New-York tribune., 1922-01-07
Jeritza a Glorious
Elsa in 'Lohengrin,'
Offered in German
Metropolitan Star Inspires
Whole Cast by Perfect
Art. and Reveals Depth
Of Her Dramatic Power
BY Fl. E. Krehbicl

Patrons of the Metropolitan Opera
heard first performance Of "Lohcn-
grin" in German since the changes
wrought by tho war in that theatcr last
night. 1t was probably less desire to
return to the tmchonorcd system Of
language than need created by tho
coming of Mmc. Jcritzn, which caused
tho revcrsion to the original text. 1t
was desirable to give the newcomer an
opportunity to appear in n role in
which she was rcputcd to have won great
success in Germany and Austria, and
since she could not accommodate her
self to tho language in which the opera
has bccn performed of late by the Met
ropolitan singers, the singers accommo~
dated themselves to the tongue native
to her. All Of them but the choristcrs:
they having reccntly learned their part
Of the opera in English in defiance Of
their diverse tongues stuck to English
as they sing it in "Parsifal" and "Upc-
rom"
If the public were not accustomed to
consider the words of all choruses
negligible last nights audience might
on King Henry's speeches and the OBJ
servations Of Count Tclramund's re-
tainers, provided they had beer at all
ineligible, which they were not, in
spite Of the unusually spirited and
tuneful singing Of the mobiles and their
ladies'. And after all, the effect was
not SO absurd as that which used to be
produced when half tho chorus sang
in Italian and half in German. 1t
was that condition Of affairs which
prompted the late Mr.. Conried, sud
denly and plcnarily inspired With a
knowledge Of Italian, to say that half
Of his choristers should not hail the
appearance of Lohengrin with shouts Of
Elm Schwan!" while the other half
shouted Gun sogno!" Swans and
dreams looked alike to him when he
became All impresaro.
Confusion of Tongues Pardoncd
Opera singers arc more adaptable to
linguistic conditions than they were
in London in Addison's time, and
though we tolerate Il confusion Of
tongues in the choral element of an
opera we would probably speak out
mildly in protest if Wagncr's celestial
soldier were to make love to Elsa Of
Brabant in language which she could
not understand, and she were to re-
spond in q tongue foreign to him. 10
be ready for the emergency caused by
Nine. Juritza's coming Orvillc Har-
rold, who halls from indiana, learned
the part Of Lohengrin in German and
sang it few days ago in Philadelphia;
last night Mr.. Sembach. who had
learned it in English, sang it as ne
was wont to do before the war turned
our operate repertory, besides many
other things, topsy-turvy: But there
were two Americans in the cast new
eTTthe9sss' fTasam'nd, namely mel Mr. p,.. whitsh
Henry) and their German was the
most intelligible Of any heard ex.
copt that of Mr.. Sembach, whose die
tion is always admirable.
The performance was in all respects
OF the highest order attained by Mr.
Gatti's artists, but its chief glory
shone in the singing and acting Of
Nine. Jeritza. That she would be a
vision Of blond loveliness everybody
know who had seen her in the other
operas of her list. But there were
few. we venture to say, who were pre-
pared for the revelation which she
made OF the dramatic possibilities in
the character of Elsa. Wagner's he
roinc has come to be looked upon as
an amable but weak and colorless
creature, given to dreamy sort of
melancholy in the first scene, aroused
to foolish, fatal curiosity in the third
and sinking into utter inanity in the
last. That there were other phases in
the character we have seldom been per-
mitted to observe. Those phases Nine.
Jcritza presented with wonderful vivid
ness in their birth, their development.
their succession, their conflict their
elimination and their ruin. She was
what Wagner himself described her to
be, the essence of the heart Of wom-
Grail in the sense of the other half of
his being-the complement to his man.
hood. The dreamy maiden Of the first
scene grew into a woman; the woman
became transfgured; her gentle melan-
choly grew into ecstatc alteration of
her deliverer; the alteration was trans
formed into a passion for the sole
possession Of Lohengrin by suspicion,
fear and jealousy instiled by the sinis-
ter influence Of the drama; and her
imperative passion crushed her to
nothingness when the fatal blow fell
upon her which her madness had in
voked.
Transformed by Her Art
Some such conception provided Nine.
Jeritza with a hundred vehicles of
dramatic expression-with poses, ges-
lures, tonal colors, all of which seemed
to spring spontaneously from the strug-
gle within her soul. all of which were
brought into beautiful synchronism
with Wagner's music. All of that
music which called for utterance by
her she glorifcd, and 1t in turn trans
figured her, especially in the song with
which she burdened the night air, the
duet with Nine. Matzenauer Gas Or
trud), in which the latter also rose to
great heights, and the love scene in the
bridal chamber. Here, too, the radi-
arce shone around Mr.. Semnach, who
has never put 80 fine performance to
his credit as he did on this occasion.
In fact, the influence Of Nine. Jeritza
seemed to affect the entire performance
like an inspiration and was so felt and
acknowledged by the enthusiastic list
eners.