A Prospectus

Gatti’s List. The Metropolitan Opera Company announced its program for next season. The list is praiseworthy, but not exciting. Die Meistersingers and Siegfried, two of Wagner’s greatest works, will be revived. Der Freischutz will reappear after a long absence. It will come with considerable needed editing at the hands of the scholarly conductor, Mr. Bodanzky. The simple, pretty and pale Martha will raise its familiar tune for the pleasure of those who like what they know and know only a little. Mr. Gigli may be counted upon to do some pretty singing. He is brave to essay Martha, not that the tenor role demands any great genius for acceptable performance, but he will have to meet the competition of the dead Caruso, who found in the opera a chance to display the beauty of his voice when the music had little else to display. It was rumored that Mozart’s Don Giovanni would be given, but after the announcement, the rumor turns into this—that nobody in the company would essay to sing the title role. The part is, truly enough, one that has been traditional for more than a century as extremely difficult. Yet the Metropolitan is exceptionally well provided with good bassos. There were Mr. Bender and Mr. Bohnen, who made their debuts during the season just closed, and there will be Mr. Schorr, who will appear next season. Certainly between these three first rate artists one would have given odds that a Don Giovanni could have been discovered.

New Operas. But the main interest in an operatic prospectus lies in the new operas to be given. For last season Mr. Gatti announced two new operas—Mona Lisa and Anima Allegra, both recently composed, one German and the other Italian. That was provocative of a thrill for the devotees of opera. The thrill lasted until the operas were performed. Mona Lisa was musically as flat as the beer that is sold legally, and that of Anima Allegra was little better. The promise for next season is very tame. Two new operas are to be given, Le Roi d’Lahore, a piece of ancient vintage by Massanet, which doubtless will be quite as tepid as most of Massanet, and La Habanera by Raoul Laparra. This latter was composed 15 years ago, is mildly in the modern vein, and stirred no tempests when given some years ago by the since defunct Boston Opera Company. It will make a good show and no more.

American Compositions. It has been generally remarks that no American operas are listed on the Metropolitan announcement. That is not asonishing. Mr. Gatti, yielding to more or less patriotic demand, did, for half a dozen seasons of the recent past, give one or more American operas each winter. But, in spite of any possible nationalistic feeling on the part of critics and public, these American world were badly received. They drew neither praise in public prints nor patronage at the box office. They were unquestionably very bad, running a close race in unworthiness with the worst of the French operas. About the best of them was Victor Herbert’s Natoma—and Victor Herbert was never supposed to be any Verdi. Nor will Mr. Gatti have any of his operas sung in English. That does not arouse as much protest among forward-minded people as such omissions did a few years ago. The war gave Opera in English a severe blow. It was very sad when the exigencies of international politics made the Metropolitan give certain operas in English. There was a general chorus of relief when Tristan, Lohengrin and Parsifal were put back into German.