Scan 18
Musical Courier 1901-12-25: Vol 43 Iss 1135, 1901
104 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026. Printed page 19. See the scan on archive.org.
1Opera in New York.
3"TRISTAN und Isolde" for the first night of opera at the Metropolitan last Monday! There's a pretty pearl to cast before the bediamonded first tier crew. Of what is Mr. Grau thinking that he imagines to reward all the gorgeous gowning with a sombre music drama? But he, most harassed of mortals, is not to blame. Stars rule the operatic firmament. And so the management compromised and gave a society version of this opera, with the house well illuminated that the box holders might recognize each other's gowns. The loges looked like the row of jewelers' windows on the famous Rue de la Paix, and the good folk in them disported themselves in exactly the same manner as such good folk do on just such occasions: They came in at the end of the first act, chattered and yawned behind their fans during the second, and having exhausted their store of gossip left early in the third act. Whether or not this gave the cue to their humbler sisters below or whether the uninspired beat of the man at the desk sent them out to hunt a lobster and some table d'hote music is a more serious consideration. But to the opera.
5Ternina was the Isolde. And she is easily the most subtle Isolde seen and heard here. Her first act is a marvel of interpretation; she knows not only the fullest meaning of the lines, but also what lies between them; and more than knowing this, she is easily able to express it. Be it frankly confessed that her voice is not a great one—if it were neither heaven nor earth could withstand her operatic assault. There are a few tones in her lowest register which thrill—not with beauty, but because of their haunting quality. For the rest her singing is the sheerest exposition of brain possible. She welds her mood to fit the text and leaves in the minds of her listeners not an iota of doubt as to her conception of the part. Her wrath and her passion are real enough to be true and she, when necessary, tears her voice to shreds to make them sound. There are moments in Ternina's first act when the canniness of her singing sounds diabolical. When, for one instance, she is wooing Tristan, her wonderful phrase, "Warum ich dich da nicht erschlug," and the following, "Wie sorgt ich schlecht um deinen Herren," are simply alive with double meaning, and between them the contrast of emotions creates tremendous climax. In act second her impatience is disgracefully unbridled and the meeting with Tristan is not for the eyes of oratorio singers and conductors. And for the tone of absolute finality her "Liebestod" is wonderful. Instead of following the trend of most Isoldes and sitting astride this opportunity to make a brilliant vocal display, Ternina reads into her Liebestod resignation; it is not at all the climax of the work as so many of the unthinking suppose—it is merely the end. With Ternina this, as almost all of the points which are necessary to raise the Wagner version above the level of very bad poetry, is illuminated with meaningful touches. Hers is a marvelous Isolde.
7Van Dyck's Tristan is vocally impossible. Whenever he can do so he substitutes declamation for singing and lets the orchestra do the rest, which under Mr. Damrosch the orchestra does not. Van Dyck's entrance and his acting in the cantharides episode are the few enjoyable moments in his work. As for the second act he prowled around among the various tonalities like a cat after a mouse which it cannot catch. His final scene was rather brutal, with an absence of all finer shadings.
9The Brangaene of Schumann-Heink was the most mediocre we ever have heard from this estimable mother. During the entire evening she stalked through her part on vocal stilts, trying to reach the notes; and she frequently took little excursions into the land of foreign keys—just as they do in Bayreuth.
11Bispham's Kurwenal is his best role and his work last night was as usual.
13Nor is there anything new to record about Eduard de Reszke's portrayal of Marke; he acts and sings the part of this moré compliant with a great show of the milk of human kindness, and condones in truly operatic style. His voice sounds vigorous, and on this occasion his German was free from the usual exaggerations of pronunciation which so often have marred his Marke.
15Muhlmann's Melot was too lusty for words; the Shepherd, sung by Reiss, knew much more about pitch than any of his tribe before him in Mr. Grau's flock, and Bars' voice of the Seaman was nicely kept in tune by the audible aid of an organ.
17This brings us to the last consideration: The orchestra and the man who cannot conduct it. Whether the men in the band were fatigued by traveling or whether they were not matters little—the sound that came out of the pit was one of weariness, and it easily could be imagined that the players were thumbing the pages to count how many yet remained to be fiddled and tooted through. The violins sounded thin, the 'cellos not at all, and the woodwind played passages quite beyond the pale of musical notation. All this did not affect Mr. Damrosch in the least, for he continued to wave one arm and then another, and sometimes both, with his eyes glued to the score. The extravagantly beautiful Prelude was read with all the passion of a mackerel, and if there were any climaxes in it they remain yet to be found. The entire work of this amiable conductor was as uninspired as a white porcelain plate. In his accompaniments he managed carefully to count beats quite irrespective of any tempi of the singer, and at crucial moments he simply postponed the orchestral situation until his metronomic cue came round. Of course, such things are absurd, and would not merit discussion if they were not so important a factor in this game of opera: but a conductor has it in his baton to level all of the singer's efforts and make commonplace every effect. And in most of these sins Mr. Damrosch succeeds admirably. There was much yawning among the audience last night, and the third act was well nigh unbearable—it dragged to endless, dreary lengths, and, like Bob Acres' courage, one's enthusiasm for Wagner's "Tristan" began to ooze out at the finger-tips. The men played badly, it is true, but what incentive have they to do otherwise? The orchestra is at best an instrument in which so many players sink all their individuality. Now it remains for the conductor to absorb this, and with a comprehension of the score, together with a sense for the musically beautiful and some show of temperament, to play upon this instrument. Were Mr. Damrosch only a piano virtuoso instead of only the kind of a conductor he is, his public playing would be laughed out of existence; but with an orchestra he is able to mask his disability. He has but to wave his arms and let God and Mr. Grau take their course. Mr. Damrosch is old enough to know better. His youthful appearance is no excuse for such childish work, and if he has decided to remain an opera conductor it is about time that he begin to regard the matter a bit seriously and try to get a shadow of the composer's meaning into his conducting. At present his work lacks everything it should possess to make him eligible for the position of a third conductor in a small German opera house. Let him remember that a father's reputation may cover only a multitude of musical sins—not all of them.
