The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-08
TO CUT LONG OPERAS
AT METROPOLITAN
Bodan/k,. New Conductor.
will Eliminate Parts to
Avoid Late findings.
WAGNER SPECIAL MARK

A ,,cc regime of conducting at the
,Ictr.pui tu whica sill bring back
,,eunrcs Of Autou Seidl. the famous
v,gus-iar conductor. who welded the
,,,ou long before Toscanini came into
,rouiurnrc. is pr missed by Artur
Boda zhy. success 10 Alfred Hertz,
ain, has lust arrived to take up his
rev mus,cal duties. II Mr.. Bodanzky
q. allow ed to carry out his ideas. and
,b,r. seems every reason to believe that
no Will Lee. art for arts sake at the
Metropolitan will get a jolt. for Mr..
rsd,nzky SAYS he firmly believes in
emitting down the time necessary for
tie performance II n given opera TO
NEE, the demand of the public for
shorter works. even II some OF the must
cal zen. is eliminated.
THIS will mean that some OF Wag-
rer's works will 10 longer run until
after midnight and will make it posi-
lilo for the subscribers to get to the
leave q, a reasonable hour and still
hear a complete performance. But Mr..
Rpdanzky is not to confne this change
Of system primarily to the German
repertoire. he said yesterday. He hopes
10 conduct operas in Italian and French
o. well and where the same conditions
,xis, a like system will be put in force.
There are many works. the new o
ductnr holds. which can be immeas-
urably benefted by such a change.
MIR. Bodanzky, who arrived from Hol-
land on the steamship Noordam, il to
divide the conducting honors with
.iorgio Polacco. lie Ia in his thirty
,ighth year. but already his rise to fame
In Europe has bee rapid. Born In
Vienna Of an unmusical family. he
studied at the Royal Conservatory and
rose to be assistant conductor OF the
ROYAL Opera under the late Gustave
Nianler. In 1906 he went 10 Berlin
sad then 10 Prague. where he stayed
TWO years, From 1909 to 1915 he has
been musical director OF the opera in
Mannreim. Mr.. Bodanzky besides pos
sess.ng mastery OF the Wagrserian roper
tore can interpret the Works of Verdi,
Gounrd and most OF the other standard
operas in French and Italian. one re-
suit of the withdrawal Of Mr.. Tosca.
mini this year will be to thrust the ON
Quoting of Tristan und Isolde" and
"D!e Meistersinger' upon the shoulders
OF MIR. Bodanzky. These two operas
had been considered the exclusive prop
erty Of Mr.. Toscanini.
Mr.. Bodanzky told his Interviewer
yesterday some of the details of his trip
from Europe 1t was through the mar
rowest chauce that both the conductor
Md Mr.. and Mrs. Otto Well and Frieda
Hempel escaped arrest by the British
authorities and detention in AN English
concentration camp.
After two months OF negotiating
through the French. German. English
and American Governments for a safe
conduct" said Mr.. Bodanzky. through
Mr. Well as interpreter. I'VE finally sailed
lacking the actual papers. When the
boat arrived at the Downs. just east of
Dover, we were boarded. Word mad evil
IDENTIFY zone ahead that there were Ger
mans on board. Unable to show papers,
J was ordered to disembark and pre-
pare 10 be taken to England. while my
stateroom and o of my fellow trav-
t.lers were searched with the utmost
care II was only through the vigorous
intercesson Of Mr.. We'll that the Ad.
miralty officer was persuaded to com.
municate with London. where he found
ihe details of my mission were on Ale
and was ordered to allow us to pro
coed"
MI. Bodanzky said that the war had
lad little effect on musical affairs in
Germany and thai outside OF an APP
negative decrease in operate choruses
dU' 10 the fighting at the front, the
"p"ra houses everywhere We're doing a
urge business. BY a royal decree. he
'a'd. tn" majority of the principal artists
whose s.rNis.S vr.ya fhp,,yht 70 he inIia-
1"n~tble had been exempted from mill
larr service in Germany. II was through
This order that he did not have to &c
10 The firing line.