GRAND OPERA DELUXE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 949, 17 October 1910, Page 8

GRAND OPERA DELUXE.

. ( i i WHAT THEY DO IN &EfIM"ANY. : ; ; -- • h. HE. GEORGE MUSGROVE : REMINISCENT. 1 s (By Sylvius) •v -' 'if you can .get, him in the, right mood t ; Goorge. .'Musgtove, . is. about as interestiug. ; ~a conversationalist .as one would£'■;; (lesii-e..: > His ';. cosmopolitanism, training Vas ■a. theatri-, [;:■ and .cntwpMDQur .. m on both sides -of - the globe. | ;' ihaTe given- . expansive . know- ' enables to place ' m^i, £,4' ; to,- and: things in 'their .proper' porspec: V, : v -_ 1 J ov ; had;tnrnod : to grand' t . opera, jtfclba, John M'Coi-mack, "Madame , Butierflv,"' and as it progressed Mr. Mu.s----f ; >igrovo-became, lllnminalive on "the leal, [;-'.;igEand ;oi)era." iV.: "Ah,": said he, "it wants a. public -winch iiJly understands. That means ot faaininff ut all the great I . iworks. Besides .it wants ! nioney, and l; .'.tliey;;iiaveii ; t 'got it. Mr. J. C. William-. 5s - son spoke to me about grand opcia some S;K; : time;; v ago.; ;; I - said/; I' .wouldn't;; touch; ;it i;;f-/witliout , ah!pr(i'estra.; and that.;\ybuld cost, i-.';*":' too /much- money. The pcoplo . out .liere don't realise what a good operatic orclies-, «•.'• -tra is. s We haven't got; the - people, any-:: ;-'. how; ■ ':I don'f suppose ;thore . are more f. - than about:thirty-or forty, musicians in ;i;?r!tMeiwhole of Australasia;lit to;play such ■ as would bo required.; in [--' - Jjurope, and they -would not- bo . Most of ..them' aroteaching, and it would i - not. pay them to : sacrifice their connec- •.'•'•; ;tioris.,-,' i; i.'-r"';-'.;'.. i - ,Tho German Way. J', "Take the Royal Opera m Berlin There fthe■ orchestra.'- consistsof •; 120.; iD.struinonffK.talists,. 80"'of : w;hom. play wMst; : ¥ished{artist'"'almosta;; --i ;lle rv-may' may be a professor at. tho *■' .-university,; but: before and- above all he -is" a- kember: of the' Royal Opera ,Orches-.. ■- ■ tra; ■ It is an henour to bo in tho band . iihe;"is—well," he's. • somebody,,: don't you | y-.knpw ? . Tho • leading instruments , who. s- i.' inre ''rehearsing to-day would not -play. tof- v ; night—they' would/rest; ■. and: those who; re- - j- .'ihearsed yesterday would play in .the per-S.'i',-.lormance.--.this- evening.- They do not get, K * much salary—£2 6r £2 10s a week. ' Money is not such a consideration to ;.. thoso'v/lio have been suckled mnsip; Uk© , C'fj'ithe .;,"GermaM; ; '.but .-.they/Vare; entitled;^ to. fe/'r-a. State liension after-ten., years—so 'is • icverybody else in'the' theatre from : the, soprano' -j or^ifenorj.j to :~.the .'Stage.- • i ::'- -';d , o6r-keeper. But how, 1 does; the .-orchestra -. ''\£-. "i)lay ?-V. It is ■ like; one;; mani playihg-rper : v '<;■ .feet- to, the -finest..point. To show, you' y: ; v l .how; a'-position ; ,in ;the - orchestra -is -sought sSStwo.back, ono;of the trumpets—they (lone !t '^'i'have .-cornets . there—was ' dropping out,, j and'his place had to. bo.filled.- . There were- =;'! -no'fewer .than 500 applicants, and a special l-.'nf.council; appn-: feKv'cahts.: >-.They. were;;put severe, every, class of. music, and the,' ?N;'"-'ihest : i wasselected: after tlio ae-.' I V.V''liberation. Tou . scei'..the. ; opera, is-. not >-' . an amusement-in-Berlin; it is a sonous |. ; i,-ibusmess-t:ho', educative- embodiment ot musical art. _ ! Kaiser-Kept Opera. r f- v-'The opera is really,, RoyaJ Opera- in not ;a;mbirey-making -;pro-; l-C' ..position at all;. Money is no'object. _ Tho; j.' : '*-?exp6nses aro ..defrayed, from the-Kaisers jpriyy VpureeVv"; only, ri r 'Bibput . Ss.; other'parts, very much cheaper, h;-'. It is opera :for ■ tho ■> people. : .; The • .condiL- • '.lions'., aro ■;much, .tlio isame in; other GcrfI J:!.::-.i tnait."cities. - . In some tho opeia is supI ported: by' .the .Grand Dukes of -Uie'..pTO- ,-'.. : . 'vince,' aiid -where there- aro no Grand Huk'es tli« dnty devolves upon the m»mW;^i? : cipaiity.- ! ;; Gfandi.^ K^H'buttier;'of the German's artistic musical -; c U: '-^-v As;J; showing.: the '.of;; .the. fi,i productions,.and tlie interest taken in tho \> f.s , i®6rlitt'.' grandopera - by; the Kaiser, - the v.;, -Eoyalvstables.lire handy; and there all the 5• • i donkeys,' dogs,, etc;—are kept. •' I'rom .the f; V : .«tables there, is a ; tram-line ,to .tho stage to.;, the-stage', pv These animals; are- trained to a marvel-, fji.villoussiwint'of have seen a ' ibeautrful horso stand •in .;> one pose -•iihardlyi 'without imoving .whilst- Brunhilde sblo,:" and/that; without ,har-, H * Hess, curb, or bit fi^f:::g'lieirulesv are'.ias,^'strict in;the Royal I?;;;-;- Opera at Berlin as they aro with the sol- '';> - ..idiery..ra .-baiTncks. . .Every artist, big. or LSfijlittle,; has u to report to the ..stage. 7 door[•j; Jkeeper at 7 o'clock of an lovcmng. . It is ;:V. ~'.a servant—it .must be the,artist in person. ! /The foreign artists do not like it. \ '' Subsidised Drama. ,

