New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-20

there another operate song with the
dewy freshness and fragrance OF Fury
snthe's first cayatiaa ("Cl6cklein i'm
Thale") or the sweet, gentle, resigned
pathos of the second cavatins C"Hier,
dicht am Quell') in the last act
Fraulein Hempel carried the trans
figuring strains into the Utmost hearts
Of her hearers yesterday and raised
herself TO an artistic plane mucn
higher than any she has moved on
since she came to US. Here her purs
lyricism made all her efforts at norid
singing seem tawdry and pallid. Did
not the hunts up" Of the last act pro-
woke something like feeling Of i'm
patience with Eagner's imitation IN
"Tannhsuser"7 Will 1t ever be pos
sible to put loftier sentiment and sin.
cerer expression into a delineation OF
brave knighthood and it's homage 70
fair woman than inspire every meas
ure almost Of the first act? Does not
much Of "Lohengrin's" march time. A
fiat music, sound heavy-footed In com.
parison with these chivalric strains
To Wagner's honor be IL said that ne
never denied his indebtedness to
Weber, but IL he had IL would have
availed him nothing, while the repre-
sensations Of the evil principle In
"Lohengrin" and "Euryanthe" present
so obvious a parallel, not to mention
SO many drafts upon the spiritual as
we'll as physical apparatus in so many
parts Of the score.
Not the least remarkable feature OF
the music Is Weber's use Of scale pas
sages in the tragic airs Of Byzantine.
Not idle ornament or melodic exfolia-
tions these, but utterances Of tremen-
dous dramatic potency. So Weber con-
ceived them, and so Nine ODER, though
somewhat overwcighted with the part,
executed them. Splendid and inspir-
ing was the manner in which she
plunged into the whirlpool Of dramatic
defamation, quite as admirable IN IT'S
way, though il could not be so patheti-
cally moving as the exquisite singing
of Miss Hempel. In every accent, every
huance, every fash Of color, both sing
ers--all the singers, In fact-found
themselves buoyed up by. Signor los
caninPs marvellous orchestra. me
Italian master revealed what is meant
by the studioLs preparation Of an opera
the kind of preparation of which all
the Ger operas in the Metropoli-
tan's list stand in great need, as was
made plain at the recent representation
of "Die Walkure." Out Of such read
ings speak sincere love and unselhsh
devotion, as well as lofty genius.
Comment and analysis have been
mixed in this hurried effort TO chronicle
what will doubtless be the highest ar
tistic achi vement of the season. Much
remains to be said, but there will be
other opportunities. Weber's opera is
presented as a brilliant spectacle, in
which pictures and pageantry are sue
cessfully and tremendously blended.
The tableau which Weber intended to
have exposed during the largo episode
in the overture is omitted. We had IL
in the performances of twenty-seven
years ago, but it cannot be said to
Shed much light on the play, since
its significance becomes apparent
only after the drama is developed, and
then only in part, and to those who are
willing to endure the brain racking
which the incoherent libretto compels.
But we had the pas de cinqtte in the
last act composed for Berlin, for which
Mr.. Seidl substituted the waltz from
1.-THE Invitation to the Dance" MI:
Sembach bore himself chivalrously and
sang with fine power throughout,
though he reached his highest level In
the invocation to his ghostly sister In
the last act. This was one OF the
bright points of light in uniformly
excellent performance, to which Mr..
Middleton's fine voice and Mr.. Wells
dramatic defamation contributed more
potent factors than did their acting.
The reception of the opera by the fine
audience was enthusiastic.