SUNDAY OREGOMAX, PORTLAND, DECEMBER 20, 1903.
Tin:
Wore Trouble Brewing Between
Opera Directors and Managers
Metropolitan in Limelight Again. Because of Dippsl and Gatti-Cazaza Feud Mary Garden Talks.
NT.W TORK. Dec. (Special Cor
respondence.) The wiseacres are
shaking their heads and saying "I
told you no." This intelligent remark
is caused by exist!:: conditions at the
Metropolitan Opera-House, which are
not so agreeable a.s tliey might be. In
volving as they do the feelings of Mr.
Oatti-Casazza, Italian, and Andreas Dip
pel, German. Publicity was precipi
tated thVough the signing of a three
ears' contract with Mr. Gatli-Casazza
nd Toscaninl, while Mr. Dippers con
tract expires at the end of one year.
The brewing of the storm began last
.jear when the Metropolitan Opera peo
ple determined to get rid of Conried.
Dippel was then one of the tenors of
the company. His chief virtue was his
reliability and his knowledge of an enor
mous number of tenor roles in three
languages. Mr. Dippel could sing you
Tristam or Lieutenant B. M. Pinkerton
with equal facility and on equally short
notice. But Mr. Dippel was more than
a mere tenor. lie was a very good busi
ness man and he was a social favorite.
Seldom was Mr. Dippel called at the last
moment to don the costume of some dis
abled singer that he was not dining at
the tables of the rich patrons of music.
Vrrv naturally Mr. Dippel had friends
unions the directors of the Opera-House.
Not unnaturally lie cherished ambitions
to succeed Conned a.i director of the
house. Influence in his favor was
brought to bear on the executive com
mittee, and when the choice of a di
rector was announced, it was "Dippel
and i;atti-Casaza Jointly." Mr. Dippe!
accepted the half loaf cheerfully. Mr.
Gatti was not informed of all the de
t.iiis of the arrangement till he had ar
' rived in New York. He came believing
ho was to be the sole director of the
opera and found that Mr. Dippel was
hi? coadjutor. This did not suit him
apparently.
It suited him le.s when he found that
orders he hail given had been counter
manded by Mr. Dippel and that Mr.
Dippe! had taken tjie part of the singer
In controversies with Tils favorite con
ductor. Mr. Toscaninl. Presently Mr.
Gattl made known to the directors that
h must be the sole director of the Met
ropolitan. The directors responded by
renewing the contract of Mr. Gattl for
two vcars: also the contract of Mr. Tos
eaniiii. 'But they left the contract of
Mr. Dippel unrenewed. Then the smg
rr. Caruso. Kame. Farrar and others,
who did not like the arbitrary ways of
Mr TocaninI. petitioned the directors
In the interest of Mr. Dippel: and the
directors Joined issue by announcing to
them that Mr. Gattl was the sole di
rector of tie Opera-House. A great
d-al of unfortunate friction is likely to
reoiU Indoubtedly great improve
ments' have been made in the. Metropoli
tan this year. Mr. Dippers friends say
ho is responsible for them chiefly. The
friends of Mr. Gattl say they are of his
planning and execution. It will be diffi
cult to placo the credit where It belongs.
Then there is the question of German
opera. Dippel Is an advocate of German
onera: Gatti claims that he. too. is a
friend of Wagner, and point to his
record In Milan. But the fact that he is
an Italian convinces the Germans that
he is going to subordinate the German
to the Italian music, and they are trtl
eans of Mr. Dippel.
Nothing could be reater folly than the
statements that German opera Is In
dinger as the record of both Gattl
Casaxza and Toscaninl proves their P
p.eciation of Wagner and their los
ing of Wagnerian opera In Italy at La
ca'.a The directors expressed them
selves as greatly pleased with the work
done by Gatti-Casazza and their com
plete trust in his Judgment and ability
to keep the Metropolitan at the very
iichest standard of excellence.
interest was at Its highest on Thurs
day night when Toscaninl conducted a
tremendous performance of
Wammerung." which he had rehearsed
fcnd prepared himself.
It was a great performance arid one In
which he proved that Toscaninl has the
splendor of Wagner as much at heart
la though he were a dyed-ln-he-woo
German This Is the most ?" "
"nil the Wagnerian opera-, and the tact
that the Italian conducted It without a
(rcore is perhaps one of the most pro
digious of his feats
De Gogorza. th baritone has returned
Ifrom his Western trip, and in an ; Inter
View with the Musical Leader and Con
cert Goer, ho Bald some "m"1
Complimentary things about the V, est
To quote in part, the baritone said.
