New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-11-18
MUSIC
Christian und Isolde"

tan und Isolde" has obviously been so sin
| cere from tho time that he first undertook
it's direction at the Metropolitan Opera
| House that il has done much toward
, bunting the shafts OF criticism directed
against the policy pursued by the manage
ment during the last two years IL Ia true
thai an aching void in the representations.
| which has long been felt and often Deen
| deplored was found still to be yawnlng
last night when Wagner's great drama had
! its first representation this season, but II
| is one OF the kind that can be most easily
| forgiven. What might be called desire
| for artistic Justice and ethics calls for a
mending of the fragrant scenic deficiencies
or extravagances of the first act: but Wag-
ner's music. like Shakespeare's poetry,
puts all thoughts of the merely external
/ picture so far into the background that,
/ so we can have 1t eoquently proclaimed
! las Il was last night. 1t becomes almost
matter OF Indifference whether or not tho
ship which is carrying the Irish princess
| TO Cornwall has a mast 10 uphold its sail
and shrouds sometimes 1t has one. some
! times not-last night it was I'm the first
case). whether or not anything is being
achieved by the exertons Of the sailors
when they strenuously pull. at the tackle
or whether or not the heroic pilot can fair
! " be imagined as guiding the ship into
! harbor, with all view ahead of him cut
off by the curtains Of the royal cabin.
| Here the raised imagination To which
the poet-composer makes his first appeal,
comes into play, and lesser things are for
given: forgotten. too-but, sometimes only
for the moment. for when reflection re-
| turns the lovers Of the great German mas
| terpieces are likely to wonder why these
works should receive so little Intelligent
| attention to their smaller details from
| the management of an institution Ike the
Metropolitan opera House, when so much
has been given 10 the willis and
"Walys" and "Germanias' which-as the
world knows-have been produced only as
tributes to "A business policy which is Din
the old common law phrase Contra bonos
mores."
But. as has been intmated. there was so
much to be grateful for in last nights
Tristan und Isolde" that the grumblers.
however righteous their displeasure. viii
almost be ashamed Of themselves if they
reflect on the things which are incense
auential The gratitude which was OBJ
viously felt by the splendid audience had
much to expend itself upon. No one would
think of beginning with the composer If IL
were not that whenever one of his master
pieces is brought into juxtaposition with
that of a manufactured idol OF the later
I day, like Puccini, for instance. he looms
so large that an expression seems neces-
sary TO the preservation of ones sef-re
| spect. And next, the conductor who was
last night the truly interpretatve artist
who passed the music of the author
| through a finely receptive mind and gave
! II out again with so much of his own emo
! tionality mixed with il as 10 make his work
| also creative-movng and compelling like
marvellous Improvisation. Then the or
! chestra. as the bearer of the largest mes
sage. and after that the individual per-
| formers.
| The most obviously ignorant. dishonest
and malignant attack ever made on the
Metropolitan establishment was written
last spring by a German visitor who pro-
fessed to have attended performance
here OF "Parsfal." To him the represen-
| tation was nothing more than beautiful
voices spectacularly clothed. The beauty
OF the voices OF our singers is something
that even the jaundiced opinion or Ger
many must concede; but he would disclose
a sorry appreciation of art who would
record nothing more than that after last
| nights Tristan; who would not marvel
even though he had observed its growth
at the splendor Of Nine. Fremstads I'M
| personation Of the heroine; at the beauty
| of her singing merely as song. irrespective
| Of its dramatic message; at the variety
and loneliness of her action, the Elasticity
and gracefulness OF her poses; the express
siye mobility OF her face Long mem
cries. which are always affectionate, go
back TO representations in which there
were greater moments, which made the
listener recognize that Tristan" like the
shakesperian plays, is full of quotations;
but even such memories will not recall
performance Of such sustained and con-
| tinent beauty.
Mention OF newcomers in the great cast
must of course be made. They were
Nine. Matzenauer. as Brangdne; Hermann
| We'll, as Kurwenal, and Lambert Murphy,
who, as the unseen sailor singing at the
masthead does so much to create the at
mosuherc which flows through the first
act That function lie performed well last
night Mime. Matzenauer's generous out
pouring OF her large voice seemed at times
.
generous outpouring Of the orchestral tone:
but il was one of the delightful features
OF the evening that the combined voices,
human and instrumental, made so rich
concord.
More might have been asked Of Herr
| We'll. whose tones were a trine unsteady,
though his barytone was agreeable and his
command OF IT cOmmendablc. His was, at
the worst only a case of little eXaSsera-
ton O. emotion, natural enough perhaps to
che trying to make deep impression upon
an untried and unknown public. Herr
| Burrian. il must be added for the sake of
the record. who has often sung and acted
! the part OF Tristan well. was I'm such poor
vocal condition that consideration was
asked for him after the first act. The parts
f., the representation were distributed as
follows:
Tristan. .Cdrl huitl'H
| KONG Marke. ............... Herbert Wllherapoon
Isolde. DilNe frehsta
Kurwenal. ............. Hermann Well
dis first appearance hercJ
| Msio, .................W William Hinshaw
pr,,gaene ............... Margarete Matzenauer
Fin AlDeIt i,tIss
Der Steuermann. uiIus Day