Opera 1912-Style

I was looking through a program of my father's from the 1912-1913 Metropolitan Opera season. I'm not sure how he acquired it, but it's very well preserved and full of wonderful information about the years just before everything changed with the explosion of World War I.

The first Metropolitan Opera site was located at 1411 Broadway at 39th street, where it opened in 1883.  It was built by a group of wealthy businessmen who wanted their own theatre, the nouveau riche who had been rejected by society from owning boxes at the Academy of Music on East 14th street, where opera had been presented in New York City since 1854. Vanderbilts, Goulds and Morgans together raised funds for a larger opera house with three tiers of boxes, which was an instant success and caused the cancellation of the Academy of Music's season in 1886.

 39th and Broadway; Photo: Met Opera Archives

In 1892, the building was destroyed by fire and was immediately rebuilt, reopening in the fall of 1893. Another major renovation was completed in 1903. The theater's interior was extensively redesigned by the architects Carrère and Hastings. The familiar red and gold interior associated with the house dates from this time. The old Met had a seating capacity of 3,625 with an additional 224 standing room places. 

Photo Credit: American-Journal.org

Cover, Grand Opera Season, 1912-1913

Which operas were performed during the season? 

They opened with MANON LESCAUT in November 1912 and continued with La Boheme, Tannhauser, La Gioconda, Madama Butterfly, Gotterdammerung, Rigoletto, Konigskinder, Cav/Pag, Faust, Die Zauberflote, La Fanciulla Del West, Il Trovatore, Parsifal, Hansel und Gretel, Aida, Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, Il Segreto di Susanna, Die Walkure, Tosca, Orfeo et Eurice, Les Hugeunots, Tristan und Isolde, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Otello, Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Siegfried, Manon, Das Rheingold, La Traviata, Le Donne Curiose, Cyrano, Lohengrin, Boris Godunov and Lucia di Lammermoor. That's 34 operas including a Ring cycle and some very large productions requiring a huge orchestra and chorus.

PARSIFAL, Good Friday Performance and cast. Its first performance was ten years earlier, premiering on Christmas Eve, 1903, in its first staged performance outside the Bayreuth Festival, over the objections of the Wagner family, which had tried to sue to stop the production.

Carl Jorn, who sang the role of PARSIFAL

Director................Anton Fuchs

                                            Set Designer............Leopold Rothaug [Debut]
                                            Set Designer............Burghart and Co. [Debut]
                                         Costume Designer........Blaschke and Cie [Debut]
                                               Lighting Designer.......Carl Lautenschläger

New Stage of the Metropolitan Opera, rebuilt for the new production of PARSIFAL. 

Magazine date February 6, 1904. Read about it here.

BORIS GODUNOV March 19, 1913, first production in America. Given in Italian, not Russian, and performed only four times.

Conducted by Arturo Toscanini

What an incredibly rich physical production in a romantic realist style that is considered out of date today. 

Adamo Didur, Polish bass, as BORIS (fantastic costume!)

Louise Homer as MARINA

Paul Althouse, making his house debut as DMITRI

Season Boxholders. I don't recognize many of these names but I'm sure that they included the wealthy and powerful of the day. I do note the name of William Salomon (Salomon Brothers much later became part of Citigroup), and you can read about his lost mansion on Fifth Avenue here.

McCreery's was a fine department store of the day - see their fur storage ad upper left.

Here's the seating plan for the Family Circle and Balcony sections.

This ad on the right caught my eye, for E. M. Gattle Designs. I love the way their ad is worded, with just enough friendliness mixed with hauteur. I wasn't familiar with their atelier, so I looked it up, and discovered that Gattle was a very exclusive jewelry design and manufacturing company with a list of illustrious customers at the turn of the last century. 