£*:•-. ■ "Tho' drama ?is. also- substantially; sub-' rv>; eidised.T-the.senous. dTama that.is.' When : I was in Berlin : last Shakespeare was : 'being played in four - theatres: > What do bf. ! poetin' ;>• '.-faur - houfies at the same . time ! When I pS'ff was : in at Charfottenburg, ".a ■ charming p;'?;,;6uburb -of: Berlin.' '-.Whatdo you tlunk. j-wais: the opening bill'?.: Shakespeare's "Tlio pr; ' :|Tempost." . Fancy opening an , English nav. ' "Tie Dutch, too, axe. intensely, musical, j -"fWhcn in Amsterdam, looking for some ' ;con--fcSf; cert; given/ inr'tf hall/ larger ithim.; the Sy,d-' jVr.ney Town- Hall. What a programme—it i.- -was the -.most severe in' character I had jx-,!:.jeyer seen., - : They must Itavo delved»into EfflV-Vo the ; dffrk : ages; for' some of -the • music :;',Yet' j ' the place : : was ■ crowded. ' The ■ 1 average iS>:,Australian would /want.to :leave after tlio l£ivfirst, number ■or two from i the; magnificent j '/'.orchestra, ;but - no 1 one;, there left .1 their - E-;:^w.afe^irntil/:the;progra^e;:.was' : tteough;' h: . ,>Thc prices ranged from about 2d.: to a Is. I'Wr,';!, noticed.on'leaving that -there was only- |;= one carriagein waiting, showing that tlie r; .'-audience consisted. of • the great mass of K : hiiddle' 1 and poorer;classes. • . "Tinder, such conditions' as these grand , .opera .in perfection is ; possible, but that ff ; ;. : i:i:vis.;a''gopd; ; ,vray offiUn.AustraliaiiV';, One can 1 only- give a suggestion of the renl thing . .best—joinery,; not :,."cabinet-mak--1 ' mg!" .'People, might -easily;;isk';/ : Howit K ; good ' grand;;opera;;is' heard 1 in fef";llnglahd:;'and ; .--simple. No manager; of grand opera-J'-';;.-''.-.would. attempt a season - withouta";huge fc.'A-- subscription list running .into .£60,000 or Having that "guarantee, as .'he' ihas ; in • the countries . mentioned, he can programme,' and' to 'a p/!';;<»rtaii : eiteht'.cut his coai ; : according to ! lis cloth."