FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262  
263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283   284   285   286   287   >>   >|  
he bow into the fire, when the beggar advances and asks leave to try his strength at bending it, which, though indignantly refused by the suitors, is immediately granted by Telemachus, who owns the bow. Odysseus bends it and shoots through all the rings. During this scene Pallas appears in the air, holding her shield aloft. Horror seizes the wooers, when they recognize the mighty arm, which alone can bend the bow, and Odysseus, flinging his cloak from him and standing erect in his shining armour, slays his enemies aided by his son and those of his servants who have remained true to him and to their queen. The latter, walking slowly over the peristyle all at once sees Odysseus and recognizes her lord, who folds her to his heart. When the palace is cleared of the dead, the people press in to hail their king and Athene appears once more, holding her shield over the happy crowd and blessing the faithful spouse. {389} BEARSKIN. (DER BAeRENHAeUTER). An Opera in three acts by SIEGFRIED WAGNER. In the beginning of the year 1899 a great sensation thrilled through the musical world; Siegfried Wagner had written his first musical drama. Some call him the small son of a great father; others consider him to be the true heir of his father's greatness; I, for my part think that the truth, as usual, lies between these two extremes. The drama was first performed in January 1899 on the Munich Stage, and a few days later Leipzig followed suit. The effect the work produced was much greater than the opponents of the young composer thought possible, and no doubt the "Baerenhaeuter" will soon appear on all stages of importance, including that of Bayreuth, whose fanatical adherents have noised abroad young Siegfried's fame perhaps too loudly and too early for his advantage. That his work shows talent nobody will deny after having heard this drama, which is however not free from imitation of the works of greater masters. The manner of instrumentation, the musical declamation are his father's, but the orchestration is much simpler, and, unlike his father, he produces his greatest and best effects by means of simple melodies, but he fails when he seeks to become pathetic or dramatic. Like most modern composers he has written his libretto himself, and he has chosen a most original subject from one of {390} Grimm's old fairy tales. The story is well told though at rather too great a length, and both libretto and musi
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262  
263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283   284   285   286   287   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

father

 

musical

 

Odysseus

 

written

 
greater
 
Siegfried
 

holding

 

shield

 

libretto

 

appears


extremes

 

including

 

importance

 

stages

 

loudly

 

Bayreuth

 

abroad

 
noised
 

fanatical

 

adherents


produced
 
performed
 

Munich

 

composer

 

opponents

 

thought

 

Baerenhaeuter

 
January
 

effect

 

Leipzig


modern

 
composers
 

original

 
chosen
 

dramatic

 

melodies

 
pathetic
 
subject
 

length

 

simple


advantage

 

talent

 

imitation

 

produces

 

unlike

 

greatest

 
effects
 

simpler

 
orchestration
 

manner