1893 through 1897

The following program was produced for national educational radio under a grant from

the National Home Library Foundation by W. B U R Boston.

Boston University radio presents Hall of song the story of

the Metropolitan Opera from 1893 to 1966

was will warm

the. World.

Your hosts are miles Kasten Deek music critic of The New York World. Journal Tribune.

And Milton Cross.

It's easy to imagine how eager the Metropolitan's patrons must have been to return

to the house for the season of 1891 and at long last that

dreary Wagner and his cohorts would be gone and in their place would be

their old favorites. It would be a year of light and joy of music.

I really doubt though that anyone suspected just how much they would have to look forward

to this. As it turned out was to be the first season of the

Mets golden age.

Three of the brightest stars who would shine through the years ahead were introduced to the Metropolitan on the opening

night of the season. The opera was Romeo and Juliet the

first work ever to be performed at the house in French. Maestro being a

sea the veteran conductor from the first season was again in the pit and the three sing is making

their debuts where Emma Ames and the Dred Scott brothers gene and Edward.

Let's listen to Ames as she sounded in the waltz aria from the opera.

I am.

Us.

But.

I am. Going.

To.

The back. To. The

back. To.

The back. Oh

and.

Oh and.

The but.

The but.

The but. Oh OK.

Oh and. I am. Yes.

Oh and.

The

balloon.

Yeah but.

Yes. Well.

Yes. The

but.

It.

Will. Close.

Oh.

Wow. Oh oh oh oh oh oh.

Oh.

Ames had a long and distinguished metropolitan career and the dreads

brothers were four years the most glamorous figures walking the MITs

board. Jeanne was a 10 000 reportedly could never be equal.

Not even by Caruso one of the finest tributes to his vocal artistry was made by

WJ Henderson in the times when he reviewed one of Gene's later performances of Tristan.

Incomparable skill in the management of the vocal organs overcame all difficulties.

It is enough this year dreads has demonstrated that Wagner can be sung.

This even though dread ski never was primarily a Wagnerian tenor. His brother

Edward was a fine robust baritone and an excellent actor as well.

The two singers together must have been remarkable. Buck Revell commented

to see such splendid representation to physical and artistic manhood on the stage was in itself a

unique sensation. Unfortunately Jean has left no

recordings for us to hear. He did cut two discs but was dissatisfied

inot of them destroyed while he watched. Nevertheless there is a Parisian disc of file who

claims to have one of them from Edward doe. There is this fine

sampling of one of his great role Don Carlo in me

here the aria in Philly.

Cold.

Close.

To home. Loaded.

The whole.

Was the bowl.

Full. Loaf. The

old. Cold. Cold the globe.

The goal was.

Close.

The close.

Was the. Low blow but

the goal.

Goal was.

Followed.

Solo

over

the old

abo.

Load the old.

The

old.

The old. The hole

over. The

old.

Under center 18 the direct skis were joined in a performance of a human and

not by a young American soprano who was to remain with them as another of the

enduring stars of the day were born in Maine as Lillian Norton. This

artist gave in to a peculiarity of the times by Italian izing her name and so

appeared that night as Lillian Nordica a brief comment by Henderson

summarizes the effect of that performance. The night was alive with fine

singing Nordica soon went on to develop an extensive repertory

including logic Conda from which part she sang sue a Cheeto with great intensity

and dramatic feeling.

In the world.

And so the golden age was ushered in by four outstanding singers. It's interesting

to note that all of them were faced with a language difficulty that the Redskins were

Polish while Ames and Nordica were Americans. Since neither of the

native languages was an operatic one it didn't matter to them whether they sang in German

French or Italian. They'd have to learn the language anyhow and they were dedicated enough to

go ahead and study all three. This was to do much for their versatility and even

more important the company's development of a wide multi-lingual repertory in

the future.

But in the very immediate future there was something quite grim in store

for the Metropolitan. After a highly successful season Abbie and growl

were faced with almost total disaster. On Aug. 27

1892 a can of paint thinner and a workman's cigarette

combined to produce a blaze that completely gutted the inside of the house.

When the stockholders heard the news they were astonished. But isn't the metropolitan

fire proof. They asked. The answer was simply that it had been

before Abby and Groucho deactivated the sprinkler system because the water

froze in the winter and hoisted up the fireproof curtain in front of the stage to provide

better ventilation. This added ventilation

worked wonderfully and fanning the flames on stage until they spread out into the

auditorium. Best of all the new managers had the iron

stage supports replaced with wooden ones to make more storage space under the stage for

the scenery which by the way was excellent kindling.