From Fashion-Glossary.com: 

Gattle refers to a jeweler founded by Emanuel Gattle in the latter part of the 19th century. E.M. Gattle was located on Broadway in the theatre district. In 1907, the company moved to the corner of 38th Street and Fifth Avenue and, later, to 55th Street and Fifth Avenue, next to the St. Regis Hotel. One of their notable customer was Enrico Caruso, who shopped Gattle stores for jewelries. However, he was not only a shopper of Gattle, he also allowed his name and photograph to be used in Gattle advertising. Gattle became successful until the time they closed their doors. 

              The firm closed in 1940, several years before the outbreak of World War II.

What I thought would be a quick perusal of this program turned into an hours-long research event, and I have only covered a few pages that I photographed recently. The HARDMAN piano ad in the upper left strikes a chord (heh) as we had a Hardman baby grand piano at home; Dad used it in his teaching studio for over 40 years and I donated it to a charter school after he died. Hardman pianos are now made in China. Anyway, I hope that this has been an interesting post - I learned a lot!

There's a Chase Bank at the site of the Old Met, and when I was in the Garment District regularly and used that bank every week I liked going down to the lower level to look at a mural behind the teller's cages that depicted operas and their characters. I used to wonder why, until I did some research and discovered the history of the location. It may still be there.

Opera Jewels!

While at the Metropolitan Opera recently, I had the chance to check out the display cases in the Parterre level, where they usually show personal items that belonged to famous singers of eras past. This time, the windows did not disappoint, and I was thrilled to find some turn of the century bling worn by divas Geraldine Farrar, Louise Homer, Olive Fremstad, Bidu Sayao, Kirsten Flagstad and Lily Pons.

I was asked to stop photographing, and I had to take my seat, so I will have to go back again to try to match up who wore what, when. Until then, please enjoy these colorful lovelies. They look quite delicate for stage jewelry compared to what we would fabricate today. I'm especially fond of the cuffs and the feather-like brooch!

These may be the cuffs worn in the picture below - Lily Pons as Lakme. It's a little hard to tell.

These portraits are amazing, aren't they? 

Olive Fremstad

Louise Homer, who must be dressed as Amneris in Verdi's Aida

Bidu Sayao as Massenet's Manon

Geraldine Farrar as Elisabeth in Wagner's Tannhauser

Kirsten Flagstad as Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin

A Day At The Opera

Behold the magnificent Swarovski crystal chandeliers, a gift of the Austrian Government when the new Metropolitan Opera House opened in the mid-1960s. It moved uptown from its previous location in the Garment District.

Gotta love the combination of gilded ceilings, crystal and red velvet for mid-century glamour!

An usher came up and put her hand over my camera as I took my pictures in the lobby. Apparently, one is not allowed to take pictures inside the building. Screw that!!!

My view from my seat in the GRAND TIER. Holy God, I want to sit there and only there 

FROM NOW ON. The chandeliers rise up to the ceiling when the opera is about to start.

You can see more of my opera pictures here.

A friend gifted me with a ticket to richard Wagner's SIEGFRIED at the Metropolitan Opera today. I'd seen this production twice before during the current season, but was hoping to somehow catch it again during the run of the entire "new" Ring Cycle, directed by Robert Lepage, and it all worked out. 

This new Ring of the Nibelungen, which began with the debut of DAS RHEINGOLD and DIE WALKURE in the 2010-2011 season, saw the two final operas, SIEGFRIED and GOTTERDAMMERUNG, open during the current 2011-2012 season. Much has been written on the interwebs about this cycle, its casting, design and conducting in the wake of Maestro James Levine's sudden withdrawal due to health issues (he is also the Met's Musical Director), and a goodly amount of it has been negative. There were great hopes that the sophisticated technology employed by Lepage and his colleagues at Ex Machina would give us an experience for the ages, one never seen before, but for me, that hasn't been the case. The backbone of this production, the hydraulic setting dubbed "The Machine", 24 planks that move and rotate as ordered, turned out to be less spectacular than anticipated. The planks must have images projected upon them in order to provide the following settings: The river Rhine, forests, rocky outcroppings, lakes, mountains, and the natural world elements - water, fire, air and earth. I'm not going to get into all of that now, as I rightly should have started scribbling in September 2010 when DAS RHEINGOLD opened. If you click on the link at "new Ring" you will be taken to the Met's Ring Cycle mini-site, which is well worth visiting.


