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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 1907)
WML ) 4 if C&S-7aPrS2XHlJZ&J SAZuVRy OrSQOOO Z&A?S1&? BY ALMA A. BOGER8. THE operatic season opened In Vienna, August 18, with a magnificent per . forroance of Verdi's "Alda" In the Hofoperntheater, which Is to say the Im perial opera-house. The large and glided auditorium was packed with the sort of audience usually described as fashionable, but It was also intensely musical, and the singers were received with an enthusiasm . that found voice In many bravos and in numerable curtain-calls. But to my unso phisticated eyes the staging was more re markable than the singing. In fact as to the latter, I have heard quite as good, and better; but imagination falls to realize stage effects more dazzllngly gor geous, more historically representative, more minute in detail or more perfect In completeness. a To begin with, the area of the stage Is Immense. It seemed to me as If the Marquam stage, The Helllg, Baker and Empire might all be set down there bodily, with room for Portland's vaude ville In the wings. Of course it may shrink somewhat through the disillusion ing effect of familiarity, but that was the way it looked the first night. Between 400 and 500 people were upon the stage in the grand public scene when the vic torious general of the King makes his triumphal return. Ethiopian captlves trailing his chariot, and -the spoils of battle borne aloft. Half a dozen soldiers did not mean an army here, nor two or three standards the colors of the troops. On the contrary, the legion marched and countermarched, with helmets burnished, a forest of spears flashing, until the cen turies slipped away, and I was no longer gazing at a pageant but actually one of the spectators to welcome home the con quering hero! Egypt in All Its Glory. Color and mass can play wondrous tricks with the Imagination, a fact which whoever conceived the costuming and ccenery of this opera must have known full well. Only the combination of genius with lavish expenditure could produce these effects. That one scene In Alda was worth all the books. The architecture, art, dress, customs, religion, all were represented with a truth and vividness ot portrayal that really made the opera an epitome of Egyptian ancient history. The temples, heavy, sombre and mysterious, with colossal gods guarding their secrets, the weird In cantations of white-robed priests, the acred bull and brazen serpants borne in stately procession before kneeling multi tudeswell, as I said, the years fell away, and the blood of antique hearts beat In place of the moderns. One par ticularly interesting architectural feature was that of the richly decorated columns with curious bell-shaped capitols as used by the Egyptians, the decorations flat, of course, after the Egyptian manner, but oddly enough suggestive of some of the designs In our own beautiful Congres sional library at Washington. A tour to the-Nile was made unnecessary, so far at least as this special style of archi tecture Is concerned. . Mechanical Perfection As an evidence of the thoroughness with which things are done, I am told that whenever an opera Is to be staged, the best artists not scene painters are ent to the region In which the plot of me opera is laid, the study of naturae conditions Deing enhanced, as In "Alda," by careful attention to antique relics, his tory, etc., thus insuring a touch of de lineation that makes the age presented a realistic picture. But perhaps in no one particular Is the painstaking attention to detail of the opera more strikingly shown than In the color schemes of the costum ing. To devise the costumes of several hundred people representing all classes and conditions of society and so group the figures that the result is an artistic triumph means artistry of the highest order. Not a line, a group or a color but adds to the dazzling total. The blue feather or silken hose, a scarlet robe, a gleaming headdress, is placed Just where its color-note accents the harmony. The selection and grading of tints alone make the scene a gorgeous color dream. So far as regards mechanical perfection. It can certainly be found In the em perlal opera-house. The orchestra, which Is world-famous, though certainly not better than that of Dresden, occupies a large space in the usual place below the stage, and num bers about 80 men, with additions when required. Among the Instruments is a pipe organ. Large as the pit Is, It Is crowded, and a long line of violins sits with backs against the low wooden wall that divides the. pit from the parquette. Viewed from a lofty and distant gallery the bowing of the v0 ) J hM7 