of tho a@ason. But In view Of the
Rs~ly established order % things this
would no longer seem - unusual Ne the
fact that all three works are by ono and
the same composer no other than Franz
char whose Merry WidOW.- in spite
% ell the successes won ny later record
hreAk eTs. still remains In the Held OF
operetta AZ supreme a. CsTu-o IN that OF
t~nors - u
The fret OF these new works. which
~as produced a. FAR back a. October
last has for title -Das F1rstenkind,
hiyh in our EngIish translation might
ii~rnap@ NOT ne covered 10y - N'ton pt
Prtncely Stock Its IibretSo ~ al
m''tediy founded on q novel nv Edmond
N,uput called lie Roi dss Montag ne-, and
raough but few Of the original episodes
have been strictly adhered to there -
efficient left 20 Suggest family the source
~ inspiration. AZ matter OF fact for
'ua necessities Of comic opera u offers but
-Rut material. and all that has been
added II the hbrettist's own tnvention IL
little entertaining that the compOeer
as handicapped from the start In his
task ~ setting the book Ia music.
mere II a. central figure 81 the story
prgand chief. who plies his trade after
ts fashion Of prosperous up 70 date
-.uess undertakings hts robber hs,nd
'prlr~ ~ for a well orGantzed shore 81
VOLTS. IN the shape Of yearly dividends.
-at he hinusslf draws a aalaIy on the
rru~i hOIntsoIs principles OF thriving
"ritv HIS daughter. who enjoys
7H -, privileges OG his wealth. though
izrHrPrt - the trade he plies. n brought
Er iI the lap of luyHy and ~ allow ed
Ip'k UPON herself as % princety blood.
o. ~ hands ~ men like ". :. Gilbcrt
~ Neilhao and ilAlsvy. who introduced
= similar situation In thsir -bT1gnncs
I'D many wears ago. such buTlesS'ur
- and situAtiOus might easily have