New-York tribune., 1922-11-18
sRosenkavaIier.'
w ell Produced
At Metropolitan
Richard Ssrauss's Comedy of
Intrigue Playing i'm Time
of Maria Theresa Held To
BE Too Heavily Teusonic
Revival Is Interesting
Last Performance Within 3
Weeks of Suppression of
German Representations
BY Fl. E. Krehbiel

IL the composer Of "Der Rosen-
kavaiier" had q little less Of the Rich
srd II, which he modestly proclaimed
himself 60 be, in his opera. "Feuersnot"
(from which We have graciously been
spared), little more Of his name
sake, the waltz king, and great deal
more OF the Mozart, after whom he
tance VIC might like the music of the
opera, which was capitally produced
at the Metropolitan Opera House last
night, better than we do, despite our
familiarity with il. We are thoroughly
convinced, however, that we shall never
become reconciled to Won Hofmanns-
Shal's comedy. This effort at comedy
of intrigue playing in the time OF
Maria Theresa, and obviously thought
by its author to have something Of
the spirit of Beaumarchais, ia too
heavily Teutonic. Da Ponte and Mo
2art were able to make at least o
sparkling Moselle sparkling, rich and
Golden out of the French champagne in
their lyric adaptation OF "The Mar
riage of Figaro; Strauss and his col
sfaborator turned out something for
which we find the best parallel in the
Royal Court Brew OF the composers ma
tive city or the pleasant, though heavy,
snd heady beverage produced by the
family from which Strauss descended
on the maternal side.
The revival OF the opera last night
was an interesting incident for several
reasons. It's last performance at tho
Metropolitan Opera House was within
three weeks or thereabouta Of the sus-
pension of German representations at
that institution. 1t had been feature,
even an admired feature, If three sea-
sons. To its introduction Mr.. Gatti
gave special . gnihcance by q perform
ance out of the regular list and at ad-
Yanced prices of admission. 1t was in
the year preceding the outbreak of the
var; the year of the Metropolitan COM
:pany's final triumph over the seemingly
ifrepressible Hammerstein; the year Of
the scandalous speculation in sub
scribers' tickets. 1t achieved five per-
formances In the subscription season in
lts first season Chat of 19f3.'14) and
sour outside of the regular list. The
next year it had five performances and
The next four. Then it was submerged
together with greater works under the
wave of popular hatred of all things
German against which aesthetic argu-
IL. BACK
IN the repertory and will have noble
mpanionship In q few of Waener's
Immensely superior dramas, though his
com edy, after which it is patterned In
some Of it's elements, will not be among
them. Will it recover the degree Of
popularity which it won nine years
ago! We are not possessed Of the
spirit OF prophecy, but confess that we
doubt it greatly. If the old liking was
genuine 1t ought TO by reason OF the
excellence OF its revival.
In many things last nights perform
ance was better than any of it's pre-
decessors. 1t was much bettar in it's
stage management, thanks to Mr.. Will
helm Won Wymetal, whose first local
production 1t Is. 1t was q hundred
fold better because Of the substitution
OF fine artist. Paul Bender. in place
OF the coarse and egotistical buffoon,
otso Gontz, in the chief comedy char
acter, so oehs Won Lerchenau. So far
IS th2s parsonage could be lifted from
me depths of vulgar farce to the plane
of comedy, Mr.. Bender (who effected
has American debut last night) achieved
lhat end by his singing and acting.
from him much artistic pleasure may
be expected during the season. Strauss's
declamatory style does not admit of much
exhibition of a beautiful singing tone in
any part of the opera. In his comedy,
as we'll as the two morbid tragedies
which have been inflicted on us, he pre-
ters to let his orchestra do most of
Inc elnging. For singing, have
ciarionet," nc once remarked in answer
20 criticism of the vocal parts of
his operas. MIR. Bender, nevertheless.
displayed sonorous voice of admir-
2ble quality in both the bass and bari
tone ranges,
= In diction and action ne had worthy
companionship in Miss Florence Easton,
whose diction and enuncintion Of the
kext we're impeccable. She is an artist
who always satisfies the demands of
critics, but ever and anon brings us n
shock Of pleasurable surprise. Her
predecessors. Mesdames Hempel and
Kurt, seemed deinimitable es the Princess
Werdenberg. Miss Easton invested tho
character with greater dignity than
either. and by voice, action and sincerity
won Tor II larger measure Of SYM
pathy. She was almost alone in the de-
gree in which her utterances were in
telligihle, outdoing by far in this re-
pect Nine. Jeritza, who was vision
{of ioveliness as 0ctavian and the ideal
aan action of the amoroas youth whose
supreme type is tho @Cherubino of Da
gPonte and Mozart, But her excessive
intensity of speech was in strong con-
frast to the sustained grace and inteIli-
gence OF her acting. In such ieeato
singing as Herr Doktor Strauss permit
TED she was not the equal Oh Miss
Easton and Miss Sundeiius. Itswould
consume too much time and space to
discuss the work of the others in the
east, only two of whom-Carl SehIegai-
sesnd Pietro Audisio--took part in tha
performances of earlier years. For
the sake of the record the entire list la
appended. Mr.. Bodanzky conducted an
almost faultless performance, giving