For all of its technological trappings, this new Met Ring is traditional and even old-fashioned, evoking the look and feel of the operas when they debuted 100 years ago, despite modern trappings. The problem is that the project is massive and cruelly demanding: four operas of hideous length (save for DAS RHEINGOLD, performed without an intermission, which clocks in at only 2.5 hours) requiring singers of ability and stamina, plus a huge orchestra led by a conductor up to the challenge of Wagner's magnum opus with its thrilling orchestral and vocal interludes, and last, but not least, the representation of a visual world that plays host to the story, a long saga about the desire for power, greed, love, and war within the most dysfunctional opera family ever depicted onstage, set off by the theft of a golden ring from the Rhinemaidens by a dwarf in service to the King of the Gods, Wotan. As a costume designer, I would leap at the challenge to work with talented colleagues to try to create a new world specific to the requirements of this quartet of operas. I have seen a few productions with wildly different settings; a 19th century Industrial Revolution - type setting (Patrice Chereau, Bayreuth, 1970s - on video), Norse Legend/Vaguely Medieval (Otto Schenk, Metropolitan Opera, 1980s) American West, Gold Rush to Post-Apocalyptic Future (Francesca Zambello, San Francisco Opera, 2011) and bits and pieces of other productions on YouTube. Think of the fantastic opportunity to choose a place and time in which to set this drama!


The fascinating Ring at the San Francisco Opera in June 2011, directed by Francesca Zambello, was thoughtful, beautifully realized and well performed. If this Ring comes to Washington Opera, who shared it, I will definitely travel there to see it again, and recommend it to anyone.


Today's Ring was sung by Deborah Voigt as Brunnhilde, Jay Hunter Morris as Siegfried, Bryn Terfel as Wotan, Eric Owens as Alberich, Gerhard Siegel as Mime, Hans-Peter Konig as Fafner the Giant/Dragon, Patricia Bardon as Erda, and Erin Morley as the Forest Bird.


Not much was different from my last time seeing it and the machine functioned without incident, but Hunter Morris seemed to lose his footing crossing the planks in scissor mode before he got to Brunnhilde’s rock. He seemed unhurt, thankfully, but was extra-careful on the Machine afterward. 

Voigt was quite shrill but she has a warm, feminine presence, and she and Jay go so well together; he maintained good energy throughout the 5.30 hour opera and only occasionally seemed overpowered by the brass. It’s a nasal tone but there is so much to love about what he does with the role that I forgive it. Terfel was commanding, but I think was in fresher voice when I last heard him this past winter and last month at the Frank Loesser evening at the Philharmonic, where he so wonderfully sang songs from "The Most Happy Fella". The lovely Forest Bird sounded muffled and it was harder to hear her since Moijca Erdmann’s previous outing.

Siegel and Konig were wonderful, as usual, and Bardon again disappointed as Erda; this role requires a contralto, and Ms. Bardon can't produce those thrilling low notes. At least none of the obsidian-like pieces of her costume fell off as she essayed her role and took her bow; usually there’s a trail of shiny fragments on the floor in her wake. What an impossible costume to negotiate, though it’s an interesting idea, making her look like an element.

Maestro Luisi led competently, but I so miss the way that James Levine could bring out the score in ways that made you tingle, perhaps at the expense of the singers, but it was oh-so-satisfying. I have heard Luisi conduct many times this season in Don Giovanni, La Traviata, Manon and this Ring, but certain expected musically transcendent moments haven't happen for me, and in the Ring, that’s a problem. The horns were in better shape today; no flubs that I could hear, and I had a great view of the pit, always a good place to turn one’s attention after one has seen enough of the fluttering leaves and running water.

The last scene between Siegfried and Brunni seemed longer than ever; maybe I have reached my maximum tolerance for this production, as it was a very long afternoon.

