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Musical Courier 1898-08-22: Vol 37 Iss 963, 1898
48 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. Printed page 5. See the scan on archive.org.
1Berlin Branch Budget
3BERLIN OFFICE THE MUSICAL COURIER, BERLIN, August 5, 1898.
5IN my last previous budget I made mention of the pleasant call I had from Mme. Florenza d'Arona and her husband, Carl von Brockdorff Le Vinsen. A few days later a short business trip took me away from Berlin, and hence you have had no views from me for nearly a fortnight. I prevailed upon Mme. d'Arona, however, to act as my substitute, and as she was kind enough to accept the burden imposed upon her I am now in the fortunate position to be able to give you this gifted woman's impressions upon a performance of "Carmen," which she witnessed at the new Royal Opera (Kroll's), and which will be read by you with the interest and attention such an authority on operatic matters in general and upon vocal matters in special richly deserves.
7BERLIN, July 31, 1898.
9"I often wonder why Americans rush through Hamburg as though it had the pest. It is one of the most delightful cities of Europe, and I always try to stop there a few days. This time business kept me there one week, and all my spare moments were passed on the Alster or at the Zoological Gardens, where, dining under the beautiful linden trees, we hear a most excellent orchestral concert and at the same time get a glimpse of the young people of Hamburg.
11"We arrived in Berlin on a cold, wet morning, but even in the rain this beautiful city is most attractive. Its monuments are most gorgeous, its houses massive, and so profuse are the flowers which decorate each window that the fragrance and color fill one with the idea of a constant festival taking place. One of these days Berlin will rival the gay Paris of my girlhood, which now, alas! is but a souvenir.
13"At the new Opera Theatre 'Carmen,' that masterwork of Bizet, was on, and yielding to curiosity I went to hear it. The cast was new to me with the exception of Herr Bachmann and I expected to be more or less bored by the presentation. I came home, and yielding to Mr. Floersheim's request for an account of it, wrote one in detail. To my dismay the next day I found that the chambermaid (read Mark Twain's description of chambermaids) of the hotel had made away with it, and I had to tender my excuses and regrets to Mr. Floersheim, who, however, urges me to rewrite it. This I cannot do, as the program also was destroyed, but I will do my best from memory.
15"Punctually at 7:30 the overture commenced, and everyone was in his seat. The ladies had left their hats and wraps at the Garderobe, which is divisioned off for each section, so that there is no confusion or waiting after the performance is over. I was surprised at the youthful appearance of the conductor, but soon learned he was equal to his position.
17"The scenery of the first act was very picturesque and appropriate: the tobacco factory at the right, and at the left the portico of the barracks, with soldiers lounging about. Across the centre of the stage and terminating near the factory entrance was a long bridge, upon which children, working people and donkey carts were seen to pass. The children were dirty and ragged and the factory girls wore old and appropriate clothes. Carmen, instead of making her entrance at the back of the stage, as is usual, was seen first upon the bridge, leaning indolently over it, watching the men, who in chorus were speaking of her. Descending as though duty alone compelled her, she was as usual surrounded by the men. Putting her arm around the neck of one, and hugging another, she sang the few measures preceding the 'Habanera,' and during the latter watched the soldiers, catching sight of Don José only at the last stanza.
19"This Carmen, Madame Goetze, was no Calvé, neither was she seductive in face or figure, and only at rare intervals did she seem to absorb the full significance of the character she represented, but in spite of all she was satisfactory, for while not getting at the root of Carmen's fascination and power, her artistic wiles were ample to excuse the havoc which followed in her wake. This is saying much. Many a Don José and Escamillo have been made absurd by a Carmen more fitted for a Rosina. Madame Goetze, however, is an artist, and her good voice serve to make up for many deficiencies in temperament. The role showed careful study and was full of points which were often very effective.
21"That which impressed me the most throughout the whole opera was the thoroughness with which everyone seemed to know his part. The life and vim of the chorus, its every move and gesture, showed evident knowledge of the part it played in the opera's success. This very careful attention to detail, and its rhythm, was the outcome of but one cause—ample and perfect rehearsing. This 'Carmen' was a well rehearsed opera, and impressed one with that fact from the rise of the curtain. Sufficient and careful rehearsing is indeed the secret of success, individually and collectively. No matter how great the artist is individually, if he is unacquainted with his colleagues' work he is often placed in a false and awkward position and the effectiveness of his own points frustrated thereby.
23"The second act at Lillas Pasta's was extremely good; the ballet was superb, and characteristically weird and wild in its abandon. Carmen was discovered lighting a cigarette, and so calculated was the time that as soon as she blew out the match and caught up her castagnets, her song commenced. Here was something novel: She sang the first verse only, the two other stanzas being sung by her two friends. This was quite effective, for it distributed the spirit and the interest, and gave Carmen additional opportunity to give an effective dance. All were in the wildest state of ecstasy (which was so hearty it was refreshing) when Escamillo arrives. During the Toreador song, Carmen, exhilarated with the dance, leans panting against the wing, watching his every word with lips apart and eyes dilating. Her facial expression is a beautiful piece of acting, and intensifies the effect of his song. The quartet was rendered natural by Carmen taking each one in turn aside to speak with them, and regardless of the audience they settled the question among themselves, instead of standing in a row watching the leader, which inadequate rehearsing always makes imperative.
