New-York tribune., 1921-11-13
=. In the World Of Music and Musicians


sazza's management of the Metropolitan
Opera Company will open tomorrow
night with Verdi's "Traviata," whica
has not been sung ~ the opera house
for several seasons. TEa cast Of the
opening night will include Nine. CALI
Curci, who sings for the FIRST time with
the company; Mines. Berat and Egener
and Messrs. Gigli, De Luca, Rada, Picco,
laurent and Ananian. The Misses
Risons CALI and Rudolph and Mr.. Bon
figlio will lead the ballet. Mr.. Moran
zoni will conduct New scenery has
been painted for the opera by Joseph
Urban.
A novelty Of the week will be the first
performance In America, at the Satur-
day matinee Of "Die Tote Stadt" ("The
Dead City,, by Erich Wolfgang Korn-
gold, the twenty-three-year-old Austrian
composer.
The premiere of this work here viii be
the occasion of the American debut Of
the Viennese soprano, Nine. Marie
Jeritza. The east in detail will be as
follows:
Paul, Johannes Sembach; Marietta, .
dancer and the apparition of Pauls
dead wife, Of whom she is the physical
counterpart, Marie Jeritza; Frank
Paul's friend. Robert Leonhardt; Bri-
gitta, Marion Telvas Juliette, Ray
monde Deiaunois; Lucienne. Grace
Anthony; CASTOR, Armando Agnini,
Victorian, George Meader; Fritz, Mario
Laureti; Count Albert, Angelo Bada.
Mr. Bodanzky, who has prepared the
work, assisted by Chorus Master Giuiio
Setti and Stage Director Samuel Thew
man, will conduct the performance. The
scenery was painted by Kautsky, Of
Vienna.
The Story of
"The Dead City,
The book of 1.-THE Dead City"is taken
from the we'll known novel "Bruges La
Morte," by the Belgian poet George
Rodenbach and from the play "Le
Micage," which the poet himself con-
strueted out of his story. The scene
of the action, which is the ever pal
pable background Of the opera. is
Bruges, the dead city, which in the
mystical peace of its cloisters ant
churches, it's bells, it's weather-beater
Gothic facades, it's still waterways anS
abandoned canals dreams YEARLY O.
it's past.
In this dead city. which fills the liv
ing with thoughts OF the past and mys-
teal fancies of another time, Paul, the
hero OF the opera, has built up an altar
of remembrance and grief to Marie
his beloved wife. who, though dead fol
many years, has filled his whole being
A place especially consecrated to the
cult of his dead one and her relics is
one room, where ne broods over his
continual sorrow. Here there CLEANS
in glass easket the hair of his wife
the object of his especial alteration.
The Resemblance
OF Marietta
BY chance there comes To the city
with an itinerant opera troupe a dan
Ger named Marietta, who resembles
the dead woman in her outward an
pearance down TO the smallest detail
especially in her golden yellow hair
In this wonderful likeness Paul per.
ceives the action of some superhumar
coincidence, and forthwith, with the
sole fervor of his excited mind, trans
fers his feelings for his dead wife tx
the dancer, with whom he fancies thai
his ideal companionship may be re
sumed. The ecstatic mood which this
adventure has brought him lesds to 6
dream vision warning him of the dan.
gerous disillusionment that threaten,
E, him.
By means of fantastic scene this
dream vision brings to his knowledge
! the real nature OF Marietta. together
with the inaninlate and unsubstantia
character of his hitherto deifed de,
parted. He dreams that Marie. his
dead wife. comes out of her picture
and challenges him "to see and know
what lies before him. Suddenly. in
the place OF Marie, the wife, appears
Marietta dancing at her theater in
orgiastic rhythm.
Action in
Second Act
Then, at the beginning of the second
sact, he finds himself at night on q
lonely quay before Marietta S house
where, trembling with jealousy, he
awaits his beloved. To her he sac
rihces his best friend, whom she ha:
seduced. He learns that because Of
her his faithful housekeeper has left
him. Then ne inagines further that
he sees Marietta before the old gate.
way of the cIoister, surrounded by hez