Curtain calls were quite thunderous, and there was a lot of cheering and happy screaming, which I so enjoy. I love to stay for the bows and don't understand how people can leave a performance before them unless they are trying to catch the last train home. Performers and players work so hard, and it's so satisfying to show one's appreciation for their efforts. When I first started going to the opera, people used to throw bouquets of flowers onstage, and from the upper stage boxes, confetti made from cut-up programs floated down like snow for a favorite singer's bow. I miss that kind of effort!

On the way home I spotted a man getting on my subway line clutching a show program, smiling. I chatted with him and he said that he only went to the opera to see Wagner, and this was his first Ring since the Schenk production before the current Ring. He loved Wagner's music because "it hurts." I found that interesting and understood exactly what he meant. There is pain as well as pleasure and truth in his music, and one must commit to the experience and allow oneself to be taken wherever it leads. 

I spotted this man (below) during the first intermission on the terrace. It was a warm, beautiful Saturday and people swarmed outside for the two intermissions after the dark stretches in the theater for the first two acts (of three). He had an applique of a comic-book Siegfried applied to his linen jacket. There were a couple of other appliques on the front pockets but I wasn't able to grab a picture of that side. He received plenty of attention, and many took his photo.

FINAL CURTAIN CALLS!!!

Wotan (Bryn Terfel), Erda (Patricia Bardon), Brunnhilde (Deborah Voigt), and Siegfried (Jay Hunter Morris)

Wotan (Bryn Terfel), Erda (Patricia Bardon), Brunnhilde (Deborah Voigt), and Siegfried (Jay Hunter Morris) are joined by conductor Fabio Luisi

Jay Hunter Morris and his ZZ top fabulous wig bow deeply to the cheering audience.

Maestro Luisi bows

Deborah Voigt  - "I did it!"

Opera in HD - The Tales of Hoffmann. 9/1/2010

Anna Netrebko in 1920s garb as Stella

Kate Lindsey in female dress at the end, as Nicklausse.

Kate Lindsey and Joseph Calleja, with past loves Olympia and Antonia (Kim & Netrebko) and chorus at finale.

Joseph Calleja as Hoffmann.

Michael Todd Simpson, a barihunk, in 2 roles.

Giulietta the Courtesan (Ekaterina Guberova) and Olympia, the Doll (Kathleen Kim)

The opera begins, at 7:45 PM (different start times for each opera)

The film is projected from this tower

Viewers chatting and trying to stay cool before the show

One of many with a fan - I had one too - bring a cooler with iced drinks, and ice!

Finally got myself over to the plaza at Lincoln Center to catch a HD showing of Jacques Offenbach's "The Tales of Hoffmann" on a humid night with almost no breeze. I don't know if this was ever shown on TV, but I had not seen this new production directed by Bartlett Sher, so I was eager to see how the Met presented this piece in our post-modern age. Well, it was a mixed bag of an evening. I couldn't get a good idea of the setting all the time, but it looked extremely minimalist, and as there was a typewriter in a corner of the set for the evening, it was updated to the early 20th century. A brief look at Wikipedia tells me that the first typewriter patent was applied for in 1714, but they didn't actually appear until the later 19th century. It was dark, dark, and dark, the tavern scene was filled with more chorus than you can imagine, and the costumes were rather quiet for an opera stage. If you have ever listened to this opera, it is exuberant, SENSUAL, epic and above all, FUN. The music is supposed to dictate the approach to an opera - the concept springs from the source material - one does not IMPOSE a concept that is at odds with the music or text. This production is typical for the Met's current artistic sensibility - spare (cheap) and modern, with whatever period touches can be borne, whether appropriate or not. Costumes are often a mishmash of contemporary, period and stylized, sometimes all at once.

When I was in design school, a million years ago, romantic realism was the vogue, but that style has long departed, and the Met, in fact, is trashing those older productions if they can't sell them to other companies. Some might argue that a company like the Met, in order to stay current, has no business presenting productions that are 40 plus years old, with painted flats or other old-fashioned scenic solutions. They recently discarded a Franco Zeffirelli "La Traviata", and rumor has it that this romantic opera's new production is an exercise in humorless starkness.