LEAVES T7&; players is alone conspicuous over the wall and creates a weird fantasy of magic fiddlers. Mahler, the $80,000 Conductor. . Each night since the brilliant open ing, opera has been given and the course will run with but few Inter ruptions to the end of June. Only the highest classical compositions are per mitted In the Hofoper. In fact, Gus tav Mahler, the celebrated conductor whom American money has captured he has just lately signed a contract for 400,000 crowns ($$0,000) per year with Manager Conreld of the Metro politan has partly made his record on his stand for the classical. The lavish and artistic staging also belongs to his meed of praise. Wagner, Verdi, Meyerbeer, Mozart, Leoncavallo, Mascagnl, Saint Baens, Mas senet, Offenbach, Puccini, Bizet, Weber, Donizetti, Thomas. Gounod are repre sented by their best work on the Im perial stage, with occasionally some composer of more local note who has not yet won his worjl'n crown. Wagner seems to be the reigning favor ite, as a week rarely goes by without one or more music dramas of that master. Several times during the year an entire Ring of the Nlbelungen is given on al ternate nights. This, as is well known, consists of four operas, carrying the story In .successive steps beginning with the Rhtnegold, which is the prelude to the trilogy of the Ring; the Valkyrie, Siegfried and the Gotterdameming. Splen dor of presentation, is carried to its cli max In these dramatic stage poems. Stately Edifice. The building which is the home of so much magnificence is a very beautiful and Imposing structure in French Re naissance. The open loggia In the facade Is richly painted with graceful figures, and a row of statues, typifying music and the dance, fill the archways. The richness of the exterior is more than duplicated in the interior, where grand staircases rise from a wide vestibule, opening at the first flight upon a lovely court in which are more exquisite fres coes, white marble nymphs and a bas relief -of the present Emperor, Franz Joseph. Unlike the American theater, with Its high-pitched galleries at the extreme end of the auditorium, the seats in the Hofoper are carried wholly around three sides, the fourth being, of course, devoted to the' stage. There are five of these semicircles. The lower one, which Is the first balcony. Is divided into boxes, and the remainder, excepting the third and fourth galleries, contain from but two to three rows of seats. On the second floor. In the center of the semicircle. Is the imperial box, plainly fitted up In crimson, and containing a dozen or more chairs. Above the crimson canopy which surmounts it is a large gilded crown of state. . Back-Breakins Seats. The artistic effect of the semicircular galleries is very satisfying, but a single night's experience of sitting In them is mortifying to the flesh. Which is to say. they break your back. In order to see the stage, one is forced to lean forward on the cushioned rail which runs ' In front, with the spinal column pitched at about 45 degrees. By the time you sit through a five-hour opera like the "Mels terslngers," a merely mortal being, one unsustained by the muBical frenzy and accustomed to American comfort even on row 23 of the gallery, begins to wish that Wagner iiad telescoped the first two acts into one, or that His Imperial Majesty would order an acuter pitch to the floor. The only really comfortable seats outside of the parquette are those In the center of the house, directly fac ing the stage. But people come just the same, and one of the surprising things Is to see many women in the galleries, occupying standing room only. Whether they are students, forced to sacrifice themselves to their purses, or merely music-lovers. I know not, but in either case their endurance is amazing. Ham Sandwiches and Music. Leaving the auditorium between acts and walking in the halls is customary, and very restful; but scarcely to be ad mired is the practice of passing refresh mentsactually cakes, sandwiches and '"MB C7W (1 Iff I KM t 1 C 1 THE SUNDAY QREGOXIAX,' PORTLAND; OCTOBER 20, 1907. Mrs. Alma A. Rogers' Impression of the Magnificent Performances in Vienna's Imperial Opera House err f:hV l:.V r-l-i- liquids among the people who remain during intermission. Upon my first even ing I was astonished to see the couple next me and they were very decent young people return at the warning bell with half-consumed ham sandwiches In their hands, which they finished leisurely while the next act was In progress. But this is mentioned merely as an Incident, and must not be confounded into the rule. As such it would be unjust and misleading. Another custom of a Viennese audience Is the very