New-York tribune., 1921-11-29
Gives
Tristan i'm German
For Rapt Audience
Messrs. Whitehall and Mea-
der Even More Admirable
in Use of Foreign Text
Than Teutonic Associates
By II. E.. Kvehbiel

Mr.. Gstti last night put Tristan
usd Isolde" forward as che advance
rusrd to make way for the restoration
a. the German Wagnerian list at tho
Metropolitan Opera House, "Parsifal"
had preceded tho great tragedy by two
Years, but it was sung in English for
she purpose of making easy the dis
finction between art works which had
nsver forfeited the affection and ad-
miration of music lovers and Ian
ruage which had almost become anath-
sraa to Americans who loved their
country. To what extent the German
performance of last night differed from
that of last year, when "Tristan" was
ccnsorted with ''Lohengrin" as we'll as
aparsifal," we are not prepared to say.
The performers. with the exception
Of two representatives of minor char
acters (Mr. Meader as the Shepherd
and Mr.. d'Anselo as the Steersman),
we're the same. Naturally, Nine.
Mstzenauer and Mr. Sembach were more
at loss IN their use of their mother
tongue than when singing in English,
but Miss Gordon was not. AS for Mr..
Whitehill (KurwehaD and Mr.. Meader,
their familiarity with the German
tongue and the German style is so in
grained in their artistic natures that
enunciation o2 foreign text than
their German associates in their
native The phenomenon would be
remarkable il it were not 81 common
occurrence and easily explicable in
the case Of sincere devotees to art,
such as the gentlemen whom we
have mentioned are. 1t may be more
fancy, but it seemed as if the return
to German had a beneficial effect upon
Mr. Bodanzky, who seemed more will
ing to give the text the honor due it,
by q more discreet treatment Of the
orchestral part.
Stiil, we question if much larger
proportion OF the text reached the
Comprehension Of the people. Mr..
Whitehill was ineligible always;
Nine. Matzenauer and Mr.. Sembach
not. This was due, largely, to the
fact that Wagner is kinder to the other
people of the play than he is to his pair
Of heroic lovers. For their tumultuous
passion music is the supreme Ian
guage, so supreme. indeed, that even
the NEST devout believer in the theory
that words are paramount to music
in the lyric drama is entirely willing
TO ignore the words and penetrate to
the heart of the drama on the wings
Of music alone. When the lovers are
giving voice to their passion it is bet
ter to be carried away by the orches-
sral surge than to try to understand
the wrought images of night and
day. life, death and union in forget
fitness and all the matter which
Wagner has crowded into his love
duet. Besides, no lover of poetry
misses much if he fails to understand.
Endlich, endlch.
An meiner Brust!
Fuehl ich dich wirkich?
Bist du es selbst?
Dies define Augen?
Dies dein Mund
Eier define Hand?
Hier dein Herr.
Bin ichs? Bist du's?
Etc, etc. etc
Though this sounds mora Ike the
talk Of ordinary lovers than
o. nun warren wir
Nacht-ge weihte:
Der tueclzische Tag
Der Neid- -bereite
Trennen konnt uns scin TruS
Loch nicht mehr taeuschen sein Lug.
Wagner's orchestra is much more
inteliigible and moving than dramatic
speech Of this sort. A thing to be
noted in connection with the per-
formance, because of the evidence
which it gave of the character of the
audience, was the rapt and reverent
attention given to the reOresectations