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News From VHSource, LLC Vol 10 October 2013 The Complexities of Oscar I! suddenly over would not have altered the mood of the The Last of the Opera Houses! Met staff. ast month we left Oscar I exiled to London during the middle of his Manhattan Opera Company’s 4th Suffice it to say when Arthur inked the famous Lseason in order to allow his son Arthur to negotiate agreement that put $1.25M into his father’s pocket in a way out of a pending financial collapse. This was exchange for both Oscar and him ceasing all production roughly late February - early March of 1910. Upon the of opera in any way, shape or form in Philadelphia, conclusion of that negotiation, the Manhattan Opera Boston, New York and Chicago for a period of ten Company, including all singers (mostly foreigners), years, the resulting chaos blew tempers off the roof and orchestra, tech staff, ushers, etc. – was unceremoniously left innumerable lives and projects in shambles. We disbanded with no paychecks, no next production – cut will discuss all those juicy tidbits when we end our adrift in New York City. Herbert’s grand opera, Natoma, discussion of Oscar I next month with a close had also succumbed to the same negative cash flow and examination of his wonderful Manhattan Opera missed its promised early February 1910 premiere date. Company. By March, Herbert had made a presumably ill-advised attempt to woo the Metropolitan into producing Natoma only to be told the triumphant company had no interest in his opera. The Met was already in production for its own first American opera – Frederick Converse’s (1871- 1940) The Pipe of Desire (March 18, 1910)– albeit a one act opera. The Met certainly had no need of doing another so soon. Of course, it was quite probable that they had chosen that work in a bit of desperation during all the prior hoopla surrounding Hammerstein’s commissioning of Herbert to write a grand opera for him. One might also The Winner of the Opera Wars safely assume that – just perhaps – Herbert found himself The Met at 39th and Broadway in 1906 being tossed out of Gatti-Casazza’s (1869-1940) office in much the same way Oscar I had been tossed out of For now, it’s time to zoom across the Atlantic and take Edmund Stanton’s office back in the Spring of 1890. in how Oscar was reacting to all these events taking Gatti-Casazza had been hired away from Milan’s Teatro place back in New York. alla Scala (“La Scala”) precisely to win the war against Hammerstein’s Manhattan Opera Company. He also was No. 11 The London Opera House hired because he could provide the Met with conductor Arturo Toscannini (1867-1957) to do battle with There is no possible way that Oscar I did not know Cleofonte Campanini (1860-1919) of the Manhattan what was happening back in New York. He was Opera Company. The fact that the battle was now definitely not a stupid man, and the fact that he was 2 News From VHSource, LLC Vol 10 October 2013 once again losing absolutely everything he held most dear what was considered a golden age of theatre building in had to have weighed heavily on his mind. However, in and around London, being personally responsible for typical “never one to dwell on disaster” style, his strolls 38 of approximately 200 new theatres built between throughout London led him to start looking at vacant land. 1885 and 1915. Nothing but the best for Oscar! Of A great case can be made for Oscar beginning a relentless course having a real architect certainly did not stop slip down the slope into a fantasy world to block out the Oscar from innovating yet again. pain of what he was losing. Soon his mind began formulating a plan to challenge the Royal Opera at With the famed Marconi Wireless Telegraph Covent Garden (1732 to present) – an organization which Company situated right in Chelmsford, England, Oscar had been functioning in rather grand style for 178 years. immediately made contact with Guglielmo Marconi to When Arthur cabled the news of the settlement and the see what sort of modern machinary might shine in his first payment check of $100,000 was in hand, Oscar cabled new opera house. Such investigation should not back that Arthur should “meet me in Paris.” Oscar greeted surprise one as Oscar was always intent on bigger and Arthur sometime in April with the news that he had placed better in each new building. Their meetings resulted in a bid on property in London on Kingsway between a Marconi Apparatus placed on the roof of this opera Portugal and Batavia Streets for the purpose of building a house so that people could order tickets from up to six bigger, better opera house