25"The smuggling scene was made wonderfully beautiful by campfires being started for breakfast among the rocks and trees. The conventional sun did not rise for some time, and the fires lighted up the mountains and picturesque costumes of the contrabanditti, who were boiling their kettles and breaking sticks, as soon as they were aroused. Carmen did some pretty bits of 'scena' here. She warms her hands and feet, and shows that she is out of temper with Don José, who is seen brooding and ill at ease some distance off. You can see he is debating whether to go near Carmen or not; and when he makes up his mind the few words that take place between them seem but a very natural outcome of the situation. The scenery of the last act was also very fine. A large plaza with part of a real tent in the background, into which streamed an immense procession, composed of those who were to take part in the ring, followed by twelve young girls in white, with laurel wreaths to reward the victor, then Escamillo and Carmen, her two friends, and a crowd of citizens in carriages, horseback and on foot, ending up with soldiers, peasants and children.
27"The scene between Don José and Carmen was well acted and well sung, particularly by Herr Sommer, who worked up a thrilling climax with great force. The cheers of victory which issued from the tent were sufficiently alluring to make any Carmen impatient of delay, and even excusable for trying to force her entrance there. The people did not rush out at her death as though they knew all that was taking place, but strolled out, gossiping, as though after any performance, and, contrary to custom, Escamillo, glowing with triumph, also comes out, and seeks Carmen. Seeing her dead on the ground and Don José kneeling beside her, he takes out a knife and makes one rush at him, which takes the combined efforts of many men to thwart him in his purpose. The struggle and consternation of the crowd presents a fine tableau, which ends the opera.
29"Taken altogether, the performance in every respect was most satisfactory. No artist appeared with such lustre that the others were bedimmed in comparison, but all graced a beautiful setting, which was made to fit by hard work in rehearsing.
31"When will our American artists refuse to be ushered before the public with half learned roles? When will managers realize that their performances, which cost so much, descend to the level of crudeness thereby? When will our public learn that they pay their money for a whole evening's enjoyment, and not for a solo now and again from a favorite under disadvantages such as are unheard of in Europe? When will our critics take up this matter and denounce the manager who forces the young artist to her doom, when glory and triumph should be the result of her efforts, and would be nine times out of ten if the same number of rehearsals were insisted upon which made the success of our Melbas, Calvés, &c.? In more ways than one does American art need to cry out for justice.
33"FLORENZA D'ARONA."
35On my return to Berlin I found that the enterprising director of the Theatre des Westens, Herr Morwitz, had given a second operatic novelty, "Pergolesi," a lyric drama in four acts by Eugenio Checchi, music by Pierantonio Tasca, the composer of the successful opera "A Santa Lucia," which two years ago had its Berlin first performance at Kroll's summer opera.
37Last night I witnessed a repetition of Tasca's latest work, the libretta of which deals in somewhat liberal fashion with the death of the great Italian composer Giovanni Pergolesi, who, as Sir George Grove or Henry E. Krehbiel will inform you, was born in 1710 and died as early as 1736. In this short lifetime he was able, however, to gain an important place in the history of music. Cecchi has used the two greatest works of Pergolesi to bring him up to the summit of his happiness and to show him to us at the moment of his deepest abjection. All Naples is doing homage to the composer of "Serva Padrone" (a sort of comic opera by Pergolesi). All rejoice in his success, with the exception of Romualdo Dumi, as bad a fellow as he in all probability was a composer, for this rival had heretofore held the first place in the esteem of the music lovers of Naples. (Act I.)
39The old idol achieves the downfall of the young one by betraying to Prince Spinelli the secret that the composer Pergolesi is the lover of the Prince's sister Maria. The Prince arranges a great festive banquet at which somewhat unwisely Pergolesi makes love openly to Maria and is found upon his knees before her, although he has been warned by his friend, the painter de Muna, who tells him that he is being watched by the Prince. The latter ejects the composer from his palace. (Act II.)
41Pergolesi falls ill seriously, and Maria, unlike Ophelia, goes into a cloister. But in nun's garb and with great attendance, led even by Prince Spithelli, Maria visits her lover once more in order to take leave of him forever. Pergolesi falls back into his mother's lap with the words, "Mother, thy son, he is dying." (Act III.)
43He is not quite dead yet, however, and in the last act we find him in the courtyard of the cloister Santa Chiara. Maria in the meanwhile has died in reality, and the funeral cortege is brought past Pergolesi. He falls down in a swoon and seems dead a second time. His pupils find him and bring him home and now he is quite willing to die a third and last time, but he has not yet finished his celebrated "Stabat Mater," and he vainly racks his brain to find a suitable closing. Had he but lived in our day and known a certain composer in New York that party would have finished the "Stabat Mater" for him in less than no time, and Pergolesi would have died in peace. In the opera, however, he has to wait until a chorus behind the scene sings "Quando corpus morietur," when Pergolesi suddenly remembers that he composed it, and he can at last "give up the ghost."
45From this not very exhaustive sketch it will be seen that Cecchi, the librettist of the verismo school, for once has been anything but realistic. On the contrary, he has essayed a trip into the land of romanticism, but unfortunately with not very dramatically or artistically satisfying results. He has written neither a lyrical nor an unlyrical drama, but simply a book for an "opera" with all the improbabilities and the typical personages of the true friend and of the hostile theatrical villain which appertain to the species of the old opera plot.
47Just as little as the libretto the music can be said to be Neo-Italian. Tasca, as I mentioned before, became first known to Berlin through his "A Santa Lucia," which owes its origin and dates back to the period of the one and two act operas à la "Cavalleria Rusticana." In "A Santa Lucia" it was Gemma Bellincioni who sang and acted the part of Rosella, and it was her consummate art, histri-
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