New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-14
MUSIC
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA
A Review of the Season Just
Closed.

There has seldom been an opera season
in New York the record of which Is more
easily set down than that which closed with
last nights performance al the Metropolitan
Opera House-the fourth under the man
agement Of Signor GATH Gasazza. There
are no managerial quarrels to report, and
il there have been chickering's among the
members of the company knowledge Of
them has been wisely withheld from the
public. Nobody ever expects all the prom
ises of an operate management TO be kept;
for many are honestly made which neither
occasion nor time makes possible. But the
failures this year have been very few.
The Russian opera Boris Godounoff' had
been held out as almost a certainty, but
its production was evidently made impossi-
bic by the unexpected labor called for in
the production of the prize opera Mona"
AS for "Cristoforo Colombo" by Fran
chetti. those who knew its history could
easily dispense with II. all the more be-
cause they suspected the conditions which
placed 1t upon the list. Those conditions
Will be changed by force mojeW in the
course Of time-espeeially II the manage
ment of the Metropolitan Opera House
shall open its doors more widely to Signor
Wolf-Ferrari and other Italian composers
of the younger set. Mr.. DippePs pursuance
of business policy, forced upon him by
self-defence as we'll as self-respect, has
partly broken down the barriers or Italian
monopoly, but 1t might be wished that, be-
sides making an entrance of the Metropol-
tan Opera House for lie Dome Curiose
and invading IL on his own account with
II Giojelli della Madonna" he had COM
PEELED declaration that hereafter the IN
stltution should be free to all whom 1t
seems wise to accommodate.
The fairness and generosity of Signor
Gatti was placed beyond question by The
production of Mona" The attitude Of the
critics was widely different from that OF
the demOnstratiye part of the public, but
the question whether or not DR.. Parker or
his critics will prove to be right in the end
will be- settled without another word with
in twelvemonth.
This subject is not altogether pleasant,
but there are other aspects of Signor Gattfs
administration which can cause no feeling
but satisfaction. AS has been said he Kept
his promises as nearly as any manager can
touching novelties. Signor Caruso means
the opera to many subscribers to such an
extent that it has become a duty to dis
tribute him impartially among them, and
this Signor Gatti accomplished. There are
always too many operas in the repertory
to enable the director to give all his sun
scribefs an opportunity to hear them all
but there can be little complaint about the
discriminat ton this year. All the subscriD-
ers heard the novelties, lie Donne Curiose'
and "Lobetanz," and only those of Monday
were deprived of "Versiegelt' and those OF
Wednesday Of Mona" AS for the rest,
"Iansel und Greter' fell out of the list
for the list Of Thursday. Friday and Satur-
day matinee subscribers "Tosca" was
omitted from the Saturday matinees
Lucia" from Thursday evenings and Sat
urday afternoons; Kongskinder" from
Saturday matinees; "Ariane ct Barbe-
Bleue" from Thursday and Friday even
ings; Die Walkiire" from Friday; "Otello'
from Thursday; "Tannhauser' from
Wednesday and Thursday; "Armide' fron
Wednesday: "Die Meistersnger' from Fri
day nights and Saturday afternoons
"Manon' from Wednesday and Friday :;
Faust from Monday and Thursday ;
"Cavalleria Rusticana" from Monday and
Saturday: THE Battered Bride" from Mon
day. Thursday and Saturday; III Trova-
tore" from Monday and Friday; "G0ttei-
dammerung" from Monday, Wednesday AMI
Saturday; "Rigoletto" from Monday
Wednesday and Friday, and 'Siegfried'
from Monday Wednesday and Friday
The circumstance that "PagliaccP' figured
three times in eight double bills of the
subscription season is amply accounted for
that this year it has been Caruso opera
The significance Of the large percentage or
German operas in the special list over the
subscription list is an old feature which
needs not to be discussed. 1t will work lts
lesson in time. The rest is told in the fol-
lowing tables: