New-York tribune., 1918-02-10


\ notable success in the part in Lon
don, during q short season, when the
forces Of the older type and Colone
Maplescn were combined in pro
duction of the opera.
After Fides, and moving on almos
as high a plane, comes John o
Leyden. and though robust tenor.
arc more numerous than mezzo
sopranos or contraltos with vo
cal and histrionic abilities commen.
surate with the task set by Scribe
and Mcyerbecr, they are nevertheless
not plentiful and never were. How
Roger, the original Jean, sang and en-.
acted the part we do not know. but
it is bit singular to hear from Mr.
Chorley that the Jean of Mario, preem-
inently a singer Of elegance and grace
reminded him Of "some bishop saint
in a picture by Van Eyck or DJrer.'
We fancy that the ideal representa-
tive Of the character would be a COM
! bination of Alfred Niemann and Jean
de ResZke.
The Prophet at the Metro
politan
The first performance Of Meyerbeer's s
opera at the metropolitan took place on
March 21, 1884, in Mr., Abbey's spring
season. 1t was an only performance,
and not notable for anything beyond
the singing of Nine. Scalchi, who sue
ceeded in putting something like in
spiration into the generally STACEY and
self-conscious tenor Stagno by her cx-
hibition of dramatic power in the eli
max of the opera. And Nine. Vallcria
was a very satisfactory Bertha, though
not so unconventional a figure as we
learned to know in the German season.
which followed. The first Of the Ger
man Berthas was Nine. Schrodcr-
Hanfstangi, then ranked as one of the
man stage, though already, a trihc
passe. She left the company before the
end Of the season and was succeeded
by Nine. Seidl, who still retained her
maiden name CT Kraus and was a
charming irgcnuc, markedly in con-
trast with her successor in the role.
who was no less parsonage than Lilli
Lehman. The original German John
was the highly explosive Anton Scho;t,
whom DR.. Won Bulow dubbed an artll-
lcrlst. because Of his habit Of eds -dcs-
und detonirung." The second was Eloi
sylvia, who aftcrward went over to the
;orccs OF the National Opera Company,
but sang no more tuncfully in English
than he had sung in German. In these
performances as we'll as all the others
until 1883 Marianne Brandt sang the
role OF ildcs-the finest Of the many
fine performances Of great artist and.
VIC arc moved to say, the finest ever
given to The part in the United States
The season of 1SS6-'S7 was made men,
orable by the coming of Albert Mic
mann and the representations of "Der
Prophet" by his collaboration with
trauleln Lehman. Old opera patrons
viii not need to be reminded that
vocally Herr Niemann had long passed
his prime when he came to the United
states. His impersonaton, repeated in
Me following season, was exceedingly
Tying 70 his voice, but dramatically or
'lstrionlcaily it strengthened the AL
ready strong hold which his Sicgmund
had made upon the admiration of thc
public. He began with fine restraint
and composurc, and developed a strik-
ing picture of the growth Of a tragic
character, in which the STRUGGLE bc-
tween noble and ignoblc impulses.
lrom an honest religious fanatic to
Sardanapalus, was wildly portrayed
and the final catastrophe presented
with lurd forcefulness. Iii his second
season Bro de Marion, whose mama
""akens no memories, shared the role
OF Bertha with Lehman. ,JuJins
Perott replaced Nicmann in 1888 80.
and was associated in three reprcscn-
ta,ions with Frau Moran Olden tFidcs)
and Alma F0hstrom (Bertha). perott,
made US regret the departure of Me
mann, disclosing, as he did that all WAS
not done with Meyerbecr when his
notes were sung in tune, as thew we're
by the new tenor and as they had not
been by the cid. Perottis John OF Lev
den WAS barren of all the dignity and
nobility with which Niemann had in
fused the character. There was no pcr-
formance Of the opera in 1889 80. and
only one In lS90-'91 when Nine. Rit-
tcr-Go,zc carried off all the honors as
tides, dwarhng the efforts of Guide
hus as John aud Mielkc as Bertha.
This was the last Of the German
representations Of lie Prophetic" Bv
vote of the directors of the company
which owned the opera house Italian
opera VAS restored under the manage
ment Of Abbey and Grau, who retained
Nine. Lehman as SOD to the
German Cerberus. With Abbey and