Scan 7
Musical Courier 1902-08-27: Vol 45 Iss 1170, 1902
32 lines. Read by computer on 22 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 8. See the scan on archive.org.
1part between Faust and Mephistopheles, still following the idea of Goethe and Berlioz, because it is not of a trivialous Faust sighing for material pleasures that the work treats, as is the case with the hero of Gounod's 'Faust'—witness the 'A moi les plaisirs' in the finale of the first act of this latter—but of the profound nature of a philosopher and human sadness.
3"The compact signed, we have the spectacle of Mephistopheles, the fallen angel, sad, wretched, doing evil for the sake of it, a Mephistopheles who suffers, while causing others to suffer, the angel that has defied God and who commences the struggle with poor humanity, tormented by the thirst for truth and light. 'Licht, mehr licht,' were the last words of Goethe, and his Faust is only his own end, the doubt of his own life, the sadness of the great thinker. And Marguerite, who is in reality the poor daughter of a Protestant pastor, betrayed and abandoned by Goethe, is only a fugitive incident in the chequered existence of Faust-Goethe. One single word, and in German, from Berlioz's own hand, sufficed to enlighten me as to his deep thought. Berlioz, like Goethe, did not intend that Marguerite, like a silly girl, should give herself up to Faust for a casket of jewels. At the head of the ballet of will o' the wisps he has written: 'Margareten Traum.' As a fad Marguerite is only one of a number of means used to enslave the soul of the thinker. It is therefore in order to conform to the idea of the master that I cause Marguerite's dream to be witnessed by the public, without changing one note of the music. How could I have arranged it otherwise without being guilty of gross ignorance? One has only to follow the music to understand all its meaning, and the prayer which 'surges in the middle of the will o' the wisp dance plainly indicates the struggle between Faith and the Spirit of Evil.
5"We traverse then with Berlioz all the phases of this diabolic struggle. Mephistopheles seeks by all ways to subjugate Faust. After Glory, then Faith, Idleness, Pleasure, Love, Nature, all, but without success. Faust, with the bitterness of the philosopher, cannot drink the cup to its dregs, because in its mirror he always sees his face of man doomed to misery and death, and it is there that I have put to chords recitatives, taken from Berlioz himself, the dialogue taken from the second part of Goethe's 'Faust,' to bring the end desired by the poet and musician, viz., the sacrifice of Faust to save Marguerite.
7"And now, what is to be the future of the masterpiece? The wave cannot be stopped, the volcano which cannot be extinguished and the so-called friends and admirers of Berlioz will not succeed in stifling his talent. The great critics—French, German, Italian—came to witness the work, and instead of crying sacrilege, they found that what I had done for 'La Damnation' others had done before me for the 'Don Giovanni' of Mozart; the 'Elizabeth' of Liszt; the 'Orpheus' of Gluck; the 'Fidelio' of Beethoven. They found that the few phrases I had taken from Goethe for the dramatic continuity of the work had been chosen and adapted with an almost idolatrous respect for Berlioz. And so, many of the great opera houses of Germany and Italy have decided to produce 'La Damnation' next season. As for Paris, ridiculous as it may seem, it is my name that hinders the work from being mounted. A certain director sought the heirs of Berlioz, and proposed to mount the work if my name were removed and his own substituted (naturally). He even was willing to pay the costs of a lawsuit. Poor creature! He had never taken the trouble to read the life of Berlioz—one of probity and honor—or he would have known what would have been the reply of his heirs: 'It signifies little to us whether, in order to gain your case, you make the characters enter from the right or left, or that you substitute one scene in place of some other, or that you will produce the work just as it is. We have not only a contract with M. Gunsbourg; we have given our word.'
9"As for myself, I only hope one thing, which is that Jupiter will still blind these Parisian directors for some years to come, and until the time when I shall come myself to mount 'La Damnation' in Paris."
11At the Opéra will be revived this coming season Saint-Saëns' opera of "Henry VIII," with Madame Heglon in the role of Anna Boleyn. This work in four acts and six tableaux, the book by Detroyat and Armand Silvestre, was first produced here in 1883. Lassalle created the title role. With him were associated Boudouresque and Madames Krauss and Renée Richard.
13Two of the prize winners in the opera class, Mlles. Demougeot and Feart, both dramatic sopranos, are engaged for the Opéra, and will appear there for the first time this winter in the proposed revival of "Don Giovanni." Also Escalais, a former tenor of the Opéra, is engaged to give several performances of Arnold in "Guillaume Tell," and Eléazar in "La Juive." This latter work has not been heard in Paris for a considerable time, and is one of the list of works for which new mounting has been prepared, the old scenes and costumes, &c., having been destroyed by fire. one of two readings
14Two of the prize winners in the opera class, Mlle. Demougeot and Feart, both dramatic sopranos, are engaged for the Opéra, and will appear there for the first time this winter in the proposed revival of "Don Giovanni." Also Escalais, a former tenor of the Opéra, is engaged to give several performances of Arnold in "Guillaume Tell," and Eléazar in "La Juive." This latter work has not been heard in Paris for a considerable time, and is one of the list of works for which new mounting has been prepared, the old scenes and costumes, &c., having been destroyed by fire. one of two readings
16Ferdinand Strakosch, one of the family of impresarii, died recently in Paris, aged sixty-three years. He was at one time director of the Opera in Rome and also in Trieste. Ferdinand was the last surviving brother of three, who were noted as operatic managers in their day. The others were Maurice, teacher of singing and director of the Théâtre Italien, Paris (Salle Ventadour), and Max, at one time manager of opera in New York.
18On Friday last a charming musical evening was given at La Bodinière, the pretty and fashionable theatre, by some of Mlle. Marguerite Martini's best pupils.
19M. Coliard and Catabonne, Mlles. Caroll and Euby, &c., particularly distinguished themselves.
20Mlles. Clara and Grace Caroll, the first one as Leonora in "Il Trovatore," the second as a charming Ophelia, delighted the audience. Mlle. Euby, a lovely Manon, also greatly pleased the audience. These three young American ladies displayed splendid voices, admirably managed, and a knowledge of the stage and lyrical acting for which great praises are due to their professor.
21Mlle. Martini herself has given us the extreme pleasure of seeing and hearing her in a new opera created by her in Paris. Her splendid voice has made us appreciate still more her excellent method as well as the truth of her acting.
22De Valmour.
23[See another page for late news from Paris.—Ed. M. C.]
25THEODOR BJORKSTEN'S RETURN.
27AFTER an absence of nearly a year abroad, Theodor Bjorksten, the distinguished singer and voice builder, is home again. Early in last October he left New York for Paris with the intention of spending a year in Europe, solely for rest and recreation. Several of his advanced pupils went with him. One of these, Miss Martha Strickland, made her public debut as a singer some months ago in Switzerland. She assumed the stage name of Mlle. d'Esterre. Her success was brilliant, the Geneva papers bestowing upon her the highest praise. The music critics not only extolled her beautiful voice but commended in the warmest terms her method of vocalization and musical intelligence, and also praised her dramatic powers. This success was exceedingly gratifying to teacher and pupil.
29When Mr. Bjorksten left New York his health was so poor that he abandoned all work. He had not been in Paris long before his health definitely improved, and he was rejoiced to discover that his voice was stronger and better than it had ever been. He was prevailed upon to give a number of song recitals, which proved very successful. He sang in Stockholm, Paris and in the principal cities of Switzerland, and the newspapers teemed with complimentary notices. Victor Maurel attended several of these recitals, and was profuse in his praise of the artist.
31Mr. Bjorksten made a pleasure trip to Russia, Finland,
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