Metropolitan Opera Archives

"Die Walküre' was performed at the Metropolitan Opera House last night before one of the largest audiences of the present season. Every seat was occupied and most of the available standing room. The performance had some new interest from the fact that Herr Kalisch appeared for the first time here as Siegmund, and Herr Fischer returned to his familiar place as Wotan. The public expressed its delight at this latter feature by loud applause on Herr Fischer's first appearance. Herr Kalisch approached the interpretation of Siegmund in the proper spirit, but it cannot be said that he achieved a brilliant success. He has not the physique nor the voice for the part, and save for his delightful lyric style in the love song, his singing in the great duet of the first act was lamentably weak. Herr Kalisch shines to better advantage in purely lyric rôles.

Fran Lehmann was, of course, the Brünnhilde, and comment on her superb interpretation of this part is unnecessary. Herr Fischer's Wotan likewise needs no recommendation to local music lovers. It is a noble piece of acting and singing. A word of praise is due to Herr Behrens for his excellent Hunding, which he has toned down just enough since his first assumption of the part. Fräulein Wiesner's Sieglinde was better last evening than heretofore, and Frau Sontag-Uhl's Fricka was just as uninteresting as ever. The Valkyr maidens were industriously vociferous in their mountain fastness, and their famous chorus went with vigor. For some reason the brass in the Walhalla motive was sadly out of tune in the early part of the opera, but otherwise the orchestra was fairly good. Herr Seidl conducted.

Search by season: 1889-90

Search by title: Die Walküre, Ring Cycle [10],

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