The New York herald., 1922-11-18
Strauss Revival
at Metropolitan
With New Singers
Der Rosenkavalier' Has a
VivaciOus Performance
Jeritza in Another Role.
by w. ,. HENDERSON.

Richard Strauss was restored to the
glory OF the Metropolitan Opera House
stage last night when his comic opera
Der Rosenkavalier" enjoyed a viva
cious revival. 1t was an evening OF
changeful and even exciting delights
The opera itself, famous for It's sala-
cious story, It's Viennese waltZes and
it's sporadic flights into regions of real
imagination, had disappeared from the
repertory of the house in the season
of 1916-1917.
It had been produced on December
., 1913. and had held its place partly
through public interest in the remark
able impersonation of the Princess by
Frieda Hempel, partly because some OF
the music pleased operagoers and
partly because the distinguished DR..
Strauss had a we'll drawn contract. II
was conducted into outer darkness
because Of the blatant conversation
and openly hostile attitude Of certain
German members of the cast whose
connection with the lyric -theater had
to be severed.
Hostilities having ceased and friendly
relations having been reestablished,
the revival Of last evening served not
only to provide the Metropolitan with
a much needed refreshment of its
somewhat worn stock but also to in
troduce some OF the new German
members Of the company. Paul Ben
der appeared as the vulgar Baron, for
merly impersonated by the obnoxious
Goritz, and Gustav Schuetzendorf In
stead of the late Hermann We'll was
the Fdminal.
There was also an opportunity to
observe Nine. Jeritza as the ardent
youth OctoUidn, replacing the happily
departed Nine. Ober. and Nine. Flor
ence Easton as the disillusioned Prin-
cess. OF these word later. The alb
sorbing work Of art demands first at
tention.
Comedy of HofmannstahI.
A reexamination of the unblushing
comedy of Hofmannsthal and Strauss
after the nine years which have
elapsed since it's production at the
Metropolitan and the six which have
fled since 1t had its last previous per-
formance does not materially change
the complexion of the reviewers
thoughts. In almost every particular
the opera is strikingly characteristic
Of the talented man who composed 1t.
The music occasionally rises to
high levels Of psychological subtlety
and emotional expression. But much
more frequently it descends to the
grade of Grass and shameless realism.
The delineative and initiative devices
of the tone art are sometimes un-
hesitatingly employed to publish mat
ters which are customarily. among
decent people at any rate. discussed
In private and in subdued voices.
The first act of the opera begins in
bed and ends in the air. 1t is in this
act that the musician has achieved
his finest utterances. for the .soliloquy
of the Princess Is genuinely conceived
and admirably composed. In the Sec
ond act the exquisite page which
pictures the message Of the silver
rose Is one of the most beautiful that
ever fioated into the turgid mind of
Strauss. There are some pleasing
passages later in the same act but
much of 1t Is marred by excruciat-
ingly bad writing for the voice.
The third act enters the realm of
musical comedy except in the episode
of the duet for the lovers. But the
attention Of the audience is held
chiefly by boisterous and highly sug-
gestive doings, which are tempered
at the Metropolitan by careful de-
parture from the stage directions of
the authors. However. a bed more or
less could hardly be expected to sig
Nifty greatly in the minds Of the ex-
perienced theatergoers of this do
mestic era
Performance n Good One.
The performance was good. Mr..