New-York tribune., 1911-02-16
MUSIC
COMMENT ON VARIOUS DoINGS
Miss Duncan, Bach and Wagner-"The
Battered Bride

MISS lSadoTa Duncans ambition grows !
apace. II might he wished that It would /
submit TO bit Of control not only in the /
objects which ii pursues bu, in the manner 1
in which those objects are announced. II !
would attune even a eraciousy disposed /
mind 80 more kindness If she would say i
in her announcements that she purposed TO
dance 10 the music of a Beethoven sym /
phony. for instance than that she would /,
dance the symphony: for no matter what /
the evolution of tho symphony may have /
been. 1t was never designed Ivy any Of its .
creators that II should be danced. II might (
also he wished that she would by dilirent I
study reach the conclusion that there are /,
some things to which she ought not 10 seek !.
| to apply her art, interesting and suggestive /,
as II is She went OUTSIDE of her province /
Yesterday afternoon in her first entertain |
ment AT Carnegie Hail. even in some OF the !
features which seemed intimately ssso- |
ciated with it. She cssayed to unite |
| paniom:me with the noble air IN Bach's |
suite in D. end succeeded only in creating
Wonderment as 10 why SO much postUring
should be made to accompany music which
/ is beautiful because il transceDds all de-
lineation Of incident. She put in motion
the familiar Greek pictures Of the gavotte
and Sieue from the same suite. and only
made the delighted spectators who were
familiar with the nature of the old dance
wonder why she chose this music I'm pref
erence 10 any other measures expressive
OF the JOY OF life when. had she appreci-
| ated the opportunity which the dances
offered. she might have shown the charac-
teristic grace of the old dances themselves
the operate repertorv has Of late taken on
| an archaic tinge. and there is greater need
| OF instruction in the old art Of visualizlng
( the old dances for which Gluck wrote TO
| choose timely illustration than In the
prancing Of the nymphs and fauns which
We know chiefly from their counterfeit pre-
sentiments on antique vases. Besides these
woven PAGES and waving arms seem TO
have rather limited gamut, IL Miss Dun
can has exhausted them.
There was much grace and beauty in the
rhythmical movements which Miss Duncan
associated with the music Of the Flower
| Maidens in Wagners "Parsifal": but they
failed Of their effect when il came TO the
measures which Wagner wrote TO give ex-
preston 70 the pretty petulancies and
quarreings of the maidens in their ndi-
! vidual strivings for Parsifals favors. Just
as did her pdntomime TO the music OF the
| ballet scene in "Tannhauser." popularly
known as the "Bacchanale. Here Wagner
composed a scene which cannot be acted by
a single dancer. nor adequately replaced by
anything else. 1t is an orgy OF passion,
and il is far beyond the creative agina-
ton of Miss Duncan, or anybody else, to
present it without the help of the nymphs.
youths, fauns. sirens, amorettes. graces and
allegorical pictures which Wagner employs.
She showed that she could combine conven-
tonal dance steps with charming panto-
mime in the waltz from Die Meister-
singer" but in il there was no revelation.
! Most surprising. and also most futile,
was her attempt 10 show that pantomme
might add beauty or significance to the
I final scene of Tristan und Isolde" That
/ she would do so has been proclaimed for
days, yet Mr.. Damrosch thought ft TO state
/ in carefully prepared speech that 1t was
an experiment which Miss Duncan had re-
/ solved upon only at a rehearsal on Tues
day He also postponed the feature TIL
the end of the programme. 10 give all who
7 did not wish TO see the experiment an op-
pcrtunity TO leave the room Nothing could
/ have been more deftly devised TO pique
curiosity and compel everybody to stay
STAY they did. out only to see Miss Duncan
go through most OF the motions which the
| operate artists make over the dead body
Cf Tristan. Something more, and very diff.
ferent, might have been done Of course.
/ There might have been q representation Of
1 the delirious ecstacy which seizeS upon
Isolde when she realizes that the lover she
had come 20 heal is dead. hut of this there
was nothins in Miss Duncans acting eX-
. cept a rushing forward at the superb eli
MAKES near the close, which suggested
nothing better than the action OF The con
venuonal Italian operate chorus at the
close of an act. when it goes to the foot
! lights to wave its arms and shrek It's forte.
! Miss Duncan IS not interesting as an in
terpretcr of Bach and Wagner. Mr. Dam
rosrh am the orchestra Of the Symphony
( Society. however. we're more than interest
ing YESTERDAY and the pIblic had cause
for genuine gratitude for all the music
vas beautifully played. The great hall
was crowded
There was delightful dancing Of dif.
fercnt order at tho opera house last night
/ when the Bohemans had their fling (Which
was the real thing, in the polka and
. furisnt of Smetanas aShilarsting opera
/ The Bartered Bride" Here is an opera
I through whose every scene there blows a
breeze that clears the jaded brain and re-
I freshes the soul The performance last
night was a capital one. quite as good as
/ those Of past years, though there were some
| changes in the cast. Miss Destinn forgets
! her indiNerentism in this work and PLAYS
with as much vivscity as she sings the
sparkling measures. many OF which might
/ have come from the MoZartian fountain;
! and Mr. J6rn is never so much at home In
! anv other part as in that which falls 10
| him in this opera. Mr.. Goritz replaced Mr..
/ Didur. who hitherto has played and sung
I the role of the marriage broker lie over
! ac9entuatod its farcca side somewhat.
! hui as might have been known in ad-
vance. made most diverting character out
| ri IL OF course Mr.. Reiss was irresistible
/ as the suffering boObv. he has been from
/ the beginning. Miss Anna Case, who had
nor first opportunity IN opera (she has
sung this season in concert). made a pleas
ing impression as Esmeralda. the dancer.
Mr.. Hertz enjoyed . triumph after the
overture played AS IS the custom here, be-
foro tho second act II. r. X.
FUNERAL OF GENERAL WEBB