" It was perfectly
given, with a small, choice orchestra under Herr Zumpe, and with every
part except the tenor's admirably sung and acted. Herr Julius Zarest,
from Hanover, was particularly good as Papageno; the Eva of "Die
Meistersinger" made an equally good Pamina. And it was staged under Herr
von Possart's direction, as suitably and as successfully, in its
different way, as the Wagner opera had been. The sombre Egyptian scenes
of this odd story, with its menagerie and its pantomime transformation,
were turned into a thrilling spectacle, and by means of nothing but a
little canvas and paint and limelight. It could have cost very little,
compared with an English Shakespeare revival, let us say; but how
infinitely more spectacular, in the good sense, it was! Every effect was
significant, perfectly in its place, doing just what it had to do, and
without thrusting itself forward for separate admiration. German art of
to-day is all decorative, and it is at its best when it is applied to
the scenery of the stage. Its fault, in serious painting, is that it is
too theatrical, it is too anxious to be full of too many qualities
besides the qualities of good painting.
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