general habit of carrying the book of the opera and often the score. With elbows glued to the rail In front, the owners follow closely the printed page. This is taking music seriously indeed, especially when the volume carried Is as large as a piano forte method instruction book, as I have observed in the case of the score. But that the Viennese are fervent in their seriousness is unmistakable. The ap plause Is generous and hearty and after every act the chief artists are called out by more clapping and enthusiastic bra vos. The industrious conning of !he opera, however, seems to me a techni cality that properly belongs at home. It may have no other value than that it Is my opinion, but when I see "Hamlet" played I want the book in my head ani not in my hands. The full enjoyment of a grand opera is' a complex process, due to many other Items than either words or musia alone. The, play of human na ture, which, after all. Is the essential charm, is conveyed by so many subtle touches of manner and pose and action and color and mass that words do not mean so much in the total Impression as light and shade. 'What It Costs. Before leaving this white and gold and crimson auditorium, whose stage curtain Is dipped in seas of lovely color, the American question occurs: "What does it cost?" Well, It Is not cheap. For that matter there Is nothing cheap In Vienna, at least when an American is the pur chaser. It is even claimed by those who should know that to ask for an article In English Is to raise the price. But to go back to the seats. I quote from the pricelist of the K. K. Hofopern Theater, first explaining that a krone or crown is about 30 cents, five kronen to the dollar being a general estimate, and that one hundred heller make a krone: Logee, 60, 40, 30 kronen per seat; parquette from 15 kronen down to nine; first and second parterres (the balconies) nine and eight kronen. The galleries, third and fourth, run from seven kronen to three, accord ing to location, the highest price being In all cases for seats in the center of the semi-circle, directly facing the stage. After these the most desirable -are on the first row to the sides, when one Is not obliged to lean over quite so far. Standing-room on the first floor is sold to gentlemen only at two kronen, one side being exclusively for the military, offi cers only, with much gold braid In evi dence, and the other side for civilians. In the galleries' It Is sold to both sexes at from one krone 60 heller to one krone 2 heller. . Decorous Always. Happily the American peanut gallery Is conspicuous by its absence.. From 'the pit to the fifth and highest seml-clrcle the decorum is perfect. Boys are never seen unattended, there is no hooting for the performance to begin, and the exquisite evening gowns worn by the ladies on the first floor are a standard for womankind to dress for the occasion, though that best be nothing more than a white waist and cloves. Yet the feeling for the musio is so genuine and spontaneous that one knows the people are there from love of it and not for display. ' Performances are well attended, though the hours are moat Inconveni ent, 7 o'clock is the usual hour. In some cases 7:90, and prompt to the minute. As the Vienna, supper is not served until 8 or 8:30 one must take a partial meal not later than six o'clock and finish It after the opera. Suburban residents literally begin to prepare for the opera in the middle of the afternoon. The houses, too, are locked at 10, and all theater-goers must pay the house beeorger a fee for the privilege of getting to bed. The Hofoper, I have stated, is under WB 4t& Mil ITT'I til! - tPsf ?d - - the special' p&tronage of the Emperor. Paternal Institutions of a- monarchy hav ing no parallel In our Republic I have been at some pains to secure exact data concerning the system of management of the royal opera. The building, of which a good view is given, wag erected by the government, which also pays the salaries of directors, artists and employes. The post of upper director, or intendant. Is a very honor able 8ne and is at present filled by Prince von Montenuo. Next to him Is the musical director, a sort of general manager, who conducts the orchestra and engages the artists. Under him again is a business manager. There are always three or four conduct ors, who relieve one another. Contracts with the musical director "and singers are made for a term of five years. In case of breaking a contract EUROPE'S EUROPE spends millions every year for flowers. Flowers are an Indis pensable feature of every social oc casion, and the French government has used them extravagantly of late as adornments of public festivities. One of the most