New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-21
STRAUSS OPERA
PLEASES THRONC
~RosenkavaIier" Charms
Enthusiastic Metropol-
itan Audience.
A NEW SOPHIE
IN THE CAST
u;ss Elizabeth Schumann Makes
Good Impression on First
American Appearance.

Richard Strauss's DER Rosenkava-
.,," which was the chief German nov
Nv ~ last season, was sung last night
:. ,be Metropolitan Opera House be-
to-e an audience which might we'll have
~, larger. but which was - unlim-
~, S,rsuss Knows we'll his public, and
10 iris opera be has tried every trick
~ fertile brain could conlure; ne
...t'cs ms public and ne jabs 10 IN the
y and both OF these methods have
s.ye5 more plays tnan one would care
- rsrer,ber: Ice mingleS idylhc Senu-
wert with unlawful passion, ana ne
.,,s all of with moral end-we may
s~ostion the sincerity of II all, nut
S-~b. ms 6iab0lcal cleverness we can
pot. ...,:.-- e. not q Soc
"A aRerhcr of Seville il is none the
iess most interesting ana al tunes
most entertaining work. Repeated
Ioovirrs only confirm the first lmpres-
.;or of the iroIdinate length OF the
o,sra Cuts are needed, and needea
SsSiv. esuecially IN the scenes OF so
r.risd humor-humor that IS so utterly
~sntonic that much Of II is lneompre-
sensible 90 nations possessing less OF
p.,ssior kultur lt is understood that
~ Hertz Is extremely adverse 70 any
cummings but for the sake Of the con
49, success of q work in which this
W er9 enthusiastic conductor so pro-
:or,5iv believes IT is greatly 10 be
I Ts6 that he will recede from his pc.
go and shorten the action by good
twenty minutes -. ;,+o
.,o,.ereous song. as I'm the love duets
80 .Le entrance Of Octavlan, he shows
S;wseif the genius whose lieder have
SsTrb.ei the concert halls Of the
vorI4 For these too brief moments
az car almost forgive the lnslncerlues
NJ other portions of the score.
The cast. with one exception, was the
enc a. AZ last years performances.
Nine. Ober repeated her superb imper-
so,stior of Octavian. an impersona-
.ion so graceful and whimsical and BOY
In hat her Or,rud Of two nights be
s,.e seemed visitor from another
world. Miss HempeNs Feldmarchallln
has marked the height OF her achleNe,
rnert informed as tits with dignity ana
natbos. and sung and expressed with
an EXQUISITE Celcacy. She was not IN
GOOD voice last night. but that we can
Forgive her Sir. Otto GOritz did all he
could to bring Ochs's heavy humor
across the Atlantic, and largely sue
cee5ed. because he is Otto GOritz; and
M Wei was an adequate enough
Tarrinsl, though scarcely the typica
rarvenu.
The new member Of the cast was
Miss Elizabeth Schumann, who took the
Race OF Miss Anna Case, as Sophie. Ii
was Mss Schumaun's American debut,
artit was at once evident that we have
secured new artist who viii mean
something TO- opera in New York. Miss
Schumaru disclosed voice Of rich
quality great range and unusual firm
ness of texture. She sang, moreover,
the Difficult. music with great skill, with
lega,o. and with admirable shading. In
action she was perhaps less successful,
but even here she evidently knew what
she was doing. and In movement, as In
song. proved herself a trained and au-
ihOritat.ve artist.
Mr. Hertz, O. course, conducted, and
the stage management of LOOMS lay
lor was most admirable.