New-York tribune., 1919-10-21
German Opera
Wagner Excerpts and an I'm
familiar Opera Sung in Ger.
man at Lexington Theater
BY H. E.. krehbiel

There were goings-on in the streets
surrounding the Lexington Theatre
last night, but no ructions or riots in
side the house. Citizens on pleasure
or business bent who went to the
opera house which Hammerstein built.
but was not permitted to give operas
IN, had to pass through a Gordon of
police and show their tickets. no mat
yer now they approached the place. and
once inside they saw perhaps the
largest audience ever gathered in the
room. 1t was German audience-ex-
cluslvely German audience.
In the intermission between the CON-
cert and the opera between which the
entertainment was divided a curious
newspaper reviewer tried to round up
as many native-born individuals as
possible to see what they looked like.
and succeeded in getting half a dozen
together in the lobby. They were no
more decorus than the hundreds who
surged around them, but possibly a
little lighterhaarted. They did not
seem to feel that everlasting things
were at stake because some of Wac
ner's music had been performed and an
opera which none of them had ever
heard was to be sung in German.
nen a couple of recorders of musi
cal affairs left the theater little after
II O'Clock, just after the stage chimes
nad rung the angelus and a band of
shepherds and shepherdesses had sunp
an evening prayer which indicated that
the hrst act of Elm Nachtlager in
Granada' was approaching its long
de1erred end, they saw squad Of
mounted police escorting a young man
whom an officer held by the collar and
who held a dirty handkerchief tn q
bruised and swollen eye. That is ali
that any press reviewers who we're At
tendlng to their business knew of
what had been going on outside the
house. VAC
The incidents inside the theater
were were more diverting than impressive
hatever there was of German
"schrecklichkeit" was spread by the
orchestra, whose brass contingent
seemed to be trying to blow blood out
OF ITS eyes, and certainly spread more
terror IN the prelude to Die Meister-
singer" among the lovers of Wagner's
music than did the shells Of Biz
Bertha among the citizens of Paris a
year and half ago.
Ihe singers in the gala concert were
Carl Braun, Hermann We'll, Frau Ober-
Arndt, Elsa Forster, Ludwig Eybisch.
Albert Reiss and a chorus. The audi,
ence rose to its feet when "The Star
opangled Banner" was played, behaved
with admirable decorum during the
functorily, as have thousands of
audiences in our theaters since Anril.
1917 -
After that everything, good. bad and
indifferent. in the performance was
received with demonstration of en-
thusiasm, the climax being reached
when Otto Goritz came upon the stage
IN the opera in the character Of
huntsman. He is the gentleman who,
at Nine. Gadski's New Years party
sang cynical song Of triumph on the
sinking of the Lusitania He carries
press agents certificate of 100 per cent
Apprehension now. Nine. Ober-Arndt,
whose feelings so overcame her that
she swooned when the news came that
Congress had declared state of war
existed between the United States and
Germany, also received an ovation
after singing Wagner's "Traume" and
"Schmerzen,' and there was a gesture
Of triumph in the wave Of her hand
and the toss of her head after she
had been called back to the stage two
or three times.
But the audience seemed only
smiably happy in the opportunity to
hear again in a public hall the
language of the Fatherland. The
sound of the Teutonic tongue was
what it seemed to care about most.
The words of the prima donna in the
opera did not signify, so far as could
no Nhca rod
anyway. This reviewer has been on
speaking terms with German for
something over half century He
counted just seven words which he
could understand in Fraulein Elsa Die
mer's first air in the opera. The fact
was much more painful than was the
excellent diction of Herr Goritz.
Elm Nachtlager in Granada" GA
Nights Lodging in Granada'D is pret-
tily melodious opera by Conradin
Kreutzer. 1t is old and very outmoded
but still beloved by the sentimental
lists, male and female. in Germany
There is no record at hand Of public
performances in this country, but in
all likelihood it has been performed, 8
have many other operas of it's caliber,
by German singing societies.
Two generations ago such operas as
Der Waffenschmied," Tampa" "Das
Unterbroc Opferfest," not to speak
Of Lortzing's sparkling little works,
used to be sung not only here, but in
such German centers as St. Louis,
Milwaukee and Cincinnati The "Nacht-
lager" has spooked in managers pros
pectuses in New York in later years
DR.. Leopold Damrosch had it down in
his list for the Metropolitan Opera
House in the season 188A'85; Oscar
Hammerstein announced it only ten
years ago 1t is delightfully."- tuncful,
but absolutely mushv with sentiment
and barren of the dramatic spirit. 1t