expensive features of getting married In France is the florist's bill. The man in the case cel ebrates hie engagement by sending a basket decorated with lace and ribbon to his fiancee. If he does not pose as wealthy he may get out of the obli gation for $20 or so, but the case Is cited of the son of a financier, who spent 83500 for " an prchid as a center piece and grouped around it four others at $1200 apiece. There is also a legend of an Aus tralian of vast wealth, who spent $8000 on a basket of orchids and plfeks for his engagement gift, and another of a girl of the Hungarian nobility, who received a bouquet made up entirely of Alpine flowers, which cost $4000. One flower in it had cost a search of five weeks through the higher valleys of the mountains. ' After the introductory corbeille, the engaged man must send a bouquet ev very day. These bouquets are supposed to be more modest. The devotion of the sender Is to be expressed rather in rarity and beauty than in cost. Or he may fall back on the language of flowers and send orchids to express romance, narcissus blooms, white lilacs and 'asmln for tenderness, white car nations for innocence or crimson ones to typefy his own ardent passion. It is obligatory that the wedding bouquet shall be of white roses and orchids, with . the traditional orange blossoms, and it must be framed with myrtle leaves. It Is not necessarily ex pensive, but of course, a man 'may go as far as he likes In the decoration of the church. In this item it is doubtful if Europ ean extravagance comes anywhere near that of fashionable American mar riages. There was a marriage in Mar seilles in 1897, though, which made a record. It was in the height of the bicycle craze and bridegroom and bride and all their attendants rode to and from the church on wheels completely hidden with flowers. The bride's wheel was all in orange -blossoms with white rib bons. 'The bridegroom's was entwined with greenery brightened up with crimson roses and pinks. The cycles of the brldemalds matched their dresses. The men rode on wheels rigged like the bridegroom's, but less elaborately. The whole show cost $2500. Enormous suras are spent on the floral decorations for the Presidential feasts at the Palace of the Elysee. Fe lix Fanre invariably had the tables at his state dinners decorated with orchids. It is in Russia that the dinner table decorations reach their climax. There Is a different floral garniture for every ws f a .1 :H :J v ? r--Stillt'fftfi is the artist must pay a penalty commen surate with his salary, the amount im posed being within the discretion of the management. The salary of the musical director is 4S.000 kronen. A -handsome suite of apartments in the opera house also falls to him, and after ten years' service a pension of about two-thirds of his salary. Gustav Mahler can well af ford to pay his penalty and lose the pen sion, as he goes to the Metropolitan for ten years. The artists, of which altogether there are about 58 stars, receive from 24,000 to 50,000 kronen yearly. A list of the three leading artists and salaries runs thus: Frauleln Kurts. soprano, at 50.000 kronen; Herr Slezak, tenor, 48,000 kronen; Herr Demuth, basso, 36,000 kronen. The regu lar chorus numbers about 200, with sever al hundred auxiliaries. The variety of music presented requires many different types of voice, the light coloratura, of an old school opera being LOVE OF course. Beginning with violets with the soup, they will change to lilies of the valley with the fish. Then' comet bouchees or pates with hyacinths, a releve with cornflowers, pinks with the sherbet, roses with the roast and orchids or sweet peas with the sweets. A favorite decoration of the table In Paris is a serpentine mirror, which me anders about the table like a river be tween banks of moss through which wild flowers are dotted. Clusters of orchids suspended over the table are reflected in the glass. At one floral dinner, the bill for which ran into five figures, screens of vines, apparently growing, surround ed the table and formed a canopy over it on wire trelliswork dotted over with tiny electric lamps of every Imaginable hue. Miniature fruit trees were grouped on the tables about fish ponds full of real water with real live goldfish swim ming about. Then there was a famous entertain ment given at a noted restaurant in Paris by a' London man Jn- 188 to 40 of his friends. It lives in local tradi tion as the supper of roses. The flor ist's bill was 75,000 franc, or $15,000. An American Is said to have spent 84000 on huge chrysanthemums, which, suspended singly from the celling, were the decoration of a supper room. To this a Hollander countered with tulips Imported