Beinc asked a to his belief tn the artistic
STuSw oth. Wt. Mr. VT
that the West offered a most ""Ue nem
Jor the .ertou. sinner, "for " . 'aJ
J he people of 6an Francisco- they Judge
from what tl.ey hear, not fro what .the,
t. earn approval in Uie w st. iri
IrUst doe. "St vitally need Pe"
foreign reputation. It i. the P
Trhlct, Jec.de. on hi. merit, and If the pubUc
takes to n artist. It remain. '0' ,f,
.V". whatever m.y be written bout him
Hut let me em-jhaslze th. fact that the
artist must h able to meet every requlre
Jient la oilier word., he must civ. fu.l
"when k'd to give an example: ,'w'''"
frer-nrd Mr. I.Goor. "to go from one end
. the country to the other.
T'trazxinl. who has not been "cognized
Vv some of the principal F.astem critic,. And
vet she U Idolized, because tne public cen
iot help seeing the extraordinary au"
It the woman Well. It 1. the am
West. The public In America will not be
biased bv iiut whatever any Tom. Dick or
Harrv may chow to write; the P"b"c
reuuiree talent. Intelligence and art. ana it
la.'sts upon being pleased. If a, singer can
conform to requirement., the audience, car
not at all what may have been written.
For Western managers Mr. T Gogorza has
au especial word of prai.e. He Pa,k
particularly of ill". Loi. Steer, and Mis.
Coman. wiio he declare, are as unique a.
thev are capable. Their management la
perfectly wonderful and he predict, a great
future for those clev.r women.
'people of fan Francisco .nould be grate
ful alo to Mr. Oreenbaum lor presenting
nlwav. the b'st and for being personally in
leresied In the programme given.
Some of the manager. In America ari
readv to kill any .inner under their man
agement If he (the iner 1. popular. Of
course not wilfully, but because they do
not realize conditions. No one but tn.
nicer can realize these. One of the tilings a
iiiKr mint z.isrd against, especially on the
load, le sinaing too much. Something more
than monev suould be considered the
Inzer's health. Ms voice, his attention and
constant lvollon to art, which require a
day s ret between e.gement.. not even
traveling on sueh dsv. Thl. matter of
working; out'' the artist 1. a .erlou. one.
Artists must keep faith with the public, and
this is Impossible If m singer I. tired out
with traveling. The man or woman who
Ir.KS ?o songs in one evening Is more taxed
than either the orrs or llirht opera singer
for whom the work Is lightened and shared.
Mr. I6 Gogorza uyi. "In advice from artist
to artlt. let me warn him to look up hie
orr-n schedule, see he has a day between
concerts, see that he I. fresh to keep faith
with the public and he will be rewarded
bv the sincerest. most appreciative audience,
be has e.er known. Many a well-known
artist ha. gone West only to fall Inglorious
lv bv not taking proper caution to keep
himself In trim ar.d through being too
rapieiou. about accepting engagements,
l erele". Interpretation or los. of voice do
r.ot go la the West, and don't underrate
your tfan Franri.co public, for there I. an
enthusiasm there which Is usually oniy
found In the southern countries of Europe. -
At the Manhattan the success, ao far,
has been Massenet's "Ije Jonsjleur de
Notre Dame." This charming French
work turns away a large number of
people at every performance, and It will
probably not be displaced in the affec
tions of the Manhattan clientele even by
the revival of "Tales of Hoffman'' next
week-, and the reappearance of Melba.
who will sing Mimi in "La Boheme'' on
I
V
Monday night with Zenatello as Rtt
dolfo. Mary Garden" is very much in
love with the part of Jean the Juggler,
and when I went the other morning to
ask her opinions of this latest creation
she received me In her charming blue
boudoir, which heightens the wonderful
blue of her eyes. Thera were certainly
three of us present when e!ie consented
to tell me about the role. Miss Garden
was there. I was there, and It would
be Impossible not to believe that little
Jean the Juggler was playing his tricks
at hor feet, leaving oft only long enough
to receive the careeees which she was
o ready to lavish upon him.
He was there in that little faded green
coat and those wonderfully eloquent and
beautifully molded gray legs: he was
there in the charm and simplicity of a
child, even though more years had passed
over him than his mind reflected and the
illusion xu perfect that Miss Garden
had found this new role and had adopted
him with such Intensity and affection as
to make Thais, I.ouise and several others
green with envy. 1 discovered upon this
occasion that an actress can take Into
her affections a new role, much as a
mother takes a new baby, without dis
plcing the older members of her family.
I did want to hear from Miss Garden's
lips whether it was not very difficult to
ehed the glitter and the gorgeoueness of
such gowns as she wears in Thais for the
simple little raga of a beggar. Her an
swer came quickly and it was decisive.
She said:
"Why, no; I never think for a minute
of that side of the role. I love beautiful
things off the stage, and I enjoy thor
oughly my own gowns and Jewels, but
what I wear in a role is something whic.i
has onlv to do with a part, nnd not with
me. Indeed. I shall find infinitely more
pleasure tn getting into the togs for Jean
than Into the gowns for Thais, because
to divulge a little secret, I like the part
so much better, and as Massanet wrote
them both, I think I am not doing anyone
an injustice in saying so."
