Scan 9
Musical Courier 1913-12-10: Vol 67 Iss 24, 1913
17 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026. Printed page 10. See the scan on archive.org.
1PARISIANS WITNESS OPERA DIFFICULTIES.
3Even Hammerstein Figures in the Interesting Developments—And So Do Astruc and Van Dyck—Indications Point to One Less "Parsifal" Performance in French Capital—Jean de Reszke Teaching Again After Long Vacation—"Faust" Has 1450th Performance at the Opera—Lamoureux and Colonne Concerts Honor Schumann.
5[All inquiries referring to American musicians and music as well as matters of interest to American visitors in Paris, or such as contemplate a visit to France, may be addressed to H. O. Osgood, 43 Boulevard Beauséjour, to whom tickets should also be sent by those who desire their recitals or concerts to be attended.]
7Paris, November 25, 1913.
9Oscar Hammerstein's failure to open on time in New York still continues to excite a great deal of interest here. It is alleged that one of the artists who claims to have been engaged has brought action here on his own account, but as the contracts contained a clause providing that any action in connection with the artists must be taken in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, it seems hardly probable that they will be able to accomplish anything. In the meantime Gabriel Astruc, through whose so called "Société Musicale" the engagements were made, has hastened to wash his hands of the whole affair and, following an article in last Friday's New York Herald (Paris edition) by Pierre Veber, which implied that M. Astruc had some personal interest in the matter, published a letter in which he stated that he has never been either directly or indirectly associated with Mr. Hammerstein. Poor M. Astruc! He was to have 5 per cent. commission on all salaries—for all the engagements were made through him, or, to be accurate, through his Société Musicale—not only for the first year, but for all renewals and extensions as well, and now there are no salaries and no renewals and no extensions. This is a cruel blow, coming right after the closing of his Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. M. Astruc is absolutely out of that, too, for last week the Société du Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, proprietors of the theater itself and the ground on which it stands, called the attention of the courts to the fact that M. Astruc was several months in arrears with his rent and the courts ordered his legal expulsion, which consisted in the withdrawal of his concierge, sole representative of the imposing opera forces which so happily began the season only a few weeks ago. Ernst van Dyck, the veteran tenor and warhorse of Bayreuth, who was to have directed the "Parsifal" performance for M. Astruc, attempted to arrange a modus operandi with the proprietors of the theater whereby he would have been able to carry out M. Astruc's contracts and to have given the "Parsifal" performances after all, but the negotiations are said to have failed and Paris will have one "Parsifal" the less.
11Schumann was trump at the orchestra concerts last Sunday, Gabriel Pierné devoting the entire program of the Concerts Colonne to a production of his seldom heard "Faust," and Camille Chevillard heading the program of the Concerts Lamoureux with the same composer's second symphony.
13It is evident that Jean de Reszke profited from the long summer vacation, from which he returned only after November 1—if a vacation lasting until November can properly be referred to as a "summer" vacation. When I saw him before he left in June he showed the traces of a long hard season of teaching, but when I had the pleasure of seeing him again last week, it was easily to be seen that the sea air of north France and the golf on the private De Reszke course in Poland had effaced all traces of last season's work and left the great master hearty, fresh and younger than ever to begin this season's teaching. And begun he has, for the lesson board was absolutely full, needless to say, before he had been back a week. M. De Reszke was kind enough to tell me the true story about his "baritone" days—something which has never been published, and which is so good that I am going to keep it over for a week until I can have some pictures to go with it. He says there are some very promising young voices in his
15Photo copyright by Pohle, Buffalo, N. Y.
16ARTHUR HARTMANN.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.