New-York tribune., 1914-11-27
SEMBACH PLEASES
AS PARSIFAL
Annual Wagnerian Matt
nee Draws Crowd" -"Tra-
Viata' in the Evening.

Thanksgiving without its "Parsifap
would az this late date be unthink-
n0ie, and the Wagneran festival play
was sung yesterday afternoon before
rs large and as interested an audience
as ever gathered at the Metropolitan
opera House at a Wagneran matinee.
WIN one exception the singers had
all been heard before, and all Of them
appeared imbued with the. serious ma
ture Of the work they were presenting
and gave TO il of their best. The audi
ence was, as all "Parsifal" audiences
are, one OF special composition, and
It heard the exposition of the story
with a reverence which exists at no
other offerings of the operate year,
for "Parsifal" tickles not the ground
llngs, nor does IL throw 70 the sensa-
tion loving the sop of tenoric heart
burnings expressed through the me-
dium Of n high c.
Alfred Hertz has made in New York
"Parsifal' his own, and when this pop
ular German conductor passes from
our midst, which let us hope will not
be for many years 70 come, 1t Will
probably be for "Psrsifal," far more
than all else, that his memory will live
among us. He conducted again yester-
day and read the score with rare SYM
pathy and just appreciation.
The new member of the cast was the
Parsifal himself. He was a new Ger
man tenor, Johannes Sembach, and he
gave promise of being another valuable
addition TO the company. Mr. Sembach
is a man of fine figure and mobile feat
ures, an intelligent and graceful actor
who made the guileless fool a human
and understandable character, feat
which not every singer has been able
20 accomplish. His voice, while not OF
heroic timbre, is pleasing in quality
and free from the throaty production
so common with German tenors.
Clarence Whitehill, who was q mem
Der of the Metropolitan Company dur
ing the season Of 1909-l9l0, returned
10 US to sing Amfortas, and gave re
newed cause for wonder that this ad
mirable barytone ever should have left
Nine. Matzenauer sang kundry's gusi
with rare Imagination, even tnougf
nature had prevented her from salts
fying the visual side of the character
Carl Braun as Gurnemanz, Otto Goriu
as Klingsor and Carl Schlegel a.
Titurell all added to the excellence
of the performance. ..
In the evening a very different bill
was presented in Verdrs "Trav.ata,
though even here the major theme wa.
remuneration and repentance. Fried,
Hempel sang Violetta, and if she failed
probably through nervousness, 20 give
the "Ah fors lui" with its proper et
feet she atoned for this later on. Hel
Marguerite Gautier is far indeed from
the Boulevard des Italiens, but II rs, ne
doubt, a very charming portrait o. th'
same young woman dOmiclled neal
Inter den Linden. The new lyric tenor
Luca Botta, sang Alfredo, and agar
displayed his firm, clear, warm-tinteC
voice. which only needs little more
perfect control TO make 1t one OF th'
most pleasing tenors heard here in re
cent years. He made the character
too, something that was not entirel!
fatuous-this in itself no mean tri
umph. The Germont of Pasqual'
Amato is an old friend and valued
one.
A special word must be said in prais
of Miss Rosina Cali, the new premier
danseuse, whose appearance with tn
company has made strong its weakes
point. Her dancing last night was
revelation after the Metropolitan's sol
dancers Of the last few years. Mr.. Po
lacco conducted with spirit and author
ity