New-York tribune., 1918-09-29

ilSt, especialiy 70 tnOee OF M. Massenet.
French music, as a rule, but especially that
of M Mass6net, depends for its effective
ness on refinement in presentation above all
else. 1t might have been better for
"Sapho" if more time and greater care had
been bestowed upon it's preparation. Not
that any less violence would have been
done to it by the performer for whose sake
it was put into Mr.. Hammersten's reper-
tory, even II weeks and months instead Of
days had been devoted to study. Miss Gar
den never was an exponent Of the principles
for which M. Massenet stands, despite the
fact that he has given musical investiture
to several dramatic women whom she felt
called upon to impersonate. Her appeals
were rudely, vulgarly physical, whereas his
are graceful, subtle and psychological
"Elektra" was performed for the first
time in America on February /, 1910. In
the mood then prevailing in the popular
mind the incident stupendously mo-
mentous-not a historical trihe like the
battles Of Leipsic, Waterloo and Bunker
Hill or the meeting of the barons at
Runnymede. The lyric tragedy, indeed, was
one of the sensations of the hour through
out the Occidental world (great is Reklamer
and Strauss is its prophet!) and these
chapters would be vain thing if they did
not tell when it was first produced in the
United States, where it was produced how
it was produced by whom it was performed
and what effect it made upon it's hearers.
AS incidentally contributory to the chroni-
Gle, study of the work by writer COM
PEELED by his duty to newspaper to write
down his Impressions might be tolerated.
The time, then, was February 1, 1910; the
place, the Manhattan Opera House in New
York; the language, French; the conductor.
Henriques de la Fuente; the stage manr ger,
Jacques Coini; tho impresario Oscar Ham
merstein; the actors these:
Elektra. .... .............. Marietta Mazarin
Thfrysosthemls' .,::...... Alice Raron
klytemnestra. ...... Mime. Gervile- Reache
Orestes ............ NJ. Huberueau
Egisthus :.:..............M. DutFault
Foster-father of Orestes... NJ. Nicolay
A Young Servant. ...........Sig. Venturini
An Old Servant. t...................Mr Mr.. Scott
The Contidante e.............. Miss Desmond
Overseer of the Servants. Mile. Taty- Tango
Trainbearer ................ Miss Johnstone
First Serving Woman. ........ Alice Gentle
Second Serving Woman. .... Mile. Severina
Third Serving Woman. Miss Milda
Filth Serving Woman.... Nine. Duchene
l have already made record of the first
performance of tho work in Europe and the
facts touching Mr.. Hammerstein's acquisi-
tion of the right of performance in Amer
ica. 1t was written as a spoken play by
Hugo Won Hotfmannsthal, a Vennese dramat-
ist, and after Strauss had provided it with
music q French translation was made by
NJ. Gauthier-Villar. There was Just such
an audience in attendance on the first
American performance as q sensational in
cident of the first magnitude might have
been expected to summon. 1t could not
have been larger; it could not have been
more attentive; it could but amaze the OBJ
server who it sit for two hours while
a tale Of horror was unrolled before it and
music dinned into its ears which lacked
nearly every one of the elements supposed
to be attractive to the ordinary lovers of
the old opera or the modern lyric drama,
The audience and the critical observer
recognized one thing in common which was
that the of operate miracles, op-
pressed by difficulties greater than he had
ever confronted before, fulfilled a promise