Metropolitan Opera Archives

The last but one of the Metropolitan Opera company's 1926 offerings for Atlanta was given at the Saturday matinee when Richard Wagner's “Tannhäuser” was sung, — or parts of it, anyway.

Owing to the length of this opera and in view of Saturday evening's performance, considerable cuts were made in the score. This was regrettable, for there are those to whom the Metropolitan's visit means particularly the one Wagnerian opera given. This reviewer confesses herself to be a Wagnerite, and the thought presents itself to one's mind, are the great Wagnerian singers disappearing, such us we heard during the Maurice Grau period, at the Metropolitan? He certainly did know how to pick them.

Mr. Rudolph Laubenthal, who took the name part is a personable young man and has qualifiications for Wagnerian roles, both vocally and physically. His voice has beauty of quality and power. He gives evidence of excellent musicianship and dependable intonation. On the other hand, his methods of obtaining dramatic effects and climaxes is somewhat eruptive.

The other role taken by a representative of the German school of singing was Michael Bohnen, whose appearance this afternoon was the third we have become acquainted with. We remember his Amonasro on Monday evening as the most vital performance in the cast.+ We also recall his wonderful singing of the role of King Henry the Fowler in" Lohengrin" last year, which he delivered with tonal beauty and resonance, investing the role with true kingly dignity.

Lawrence Tibbett in the role of Wolfram had entrusted to him the aria most familiar to all, "The Song of The Evening Star" which is one of the most beautiful as well as most famous arias in operatic literature. Mr. Tibbett sang with beauty and smoothness of tone and excellence of style, investing the role with dignity and lofty character and in the "Evening Star," a tenderness which brought repeated applause. And yet there is the question: Has he the fullness and reason- once of tone which Wagnerian music demands of the singer?

The other leading role was given to Florence Easton and to her we attribute the most thoroughly artistic singing of the entire performance. In acting, appearance — she looked lovelier than ever in her white satin robe and diadem — beauty of tone, publication of dramatic feeling, taste and restraint She not only maintained her high standard of musically singing but added another outstanding role to her credit in Atlanta. This artist has always been popular with Atlanta audiences but she gives promise of becoming more so than ever in our more or less calcined arteries — while we are a little bit drunk with sight of power and success, let us take out just a little time to pay a tribute to four men, three of them no longer with us, who worked like Trojan heroes in those early days, to get the Metropolitan Opera Company here, and to get it back again, until we have reached the sixteenth season.

Mr. James R. Gray, Mr. John E. Murphy. Mr. C. B. Bidwell, and Mr. Victor Lamar Smith – I give you a toast to four names that should never be forgot, while the Metropolitan sings in Atlanta.

Search by season: 1925-26

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