To get back to the opera, I am usually bored by the opening Tavern scene and can't wait to get right to the three acts about Hoffmann's tragic love affairs. Hoffmann, a poet, in Nuremberg, begins the evening in a tavern, describing the failures of his romances with four alluring women. See a more detailed background of the opera here. Sometimes one singer is hired to sing these soprano roles; Joan Sutherland was a famous interpreter who sang Olympia, Antonia and Giulietta and Stella. In this production, Kathleen Kim sand the role of the doll - girlfriend Olympia, a coloratura showcase of a role, superstar Anna Netrebko sang Stella and Antonia, and Ekaterina Gubanova sang Giulietta. Tenor Joseph Calleja sang the title role of Hoffmann, and Alan Held sang multiple bass-baritone villains. It's a very demanding piece, and the music is gorgeous, conducted last fall by James Levine. Hopefully, he will recover fully from his health issues and conduct again this season.

I was disappointed with this production's visuals - costumes didn't seem to be bold enough for the opera stage, with the exception of Olympia, dressed in hot pink with stylized headdress amid all of the blackness and rather Kafka-esque style. All of these women, who are really one woman, were costumed in various shades of pink, from pale to deep fuchsia. In the Venice scene, Act 3, the stage picture was filled with beautiful 18th century costumes, but it was hard to see what they really looked like, as it was so dark. Typically, each act has its own look: Act 1, a cluttered toy shop/workspace of the inventor Spelanzani, where Hoffmann meets and falls in love with Olympia, who is really a doll, or robot, as they referred to her last evening. Act 2 is set in the conservative home of Antonia, in Munich, a young singer with an overprotective father, who is ill and who will die if she continues to sing. (She does, of course.) Act 3 is set in Venice, in a palace on the Grand Canal, where Hoffmann is involved with a courtesan, Giulietta. Each scene is very different and potentially offers a chance for designers to present some eye-catching visuals. It's an expensive opera to produce and imho it's unfair to offer it if you can't really do justice to it. Act 2's scenery was almost non-existent, as if TPTB decied that they really couldn't afford to stage it and saved their budget for the last act in Venice, which was busy and overcrowded staging-wise, and could have done with less in order to spread the wealth more evenly. I found it hard to follow some of the story (and I know it) from the direction, even though the characterizations were well-handled and acted by an attractive cast. Physical attractiveness of singers is an important part of this Met's casting criteria, but this evening was also well-sung, even if some of the singers' vocal qualities are not to my taste. It was refreshing to not have to worry if a singer could make it through the evening, as sometimes happens.

Anna Netrebko was the big star of this run, and she is a lovely, arresting performer, exciting to watch and listen to. Calleja sailed through the evening, though I am not a fan of his rapid vibrato and metallic tone. The other singers were fine, Nicklausse (Kate Lindsey) was superb, and pert Kathleen Kim seemed to sail through her Olympic trials (heh) in her hot pink ensemble, including wig. I wish that my pictures had turned out better, so here are a few that will give you an idea of the evening. The sets look more opulent in the pictures.

Technology is amazing, and it's a gift that we are able to see these operas, for free, in the open air. Check the Met's website for the rest of the schedule into next week and if you are in the area and have never seen an opera at the Met, or in this way, and it's a fine evening, it's a great way to be introduced to it, and it's free. Get there around 6:30 to grab a good seat. You can buy food and drink there or bring your won, and can even buy a seat cushion! I recommend the Carmen with Elina Garanca and Roberto Alagana. The chemistry between them is amazing and it's filmed beautifully. If you missed it on TV, you can catch it next week in the plaza. I was very impressed by the little girl of around 8 who sat rapt through all 3 acts of this opera in front of me. Her brother was not into it, but she was at attention and seemed to enjoy it - she could clearly read the subtitles or follow the story well enough. Not every opera they are presenting is suitable for children, but hopefully this girl will grow up to attend opera after he positive experience!