"From what do you draw your picture,
Miss Garden? la It from life, from read
ing or from imagination?"
Mies Garden's answer came in the na
ture of a surprise. She said: "Xot at all.
I am iujt in the least conscious of a cre
ation. I onlv respond to the music. In
voluntarily, if you will, but Invariably.
The music calls out certain thoughts, cer
tain movements, and I neither see nor
hear; I simply respond. I sometimes
think that if there were no book, no ex
planations of any kind. I would still re
spond in the same manner and the same
spirit. It depends entirely upon the com
poser how much he gets out of me.
Take, for Instance, the role of Melisande
where would I find anything upon which
to model the part? She is a filmy some
thing which existed in Debussy's minsi.
She was real enouch for him to have ex
pressed her in music. His expression, of
her was powerful enough for nie to have
caught her, elusive, ethereal and evasive
as she is. I get the same effect every
time, and always something new which
I (lid not get before. This is more diffi
cult, or rather more unreliable. At one
time It calls out one thing and at an
other something else, because as a wriolo
there is less subtlety In the music and
In the course of time, after I shall have
exhausted all there is In It for me, it
will cease to have any drawing powers
upon me."
I then asked Miss Gardner whether she
meant to convey that she works purely
under inspiration. She said:
"No: this is not Inspiration at all. It
In something more tangible. I will grant
Inspiration to the man who wrote the
music, or the book, or both. The inspira
tion which I get from it would only pre
pare me to receve tiie message, but it
would not do the work. That is physical,
and so physical that it is a matter of
responding to the rhythms with every
portion of my body. The music fairly
gets Into my bones and sinews. It be
comes a part of me. and unless It streets
roe so there is no use for me to to' to
do a part."
"What would you do In the event
that the book and music were a mis-
"That means failure for me, answered
Miss Garden, with conviction. "I cannot
struggle ngalnst that, because I am tha
keenest sufferer. You see. I am always
conscious of self-criticism, and I watch
myself very closely while I am doing
a "part. At every performance I find
mys"lf" saying: That Is good. I shall
do this each time.' or, 'That's horrid: I
will never do It again.' therefore, living
with the part as much as I do. it would
nave to be congenial or I could not en
dure It."
Then Miss Garden took her congenial
little Jean for a drive In her beautiful
limousine car through Central Park.
.
The great musical event of the week
was the arrival and the debut of Mlscha
Klraan. who is one of the most re
markable artists ever presented to an
American public. Klmau Is young, very
JfWJCJL CONDUCTOR
young In fact; but what he does with
that violin, and the manner in wnicn
he sways his audiences, he might be JO
instead of 20. His maturity extends be
vond his music, and he is as different
from a boy of 20 as he is different from
the average artist of 20, even a good
artist.
There is little doubt that Elman will
he the great sensation of the violinists
in America this season, and It is safe
to say that many years have passed
since a similar genius has been given to
us.
Through the great length of the
Tschnikowsky violin concerto Klraan held
the vast audience at Carnegie Hall en
thralled, and at the close of his perform
ance the people seemed too dazed to
burst Into immediate applause: but after
thev recovered the house rang with
cries of "Bravo!" and with applausa
that was fairly deafening. After the
second number en the programme. Wie
niawski's "Souvenir de Moscow," it was
even greater, because this Is essentially
a piece for the people, and It Is well
known. Measuring Klman by the great
est who have played it. the young Rus
sian covered himself with greater laurels
than ever. It was one of the most
sensational events of many seasons, and
If I mistake not Elman will sweep the
country as no young artist has done
since the first blaze of Kubclik; and
Elman has what Kubclik never had. won
derful temperament and magnetism,
more power and a wider sweep.
Elman is booked for an enormous
number of concerts In New York, includ
ing seven to bo given Sunday nights at
the Manhattan Opera-House. His first
recital will be given December 17 at Car
negie Hail, and according to the way
in wh'ich the fair sex gave themselves
over to his charms we may expect the
storming of the Carnegie platform at
the end of the recital. His debut was
made as soloist with the Prussian Sym
phony Orchestra, in an entirely Russian
programme. , ,
Saturday Mr. and Mrs. Marcus Flelsch
ner. of Portland. Or., and Miss Flora
Flelschner sailed for Europe, where they
will remain for a year. While in tha
musical centers Miss Flelschner will- con
tinue her vocal studies. She has a volco
of unusual beauty, which has been the
subject of much admiration in New York
during her stay here.
F.MILIK FRANCES BAVER.
CHRISTMAS
r
PIANOS
What would afford you more pleas
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ITEISWAT AJfD OTHER PIANOS.
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THE
it I ;
OH
OLVED AT
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