New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-25
50 Opera for So
A Comparison of Present Singers
With the Giants of Old

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: As an attendant at opera whenever
deem the musical fare promised warrants
the expenditure demanded, have been much
interested IN the letters In your paper dis
cussing 81 opera and possible competition
with IN. Mctropolitan. Both seem TO me
desirable. II possible. The reason 70
charge seems desirable is that in my )udg-
ment this city now has 50 opera most OF
the time, but the box office asks - Tor or
chestra tickets.
That statement implies standards and com
parsons. l nm not yet in the armchair-oy-
the-freside stage Of life, but can remember
back a decade or two. The roster at the
Metropolitan in that period included the dc
Reszkes, Plancon, Nordica, Eamcs, Melba'
Calve, Sembrich. Schumann-Heink' Dippeh
Edythe Walker, Ternina, Fremstad, Van Rooy
Burgstaller, Bisphsm-not all at one nme'
naturally, but I recall an all-stsr production
Of "Hugrenots" in Mr.. Grau's time which
presented the de Rezkes and Plancon, NOR
dica, Sembrich and one or two other eminent
artists whose names have escaped mo at tne
moment A cast comparable to that is not
remotely within the range Of tho Metropoli-
tan's possibilities to-day. Yet orchestra
chairs then cost only So.
At present we are not without stars, ana
not without a very few sterling artists But
the two singers who according to popular
esteem and box office takings really deserve
70 be called "stars"-Caruso and Farrar-
date back to 1905 and 1906, respectively, II
my memory is correct. Most Of the singers
brought here in the last four or five years
have been of the routine type familiar in the
smaller European opera houses. They have
not had the artistic reputation and stature
Of those Of the old days, nor have they IN
most cases had the fresh, golden voices Oh
youth-the "voice with the velvet, as inc
Italians phrase (which alone might COM
pensate for lack Of those other qualiications.
I want to be perfectly fair. Let me say,
therefore, that If the singers OF this DAY
cannot compare with those OF niteeh years
ago. the orchestra itself is better, though
the conductors Of recent years, save los
canini and Hertz, have not been giants
Moreover, a great improvement Is discernr
BILE In the staging Of operas, though tnere
nav be some question whether this has kept
pace with the general advance In stageeral'
ana the technique VI PiVuHNS'o''
Whenever such contentious are advanced
defenders of the opera management insist
that il gets the best material available.
Starting only with his own brains and money
Oscar Hammerstein gave to this city as IN
teresting and stimulating period OF opera
rs il has been my fortune to live through
He built up, almost overnight, company
which numbered among its artists mary
Garden, Tetrazzini, Bressler- Gianoli, whose
Carmen was one OF the great ones OF the
world; Eleonora de Cisneros, Gerville'
Reache. Bonc, Constantine, Zenatello, Sam
marco, Dalmores, Rcnsud, Dufranne, Didur'
since one Of the Metropolitan's finest actors,
and for conductor the magician Campaninl.
Why could not a great organization with
great resources find material equally good!
Our opera house purports to be as good
as any in the world and better than most
For its charges it should give opera with
the best singers in the world. 1t has falien
below it's old standards. Personally, THINK
competition from an individual with brains
you'd produce an amazing improvement, as
Hammerstein's competition improved 1t
decade ago. Lacking such improvement,
shall continue to think that any IS pay for
a seat ought to be only SO. {. W. +.
New York, Sept q, 1917.