New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-10-06
nuous OPERATE Season in New Y ork

power than any opera or combination or
singers, that the management decided that
it could throw artistic integrity and prom
Uses to the winds, even in the department.
on which it had laid considerable stress in
the prospectus. The ballet programme
went largely by the board. "Vicnna
Waltzes," which had figured in the pre-
liminary announcement, was performed but
once, and then only because the German
Press Club which had bargaincd for it for
its annual benefit, insisted upon having it,.
"Dic Puppenfee," "Sylva," "Les Sylphidcs"
and "Chopin," though on the list, were not
given, short advertisements after long
operas taking their place operate novel
ties promised but not performed were Leo
Blcch's "Vcrsegelt," Gotzrs "Les Pre-
ceuses ridicules," Goldmark's "Cricket on
the HEARTH" Humperdinck's "Konigs-
KINDER" Laparra's "Habancra," Lehar's
"zigeunerliebe" Glamour des Tziganes"),
Lerouxs "Chemineau," Maillart's Lies
Dragons des Villars," Offenbach's "Contes
dHoffmann," Rossini's "Signor .Bruschino,"
Suppe's "Sch0ne Galathea" and Wolf-Fer-
rari's Ole Dome curiose" The operas
which had first production in New York,
either at the Metropolitan Opera House or
the New Theatre, were Franchetti's Ger
MANIA" Tschaikowsky's "Pique Dame" Mr..
Convcrse's "Pipe of Desire" Bruneau's
"L'Attaque du Moulin" and Paer's al
Maestro di Capelln," the last in an abbrevi-
ated form. To these works 1 shall recur
presently In familiar operas the public
was permitted to new approximations of
Elsa, Floria Tosca and Santuzza by Nine.
Fremstad, and of Foria Tosca by Miss
Farrar. Notable achievements from an ar
tistc point of view representations
of "Tristan und Isolde" and "Dic Meister-
singer under the direction Of Signor Tos-
canini, and "Pique Dame" under that of
Herr Mailer who had been engaged for
limited number of performances only and
who after the season was over devoted him.
self wholly to the direction of the con-
ccrts of the Philharmonic Society.
The roster Of singers was formidable
for reason explained in the
prospectus. The inclusion in the CON-
pany's plan of performances in Brooklyn
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Boston, as we'll
as at the New Theatre, $50 widcned the
scope of the operations of the Metropoli-
tan Opera Company as to require an ex-
traordnary number of artists" AS COM
pared with the season of 1S9S-'99, when Mr.
Grau first attempted to give opera in the
original version of three languages, said the
prospectus, the personnel had been in
creased from 36 soloists to nearly 100, the
orchestra from 65 to more than 100, the
chorus from IS to $780, The company now
possessed facilities to give two perform
ances a day, and also had working agree
ment with the Boston Opera Company for
an interchange of singers
In the old and approved list were found
the names of Frances Aida, Emmy Destinn,
Geraldine Farrar, Olive Fremstad, Johanna
Gadski, Louise Homer Lillian Nordca, Ales-
sandro Bonc, Enrico Caruso, Ricardo
Martin, Albert Reiss, Pasqualc Amato, Otto
Goritz, Antonio Scott, Adamo Didur, Robert
Blass, Allen Hinckley and Herbert Withcr-
spoon To these were added a large num-
Der OF newcomers many of them Ameri-
cans, engaged, no doubt with an eye to
the requirements Of the New Theatre, like
most OF the new operas. Every prospectus
before and since has contained names
which loom much larger in that document
than they doomed in the house bills subse-
quently. and my readers can we'll be spared
an enumeration of all the strangers who
figured in this seasons list contentng
themselves with Anna Case, Alma Gluck,
Alice Nielsen, Jane Osborn-Hannah, Mariska
Aldrlch, Marie Delna, Jeanne Maubourg,
Edouard Clement (who, like Mme Delna.
had been an ornament of the Paris STACEY,
Hermann Jadlowkcr, Leo Slozak, Dnh
Glly and Clarence Whtehill The CON-
ductors were Arturo Toscanni, Alfred
Hertz and Gustave Mailer, the assistant
conductors Vittorio Podesti, Egisto Tango
and Max BendiX
1NJ n NJ T.. IVY,