19Mr. HERMANN KLEIN
20AND
21ADELINA PATTI.
23Mr. HERMANN KLEIN has arrived from London and has opened a studio for instruction in singing and diction in
24ENGLISH, GERMAN, FRENCH and ITALIAN,
25AT 120 West 71st Street, NEW YORK.
27Mr. Klein submits the following letter from Mme. Adelina Patti—
28(Baroness Cederström):
30CRAIG-Y-NOS CASTLE, November 12, 1901.
32Dear Mr. Klein:
34I have received your letter of November 8, announcing your approaching departure for New York, and your intention of settling in that city as a teacher of singing. I think the Americans are to be most heartily congratulated, and I feel sure they will appreciate your excellent method and your great musical ability. I remember quite well studying two of Wagner's songs with you some years ago.
36Wishing you every success, and hoping to see you in London before you sail, with kind remembrances from myself and my husband, believe me,
37Yours very sincerely,
38(Signed) ADELINA PATTI CEDERSTRÖM.
40KREISLER MAKES REAPPEARANCE.
42THE distinguished Austrian violinist, Fritz Kreisler, made his reappearance with the Philharmonic Society on Friday afternoon and Saturday evening of last week. His appearance was greeted by an enthusiastic audience, wherein were a whole regiment of violin players. For his introduction Kreisler chose the Second Concerto of Bach, in E major. His playing of this noble work brought out frenzied applause from the violin contingent, and in which the whole audience joined, compelling Kreisler to bow his acknowledgments a half a dozen times. The critics in their way applauded him by the following acknowledgments of his skill as a virtuoso:
44Fritz Kreisler, athletic, broad shouldered, with the air of a conqueror—has he not just subdued musical Berlin?—set other visiting violinists an example by playing the E major Concerto of Bach. That such a giant as Ysaye prefers this music is not surprising; and Kreisler, one time a boy wonder and still a master of Paganini "pizzicatos," follows a noble example. The second movement, an adagio in chaconne form, would have revealed the imaginative property of some "fiddle fairies" who dazzle groundlings with their tricky acrobatics on one string; but gave us Kreisler at his best. That long, pure melodic line, truly a Gothic line in tone, of Bach's, drew from Kreisler's instrument music that enmeshed the soul as well as senses. He was vigorous in the opening allegro, fiery in the closing. He substituted an antique and jolly Fugue in A by Tartini, the Italian, once given to trills and diabolical visions. This Mr. Kreisler delivered with infinite gusto and perfect musicianship. He is a rare combination of virtuoso and artist. The applause was abundant.—The Sun.
46The solo performances of Mr. Kreisler yesterday were most interesting. He was down on the program for a caprice of Guiraud as his second number, but without notice he substituted for it the Tarini selection. He played with great warmth, with vigorous style, with big tone and with unusual finish. He was applauded to the echo, as he well deserved to be. It was a pleasure to hear such violin playing after the exhibitions of musical immaturity and technical precocity which have lately been offered to us as samples of real art.—Times.
48Herr Fritz Kreisler played Bach's E major Concerto and a fugue for violin solo by Tartini. In both pieces he gave a fine exhibition of noble violin playing, technically masterful, intellectually fascinating and emotionally compelling.—Tribune.
50TWO CLASSICAL VIOLIN SELECTIONS ARTISTICALLY RENDERED BY KREISLER.
52Kreisler played his selections with fine musicianly feeling, especially the tender and altogether lovely chaconne of the Bach Concerto.—Herald.
54JOSEF HOFMANN
55The Renowned Pianist.
56Now Touring in America.
57Address HENRY WOLFSON, 131 East 17th Street, NEW YORK.
59DUNSTAN COLLINS,
60AGENCY FOR
61High Class Artists and Concert Tours
62Fine Arts Building, CHICAGO.
64THEODORE SPIERING ORCHESTRA.
65HEODORE SPIERING,
66Conductor.
68GENEVIEVE CLARK WILSON,
69Soprano.
70GRACE VAN VALKENBURG,
71Contralto.
72GLENN HALL,
73Tenor.
74Booking for next season.
75SYDNEY BIDEN,
76Baritone.
78BRUNO STEINDEL,
79'Cellist.
80Booking for next season.
81JEANNETTE DURNO,
82Pianist.
83Madame F. EGARETHA WUNDERLE,
84Harpist.
85HERBERT BUTLER,
86Violinist.
88THE BRUNO STEINDEL COMPANY.
89BRUNO STEINDEL, 'Cellist.
90CLARA G. FRIMBLE, Soprano.
91MRS. EGARETHA WUNDERLE, Harpist.
92MRS. STEINDEL, Pianist.
94THE SPIERING QUARTET.
95THEODORE SPIERING, First Violin.
96OTTO ROEHRBONK, Second Violin.
97WILLIAM DIESTEL, Viola.
98HERMAN DIESTEL, Violoncello.
99GLENN HALL—HERBERT BUTLER RECITALS.
101Sixty Musicians. Permanent Organization.
102Regular weekly concerts in Chicago next season.
103Now booking for Concert Tours and May Festivals.
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