New-York tribune., 1918-08-25
VAR PROBLEMS COME TO THE OPERA

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companies, and Mr.. Witherspoon, also
an American, had won admiration as
concert singer. Miss Destinn deserves
more extended notice This lady, in all
respects superb artist, for ten years
member of the Royal Opera in Berlin,
had been under engagement to sing at
the Metropolitan Opera House for five
! years; but, so said the knowing gos-
sips or the manufacturers of publicity,
she had been prevented from coming
to America by the decree Of the ALI
Highest War Lord of the German En-
pirc. When the world war broke out
in 1914 she requited the Kaiser's par
tialty by using her tongue and PEN
the latter at least pointed, in denounc-
ing Austria and proclaiming the right
of her native Bohemia to lndepend-
cnce. She declared her intention to
| become an American citizen in Febru
ary, 1915, and in April, 1916, went to
Europe to spend the summer vacation
in castle which she had bought near
Prague When she wished to return to
America she was refused passport by
the Austrian officials. She appealed
TO the Ambassador Of the United States
and he. it is said, succeeded in obtain
ing the document as a courtesy, but
it gave her only forty-cight hours in
which to leave the country, and the
lady for one reason or another failed
OF neglected to avail herself of the
opportunity which it granted
On June 2S, 1918, information came
to America through the newspapers
that Miss Destinn had been prohibited
from singing at the Opera in Prague
because she had placed her services en-
tirely at the command of the Czecho-
F, Slovak agitation.
Members of the company WHO re
manned under the new management
were: Emma Eames, Geraldine Farrar
Rita Fornia, Olive Fremstad, Johanna
Gadski, Marie Morcna, Marie Rappold,
Marcella Sembrich (sopranos); Louise
| Homer, Helen Maplcson, Henrietta
Wakefield and Paula Woehning (mezzo-
/ SOpIdUOS dIlu COHlIdlLOSJ JQliuS DdScl
Alessandro Bonci, Alloys Burgstaller
Carl Burrian, Enrico Caruso, Stephen
Delmary, Ricardo Martin, Albert Reiss,
Giuseppe Tecchi (tenors); Bernard
Begue, Giuseppe Campanari, Otto Co
ritz, Adoph Miihlmann, Antonio Scott
(barytones); Robert Blass, Herbert
Waterous (basses). improvements
which added to the comforts of the pa
irons had been made in the building.
Two electric elevators were installed in
the Fortieth Street lobby in addition to
the two already there, for the use of
the patrons of the dress and family
circles; the seating plan of the ground
floor was rearranged, the ceiling and
boxes were newly decorated and to i'm
prove the acoustical conditions of the
orchestral pit it has been enlarged and
equipped with machinery by which its
floor could be raised or lowered at will.
have presented greater mass OF
detail, much of it seemingly trivial,
such as the names of the small fry per-
sonnel of the company, than l shall in
future chapters Of this historical
chronicle. The reason ought to be
given, though it also ought to be OBJ
vous to the reader. We are at an his
torical crossways, studying the begin
ming OF period in which the policies
of the institution were dictated by the
wishes and predictions of the gentle
men who controlled the opera, and the
: whims and desires of the ladies who
controlled them, and the conclusion of
the period when those wishes and pre-
objections were compelled to yield to
Large consideration n-the will ct the
people fixed by the events of the war
in the Eastern Hemisphere Ten years
ago Mr. Gatti could consult the in
clinations of the stockholders and box
holders Of the opera even to the dis
regard of the tastes Of the general pub
lie, knowing, as he probably did, that
/ those tastes were to a great extent
| subordinated to the desire to follow
the dictates OF lad and fashion.
The season of 19OS-'09 began with
representation of "AIda" the notable
feature was the conducting of Signor
Toscanini. On this 1 commented in
The Tribune, as follows:
"Of the new conductor it must be
said that he is boon to Italian
opera, as great and as welcome AS
sanything that has come out of Italy
since Verdi laid down his pen In
r the best sense he is an artist. an in
terpreter, a re-creator. Without
such men music is as lifeless to the
ear as it is on the printed page.
/ Signor Toscani brought TO the un-
derstanding and the emotions of the