Grand opera in America . and Winkelmann. Mr. Thomas had long cherished the idea of 240 Grand Opera in America. reviving German opera in such a manner asto eclipse all previous efforts. The success ofhis Wagner festivals indicated that the timewas ripe for the execution of his plan, whichwas nothing less than a complete theatricalproduction of Wagners later music-dramas. Mr. Theodore Thomas had already enjoyeda long and successful career as 1861, he began to form an orchestrawhich for years was the pride of New order to keep his men together he startedsummer festivals in 18
Grand opera in America . and Winkelmann. Mr. Thomas had long cherished the idea of 240 Grand Opera in America. reviving German opera in such a manner asto eclipse all previous efforts. The success ofhis Wagner festivals indicated that the timewas ripe for the execution of his plan, whichwas nothing less than a complete theatricalproduction of Wagners later music-dramas. Mr. Theodore Thomas had already enjoyeda long and successful career as 1861, he began to form an orchestrawhich for years was the pride of New order to keep his men together he startedsummer festivals in 1866, and was for yearsthe conductor of the Cincinnati May Festi-vals. In 1869 he began to travel with hisorchestra, and for nine years made annualrounds of the great cities. For a time hewas director of the Cincinnati Conservatory,but in 1880 he returned to New York, wherehe was conductor of the Philharmonic Orches-tra. In 1890, he was called to Chicago toconduct the Chicago Orchestra, and he hasremained there ever since,. THEODORE THOMAS. German Opera. 241 As long ago as 1870, Mr. Thomas intro-duced the Ride of the Valkyries to hisAmerican audiences, and shortly afterwardthe Magic Fire Scene from the sameopera ( Die Walkiire) and SiegfriedsFuneral March were given by his is said that he obtained his copies of theseworks surreptitiously, through Franz Liszt,who had them copied without Wagnersknowledge, for Wagner was afraid that ifcopies of his works were sent to Americahe would lose his European copyrights, whileLiszt believed that no better way could befound to spread the fame of the composerthan by playing his music. During his conductorship of the AmericanOpera Company Mr. Thomas produced twoworks for the first time in this country,The Taming of the Shrew/ by HermannGoetz, and Rubinsteins Nero.,, On the collapse of the Abbey Italianenterprise in 1884, the question of German 242 Grand Opera in America. opera was again agitated. An influentialjournal wrote : The m
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectopera, bookyear1901