from Amsterdam to decorate a banquet hall. A Parisian woman entertaining fash ionably will have to set aside at least $5000 for flowers for the decoration of her table and her drawing-rooms dur ing the three months of the Paris sea son. In England, much geater suras are spent. It is said that the Duke of Port land spent $14,000 on draperies and $10,000 on flowers for a ball which he gave in honor of the Duke of York in 1898. The bouquet that Is passed over the footlights to the theatrical star at great profit, to the florist ha an odd sort of parallel In the bunch of flowers which It Is now the custom for some pretty child or blooming girl to present to the presi dent of the republic or any member of the ministry who happens to make an official visit to a provincial town or village. This tribute Is usually made up In fed, white and blue to display the na tional colors. Enormous sums are Spent on the flower festivals, which are now a feature of tha Summer gaiety in every great European city and pleasure resort. The simplest decoration of a victoria costs from 840 to 880. Those on which a couple of hun dred dollars have been spent are not rare. In 1904, in Paris, the carriage of Mme. du Oast was hidden under 800 worth of orchids. At Luchon, In 1S03. the hit was made with an ox cart hidden in field flowers. It had cost a small fortune. Flowers have . their political signifi cance in France. Twenty years ago the followers of General Boulanger adopted the red carnation as their emblem. Gos sip records that Mademoiselle-Mars, the famous actress, was hissed off the stage n 1. Of Tizr vj?yvsM quite helpless In the heavy Wagnerian roles, which make tremendous demands on the artist. And much as we moderns adore Wagner, no musical ear can be oblivious to the charm of music made when pure beauty was the Ideal of the composer, ere yet the magician Wagner appeared to transform it Into a dramatic language. Mozart and Hayden wrote for beauty's sake alone and were not con cerned with either the abysmal heights or depths of human nature. I heard "Don Giovanni" shortly after th hack breaking experience of the "Mcister slngers." and sat perfectly entranced under the crystal-pure melodies of Mo zart, which swelled and carolled and trilled like estatic bird songs In a leafy wood In Spring a joy to sense, a relief to nerves. It may be that an unusually fine cast of artists had something to do with it, and perhaps the mood was just right. The stage settings, too, were a picture to delight the eye, scarlet being exquisitely wrought Into the chief motif of the color scheme, in perfect accord with the Venetian scenes. Surely there will always be a place in FLOWERS one night In Paris in the Restoration period -because she wore a bunch of vio lets. Violets are the Bonapartlst flower. When a French baby is horn his cradle Is apt to be surrounded with blooms. When a Frenchman dies his bier and his grave will be lavishly -decorated with flowers. The sum spent on the adornment of graves runs into the millions annually In Fere-la-Chaise alone. The tomb of the Worms de Rom illy family is kept covered with fresh flowers at a cost of 30.000 francs a year. What Is spent all over Enrope for this purpose would, according to one author ity, support all the orphanages or all the hospitals. In some cases the flowers that grow on graves are distributed. In me moriam, to friends of the departed every Summer. It was In line with this custom that the widow of the dramatist Ibsen sent the two first blossoms that appeared on his grave to Eleonora Duse In Rome and to Suzanne Despres in Paris, In memory of his admiration of their portrayal of the characters In his dramas. The Schemes of Colonel Glay Continued From Page 2. Picardet, who was a customer of ours, brought in a good check for 300, signed by a first-rate name, and asked us to pay it in on her behalf to Darby, Druromond & Rothenberg'e, and to open a London account with them for her. We did so, and received in reply a- check book." "From which this check was taken, as I learn from the number, by tele gram from London," the commissary put in. "Also, that on the same day on which your check was cashed, Mme. Picardet, in London, withdrew her bal ance." "But how did the fellow get me to sign the check?" Sir Charles cried. "How did he manage the card trick?" -.