What shocked the stockholders most was the discovery that only

$60000 insurance could be collected on the $300000

damages fall most of the directors. This was the last straw in a

bundle that had been building for 10 years. They just wouldn't get involved any

further. As a result the Metropolitan Opera House Company Limited was

bought out by a group comprising 19 of the original stockholders and 16

newcomers each member bought $30000 worth of stock and

became a box owner. And with that the Metropolitan

Opera and real estate company began the sad job of rebuilding.

Meanwhile there was a lot of angry talk blaming Abby and growl for the fire

they managed to escape. Most of it though and much of the bad feeling was dispelled

when the house was seen on the opening night of 1893 after the refurbishing.

The most spectacular change was the addition of electric lights which

glittered so on the jewels in the parterre boxes that the Golden Horseshoe

was soon dubbed the Diamond Horseshoe. The number of boxes had been reduced to

70 and were concentrated into tears. The third tier

having given way to walk today was the dress circle. Cream red

and gold with the predominant colors in the new decor and all in all the

audience must have been quite pleased by what had risen out of the ashes.

No the golden age of opera at the Metropolitan could resume conforming

to what had already become a tradition for any momentous event in metropolitan life.

Faust was the opening night opera aims in the dread ski's head of the

cast and remarkably enough this performance was the very first one sung in

French. After this it didn't take long for the opera house to exert its

own magnetic attraction which brought stars flocking to it from all over the world.

Let's try to imagine the night of Nov. 29 a double bill

feature film on the dock us who cavalierly Arista con

three singers are making their debuts see good Donaldson and Paul plus all

in the first opera Emma Callaway in the second. Not a bad show of

new talent for one night. Speaking of class Tribune critic Agee

Craig Beale noted he won the hearts of the audience with this enormous bass and suave

in Finnish style. He is destined to be a popular favorite. The prediction

was fulfilled as planned son enjoyed a 12 season career at the Met singing a repertory of

75 wrote one of his finest characterizations Bane the

sinister Mephistopheles involved.

Who

was.

Sure

was.

He sure.

Was.

But the impression made by Plus a notable appearance nearly vanished an hour or so later in the

commotion caused by Calvin is Santuzza. Pinpointed the

characteristics made this NG assume remarkable when he wrote that she was a woman with hot

blood in our veins whose voice takes color from the situation occasionally sets one's fingertips to

tingling. But the Met audience hadn't yet felt the

full impact of Calvin's explosive talent that had to wait until the first

performance of Carmen. This of course was their most famous part and I

think it may have been so because the character's temperament was so close to her own

calibers whole Metropolitan career was marred by emotional outbursts of one sort of another.

An example of one of these has even been preserved on a record. Something seems to have

upset her during a recording session at which she did the Carmen say good idea.

She speaks angrily to the company as at the start and then at the end there must have been another

disturbance for her last note is nothing more than a shriek and is followed by a burst of profanity which is

quickly faded out.

But not even care of a burning talent could steal all the fire of that season. Understand

before the Australian cholera Ciara Nellie Melba who wasn't the most even

tempered artist either made her debut as a dilemma and the Mad

Scene Fortunately preserved on records gave a fine

demonstration of the voice that led Kraybill to call her the finest exponents of

vocalization heard since eight thousand eighty three.

Was.

I am I

am.

Yes.

By the end of the season Abby and GROL had also added Fernando Dillard

and Mariano Cano to the roster and a new opera that er

took its place in the repertory. Then they concluded the year with a gallery on

April 27.

All of the stars were there to perform an X from a variety of off roads society

was out in full force reboarded Henderson and times and the boxes gleamed with

satin and jewels at the end of the evening each of the artistes went to the footlights to

say a few words and Nellie Melba finally quieted the turmoil by singing

Home sweet home. A subtle hint perhaps.

It had been a glorious year for the MIT and the Golden Age had only

just begun. There were many more fabulous sounds to come and

we'll hear a lot of them on next week's program. Until then this is

Milton Cross on behalf of miles cast in cheek hoping that you'll be with

us.

Boston University Radio has presented Hall of song the story

of the Metropolitan Opera from 1883 to 966 the

series is created and produced by Richard Calhoun a grant

from the National Home Library Foundation has made possible the production of these

programs for national educational radio. This is the national

educational radio network.