in London. Arthur’s reply was hundred miles away, including out to sea. Oscar also “I will never speak to you again,” and he sailed back to insisted on hot and cold running water as well as a America to begin building his own career as a producer of private toilet in each dressing room. To ensure that his “operetta,” beginning with Victor Herbert’s Naughty opera house always had enough pure water, he had Marietta. See, Vol 6 June 2011 newsletter for a full discussion Crewe look into the possibility of the existence of an of this operetta. artesian well – which was indeed found! To summarize the actual While Bertie Crewe was tending to all the details financial situation, after all bills during the summer, Oscar managed to negotiate for the for the Manhattan were paid, exclusive right to do French Operas in London at a Oscar ended up with fairly hefty cost. He then sailed for New York to open approximately $300,000 to a new operetta entitled Hans, the Flute Player (1910, spend on his new opera house composer M. Louis Ganne) in his Manhattan Opera in London. NOTE: The House as a third party renter under the new owner, the Metropolitan assumed the Metropolitan Opera Company. Note: A third party renter mortgage on both the Manhattan is any outside organization renting space from the true owner Opera House and the Philadelphia or lease-holder of a property. The irony of course is that Opera House. Back in London Hammerstein built and owned this property until that fateful once again, Oscar immediately agreement. Hans, the Flute Player definitely was not an finalized the lease for the opera. This show was definitely produced by Oscar I, albeit vacant land for a mere $14,000. from long distance ( London) whereas Naughty Marietta At the suggestion of London’s bore his name as producer, but was actually produced by city government, he moved the Arthur Hammerstein. Hammerstein was definitely not entire project across the street even in America for the Marietta opening. to a site that was 265' x 100' as opposed to the smaller original The new opera house continued to consume Oscar’s site which measured only 200' imagination as he insisted once again on a very wide x 75'. His mood brightened (85') main auditorium with stalls (the British term for considerably into the boundless the orchestra level in a proscenium theatre) & the energy of hearing singers, Grand Circle (British term for balconies) having a picking a season and acquiring depth of 100' and with an additional 40' to the back a real architect, Bertie Crewe wall of the Gallery (British term for raised platforming (1860-1937), since Arthur had for additional seating at the back of auditorium behind Architect Bertie Crewe deserted. Crewe was part of the stalls). He insisted on comfortable seats at a one to 3 News From VHSource, LLC Vol 10 October 2013 twelve rake (each row 12" higher than the one in front) The RMS Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, exactly six making sight lines fantastic from every seat in the house. days before opening night of that second season, and The stalls & boxes were to seat 1,000; the Grand Circle - The Royal Opera at Covent Garden opened its 750 and the Gallery to hold 900 for a grand total of 2,650. season on April 20, 1912 – two days prior. Hard reality NOTE: Boxes are those very expensive partitioned off areas set in immediately. which allow a party of up to 12 to have their own formal space at the theatre - usually on the sides of the auditorium in line with England is a small country, long on tradition. For the circles (balconies). On the technical side, the stage of the anyone to think that there was room for two grand new London Opera House was 90' wide by 60' deep. All opera companies, one of which had been around since in all, Oscar did in fact build the largest opera house in 1732, having housed both Handel and Mozart operas, London in 1911, surpassing Covent Garden by 400 seats. one does not Oscar further requested Crewe to give him a French have to expend Renaissance Interior and a Classic Exterior. many guesses to conclude who Opening night was Monday, November 13, 1911 (season won. The only to run through March 3, 1912) to a full house and the real twist this opera Quo Vadis? by French composer Jean Nouguès time was the fact (1875-1932). Oscar had provided two separate Royal that Covent entries to his Opera House. Unfortunately, he did not Garden produced bother to check, and no one had offered to tell him that a better season both King George V and Queen Mary had sailed for India t h a n two days before his planned opening.
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