- The .commissary produced a similar card from his pocket. "Was that the sort of thing?" he asked. "Precisely! A facsimile." "r thought so. Well, our Colonel, I find, bought a packet of such cards, intended for admission to a religious function, at a shop in the Qua.1 Mas sena. He cut out the center, and, see here " The commissary turned it over and showed a piece of paper past ed neatly over the back; this he tore off, and there, concealed behind it, lay a folded check, with only the place where the signature should be written showing through on the face which the Seer had presented to us. "I call that a neat trick," the commissary re marked, with professional enjoyment of a really good reception. "But he burned the envelope before my yesr'.' Sir Charles exclaimed. .. "Pooh!" the commissary answered. i r' ! "" " '"ii " i " i inmiimf 1W H'i or zHzrsvzits comeoc7Vs gr&za mjczw sazz&u. the world for music born of beauty. And since the complexities of the human mind require diversity to yield satisfac tion. It seems to me that the standard of taste should be most catholic, admit ting intb the circle of appreciation all excellences of every age and school, nor should Wagner devotees permit them selves to fall Into a rut. No one of us can travel on a tight rope to the shrine of art. The new conductor who takes the place of Mahler at the Hofoper Is Felix Weln gartner. He does not appear, however, until January first, and the baton In the meantime is In the hands of his assistant. On the night of "Don Giovanni" Mahler conducted, and his appearance each time was greeted with warm applause. The body of the Viennese are sorry to lose him. During the recitative of the opera he accompanied alone on a spinet. Th effect was very quaint and pleasing. Francis Richter.. Just a word to the friends of FtancU Richter. He attends opera about once a week, and has so far listened to Verdl' "Aida" and "Otello." Meyerbeer's "Prophet." Mozart's "Magic Flute," a delightful creation, by the way, and "Don Giovanni' 'and the "Melsterslng ers." "The Merry Widow," a light comlo opera, which has made a great popular success and Is now rearing lt five hundredth performance, wfS next b seen for purposes of contrast. But for this another theater must be visited. He will also attend the great dramas of Shakespeare, Schiller and others, which are given In German at the Imperial playhouse devoted to the drama the Hofburg Theater, one of the architec tural features of the beautiful Ring stn sse, Vienna's world-famous street. "What would he be worth as a con jurer, anyway. If he couldn't substi tute one envelope for another between the table and the fireplace without you noticing It? And Colonel Clay, you must remember, la a prince among conjur ers." i "Well, it's a comfort to know we've identified our man and the woman who was witn him," Sir Charles said, with a slight sigh of relief. "The next thing Will be. of course, you'll follow them up on these clews in England and ar rest them?" . ' The commissary shrugged his shoul ders. "Arrest them!" he exclaimed, much amused. "Ah, monsieur, but you are sanguine! No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting la Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French. He Is as slippery as an eel, that man. He wriggles through our fingers. Sup pose even we caught him, what could we prove? I ask you. Nobody who has seen him onco can ever swear to him again in his next impersonation. He is Impayable, this good Colonel. On the day when I arrest him, I assure you, monsieur, I shall consider myself the smartest police officer In Europe." "Well, I shall catch him yet," Sir Charles answered, and relapsed into silence. (Copyright, 1807. by W. G. Chapman.) THE SKUNK'S DIVORCE. BT DOLORES. A widowed skunk and a cigarette Once in a shady wildwood met. Said the skunk. "Forlorn I wander alone. Bereft of Joy." In a courtly tone The gay cigarette her grief condoled. The widow his flattering words cajoled And they were wed. But the honeymoon Had not yet passed when one afternoon The skunk, more sad than ever before. Betook herself to Judge ecreechowl's door. "Dear Madame, why do you come this way?" "Your Honor, for a divorce I pray." "You seek a divorce from Cigarette? Why, your wedding bells are ringing yetl Has your husband been' unkind to you? Does he beat you? Has he proved un true?" "No. your Honor, he does not beat me; Kind and loving be tries to treat me. As a husband Cigarette is grand, All but his breath-that I cannot stand." "His breath? 'Tls bad; but I thought a skunk Could hold her awn." - "Well, I can't. I'm stunk Out of house and home." "Alas'. Alas! Things have come to a desperate pass When a breath attains the fearful power To drive a skunk from her wedding bower. Madame, you have my deep sympathy. Take your divorce. I set you free." . The Jail for Him. Chicago Evening; Journal. Talk about "sweet sorrow" A young New Yorker only smiled -vhen a judge sntenred hirn to six rr.on'J.s in Jail for writing 1000- love letters it slae of a yer to- an uawllllcg married woman.