New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-12
0FFENBACH'S OPERA
Successful Production of "les
ConteS d'Hoffmann" at the
Metropolitan.

mann" was incorporated in the repertory
of the Metropolitan Opera House yester-
day afternoon. The fact that Mr. Gatti
! included II in this seasons list OF new
productions has caused some surprised
| comment both within the walls Of the es-
/ ts blishment and without. To some purists
| in art the name Of Offenbach still calls
| up feeling of aversion, though time has
made him pay the penalty of his misdeeds,
| il they we're such. by covering all the
things which he wrote for the Bouffes
| Parisiennes with the pail OF oblivion.
There are times. however, when an honest
| lover OF the merry muse. contrasting the
| operettas OF to-day with those OF the
Second Empire. might we'll wish to eX-
| change the literary and musical vulgarity
of many things which All the ears or this
generation for the ingenious satire OF the
| operas bouffes of forty years ago and the
piquancy and grace of the melodies with
which Ofrenbach adorned them. These
charitable critics will not think that the
Metropolitan Opera House is polluted by
having In its books or on its boards the
name OF the man who wrote the music
/ for La belle Helene" and "Orphee aux
Enters" even II they fail to remember
that Les Contes d'Honmann" was
plous effort TO make amends to his real
| genius.
There is enough serious beauty in
Ofenbach's fantastic opera to justify its
| inclusion in the repertory Of any opera
| house. but perhaps It was not this con-
| sideration alone which appealed to Mr..
erl L. Ion, i'm in
the suspicion that the local history of
the opera had something to do with the
matter. The most significant fact In that
history Is that Les Contes d'Hofmann
was far and away the most successful
of the operas produced by Mr. Hammer
stein in the four years OF his consulshlp
at the Manhattan Opera House. Mr..
Hammerstein produced the opera on No
vember Is, 1907. and though NJ Renaud.
VITO. lent II It's chief attractiveness, so
far as the persons concerned In Its per-
Torrance were concerned. took his de-
parture in the beginning OF the following
February. the opera received eleven rep
reservations in the season lN-'0s. In
the following season II was performed
seven times and in the last Of Mr.. Ham,
merstein's administration eight times. In
three seasons. therefore II was heard
tWenty-six times. In this period the
greatest popular attraction at the Man
haitian Opera House was Nine Tetraz-
zini. yet OF her operas Lucia" was per-
formed only twenty-five times and "Rigo-
letto" ard "Travtata" fourteen times each.
OF the novelties which Miss Garden made
possible. lie Jongleur de Notre Dame
VAS played twelve times in two years,
Louise" eighteen times in three, "Pelleas
e. Mtlisande" fourteen times in three,
"Salome" fourteen times In two and
That's" twenty times In three. Les
Contes d'Hormann" was. therefore. Mr.
Hammerstein's browning achievement
unless one chooses to ascribe that dist!nc-
ton TO Carmen" which though II had
only nineteen representations IN the last
three seasons Of the Manhattan, had the
same number In the first year. thanks to
the gifts OF Bressler- Gianoli.
Whether as a tribute 10 the beauty OF
ofyenbachs opera about which there II
nothing new 10 be said at this late day,
or as a stroke OF business. the revival or
lies Contes dHofYmann" was justified
II was justified again by the success OF
vesterday's performance This did not
diner essentially. so far as the treatment
which the work itself received. from the
representations at the Manhattan Opera
House There are several versions OF the
opera. which Onenbach so loved that ne
la bored on IL for years, and which Is or
a character admitting Of several Varia-
lions i'm treatment. IL Is only by keeping
IN view the symbolism which held sway
in the minds OF Barber and Care
when they first worked out the scheme
OF fve-act drama In which the GER
man poet. romancer and musician w
r A. Hoffman,. should be the nero In
sequence Of tales OF his own Invention,
that this fantastic piece can be SAID 10
hay. anv continuity or unity. Unless one
listens attentlvely to the prologue ana
epilogue. and from them gathers the ele-
ments of cohesion. the opera which Onen-
bach made out CT the play might as well
he looked upon as three operas. and II
MIR. Gatti should get hard pressed Tor
another one-act curtain raiser Tor rag
liscci" or "Cavalleria rusticana, ne
might. without doing much violence TO
Onenbachs work, make comic one
called OLYMPIA" out OF the first act and
a tragic one, Antonio" out of the third.
The only obvious bond between the three
acts of the opera 70 the careless OBSERVER
ia the character Of Hoffman,. which en-
ters into all of them and Is impersonated
NV the same artist-the tenor. The new
production differs from it's predecessors
in having the representative OF the evil
principle who pursues the hero ana
wrecks each of his adventures imper-
! sonated by three different men. NJ. Re-
maud embodied the principle In each act
and did II with such consummate art
tina, IN him much Of the success OF the
old representation was due. Whether or
not this plan is absolutely essential Is a
question which need not be discussed
here: but II may be said that IL is by
watching the development OF the demon OF
wickedness and the influence OF his mach
,na tions upon the hero that the thread
ia most easily found which binds an APP
aren't pasticcio into an harmonious whole
The heroines OF the three acts are phases
of the feminine principle when opsessed
the mind OF the hero In these phases
OF its development-the moon-calf love.
given to physical prettiness. empty out
ward charm, exempihed In Honmanns
affection for the automaton Olympia; the
subsequent merely carnal attraction low
ard the courtesan Giulietta; then, IN the
last of the illustrative episodes, MS SIN
cere love for pure woman. In each case
the hero-poet's aspirations are brought to
naurht by the Vaccinations OF his evil