Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-05-07

troubles The Metropolitan
did not close with the 100000
balance that some operate OPP
IltEYRyW timists predicted. In a recent
60 issue Of the sun. Mr.. Hender-
son says the institution is sadly in need
OF goat Judging from the recent
proclamation in regard to the future price
OF orchestra stalls the rich have been cast
for that important role Meanwhile the pa
irons Of the 50 part Of the house win hope
that next season they will not be forced
TO buy Of spectators"
The orchestra stalls are to rise in price
from s. to S. And Of course that is a
high price. But after all, let US see-one
gets the opportunity of seeing a house
radiantly arrayed in operate fashionable
attire, giving a desirable atmosphere" as
II were: then there is an orchestra which
is we'll worth hearing of itself: then there
is also an ensemble of several big singers,
great singers, famous singers, or really
good singers, a well-trained and we'll
dressed chorus, and elaborate scenic and
pictorial staging and presentation. And
after ALL yes there is a ballet which alone
Is worth a good admission fee from those
who enjoy that particular species Of artis-
tic endeavor, and there is the whole OF a
production for that 50 per nocturnal sit
ting
Let US see, as we said before-compare
that with the prices we have to pay TO
hear one, Just one of those song birds In
a program Of songs or scenes, or a COM
binaton and 1t looks (from where we sit)
as though New York operate lovers and
listeners are really getting much the best
Of IT, at their six-dollars per. What do
you think?
Much has been written about the latest
venture Of Puccini this season, his Girl Of
the Golden West Much also has been
written about Humperdinck's "Koenigskln-
der" But "Ariane ct Barbe- Bieu' has
not received so much general attention.
And the name OF Dukas is not as familiar
az that Of either Of the gentlemen already
alluded to. Writing of this composer and
his opera, the previously-quoted writer
says "Ariane ct Barbe- Bleu, the last nov
city of the season, is in some respects more
interesting than either of the other two,
but its humanity is too indefinitely pub
lished to take a firm hold on the public
mind. Furthermore the musical method is
one which is distastefu to the great mass
OF opera lovers. Dukas confines his
melodic Interpretation wholly to the or
chestra, while his voices wander vaguely
in recitative which lacks clearness OF
work is interesting and is artistic in con-
cepton and structure, but would be
idle to assert that II Is a novelty OF the
first order"
In regard to the same work. Mephisto in
Musical America, has the following to
say:
The Metropolitan opera houses advance
circular of the opera prints Music By Paul
Dukas" in twelve-point, and "Libretto by
Maurice Maeterlnck" in ten point type.
.Libretto!" Ye gods! Maeterlinck re.
duced to ten-point and to the condition of
being lbrettist, under the twelye-polnt
grandeur OF Paul Dukasl Oh, well, why
get into rage? II does no good. One
only wears oneself out and the old world
goes on the same.
The circular says that Mr. Dukas is a
man who takes his art most seriously"
! am glad somebody does. Also he is duti-
full and modest. He would not leave his
professional duties at the Conservatoire
persuade him to have his photograph taken
for publication have been all in vain Per-
haps he he'd happened to look in the mirror
Just before the request!
We learn further that a distinguished
French critic says of his 'Ariane'--
"Dukas reaches the same end as Claude
Debussy, but by different route" Well
am going to Guido Gibbon. 1 shall write
book on the decline and fall OF French
criticism. When French critics become
hypertrophled to the point where they
cannot tell the original from the real.
something Is rotten In the state Of Dem
mark. Which proves that l am an Irish
man.
And while we are on the subject Of Mr..
Dukas and Mseterlinck and "Ariane" It
may not seem amiss to reprint the story
OF Ariane and Bluebeard as sketched in
the column Of Mephisto In Musical Amer
lea:
From Mary Garden to Blue Beard is not
very long step, so we will take that
next, AT the time that you get this they
VIII be producing "Ariane ct Barbe-Bleu"
At the Metropolitan opera house. The
opera company sends out an advance mo-
tice of this work in which It is called the
Observation-Disclosures opera.
Why drag in Maeterlinck? Ariane, you
know, Is q woman of destiny-the woman
o. Blue Boards destiny, in fact. Five OF
his wives have already disappeared and
the populaee is becoming aroused This
Is way that the populace has. even to
the extent OF mixing in other peoples
business While II Is a habit that cannot
be corrected. 1t can nevertheless, some
times be turned to account on the stage
or on occasions such as the French revo-
Now Maeterlinck makes Blue Beard out
70 be not such bad fellow. He has no
pioodt thirsty desires, no wish to leave be-
he Is merely looking for the ideal woman,
ana IN his search meets with nothing but
q series OF disappointments. The women
he has found up TO the time OF AriAne's
appearance, while beautiful enough, have
been weddings and slaves and have ae-
cepted his tyranny without 80 much as Of
teTing an amusing or interesting resistance.
Therefore Blue Beard shuts them up in a
dark cellar and tries again.
Artane knows most OF what has hap
pened, and guesses the rest She therefore
walks into Blue Boards palace with her
eyes wide open. She is not interested in
the silver keys which she may use TO I'M
lock all the treasures that are at her dis
posal' She is interested only in the golden
key, which she is forbidden TO use II
leads her, of course to the other wives
cringtng In the dark dungeon, OF whom she
would soon be one were she not a woman
OF destiny.
She has already given Blue Beard a
shock, for when he tells her that by using
g.,