The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-27
YOSCANINrS 'MEISTERSINGER'
WAGNERS COMEDY MSICILLI'
RFORHED
me Performance DlsgIag ulshed feF
beauty IN the Emotional Parts. buG
the Comedy Not as Elastic ~ Possible
me Orchestra Ptaya Admiralty.

the Comedy Not as Elastic NJ Possible
me Orchestra Plays Admiralty.
Die Msistersinger- was performed az
n Metropolitan Opera House yesterday
Afternoon for the fret time this season.
Lonk and earnest preparations mad pre-
celAi the production. for the event ives
n irs' lnterpre tation Of the great comedy
.ui,r tho baton Of Arturo Toscanini.
The sincere believers m Italian ideals
nos IN control OF the Metropolitan doubt
..s honestly thought that this was tho
le-i performance 81 Die eist-Tsinget'
ever :ly-n in the house
~ Iust this Point national and racial
net. interVtn. To create iTecOncilabls
dinar noes m the point ~ view The
Iphsn will never be- gble to unds rstRnd
Nhy he Interpretation Of "A comedy rRdi-
,slv . mi perfectly. German Is not correct
.I... satisfying when Il il unsteady beaut'-
,ar Ne more e. n =. German comprehend
what j. the matter with his performance
o, ~ Trovators- when he treats IL a. a
tra :, dy and sings Il badly.
10 -nahle an Italian adequately to IN
tsrvr"t Die Mcistersinger- It would be
nscrssary to drain ~ cry drop OF Italian
blood from his veins and MI them with
IN, Gothic fluid. The same imperative
necessity does not exist in the case OF
Tristan und Isolde The legend OF
tristan Is not German; the music il not
an embodiment OF German thought. Jus
tom and feeling. Tristan il a world
legend and Wagner's music In the Ian
RlaSc Of elements passion.
In Die Meistersingcr- there are two
types % music. the one akin TO that Of
tristan IN ia expression OF the love
~ man and woman and the other define
Atng IDEAS hound inseparably with tho
character Of the German people and
With a significant period in its literary
and musical growth
That part Of the music which sang the
passions Of WdifhST and Bra and the as
pirations Of the youthful poet Mr.. TOs-
CAnIni read with insight and sympathy.
with conviction and with exquisite musi-
cal finish. No one could hope Ia hear
this MUSIC treated with greater dehcacy
Of touch. with more artistic refinement.
with more fAstIdious consideration for
the relation between voices ana orche--
ira
But the comedy passages suffered from
the manifest inability ~ the conduct
q saturate himself with the spirit Of tie
scene and from his failure IN follow every
nuance % the dialogue To enter briefly
intn more careful account. the first act
VAS all clarity and d-lica,, Pogu'T's
address WAS improved by "a. slightly
quickensd tempo Al which Il vas taken.
The dance 81 the apprentices was heavy.
tame and angular The first appearance
of the knighthoOi theme ~ WdlfAsr was
snurely wanting ia musical Importance
The finale was vigorously analytical and
wooden All Through the act the tempt
we're rlgid and the dialogue was always.
b. Use a musical express. o.. . a fuid
In n" second act tho apprentice dance
again was heavy and inelastic. The scene
between Sachs and Fro was fairly light
buy lacked orchestral color. Tie scene
between Eta and HG0daisna was wooden.
The famous monologue Of Sachs was
BEAUTIFULLY accompanied The finale d
the Act was unsteady wonderful in its
clarity vet II lacked something % the I
temp"r u rot9us outbreak such az
the scene presents 20 the eye The parts
for the womens voices were never 80
vel brought ou'. but the women tnsfu-
selves might as well nave been craven
image The moonlight music AZ the
very end was excellently done. hut we
have heard II read with more Imagination.
SacAGs VAIN. VAIN was admirably
treated and the prize song went ~ a
matter 4 course. The farcical scene of
Bscknsss va. somewhat leadsn footed
but not bad The quintet was taken az
q broad bat not unreasonable tempo.
Here Mr.. Toscaninl vas better than his
singers. The gathering o. the guilds was
dshcient IN spirit and the entrance % the
masters was quite tame But the chOrale
vas admirably treated.
these comments should he sufficient
% show the general character of the per-
Torrance. 4 had moments Of lofty
beauty and these were just where they
might have been expected from a direc- :
Tor n Mr. To-csnini's inchnations lie !
On o1ld not he fAulted for failing 70 do what |
= great German conductor would have !
done What he did Was conclusive Nvi- !
d@noe - his fervid love for Wagner and ]
be sound musicianship.
Let u be added that has technical treat ]
nsn' n the orchestral part Of the work /
Vas p~0ec' m Its elegance its exquisite /
tAance and Clearnesa, ITS precision and I
IiS confluence. II was "A fawless exposi- |
uon NJ his conception Of th" composition. |
With Nine GssiskI a. RIA Mr. Slezak
~ W0hbsT Mr. Soo'nar rs HdHs Sachs /
NJ Goritz as BSckWSss Mr. ReisS a.
bo'i1 and Mr.. Bias- ~ PJgH.r. the vocal /
parts we're m competent hands. Conn
mAn' IN particular on the Interpretations
Of ihese artists ~ rot imperative ~ this
tine The audienc" Was Of good size.
"