(1856-1911), Austrian conductor from Unter-St.
Veit, who had assisted Wagner at the first Bayreuth Festival in 1876, made his
Met debut leading Walküre, November 25, 1903.
Although he had a five-year contract with a clause stating that it was
uncancellable the first three years by either party, Mottl only remained in New
York for one season, during which he was the highest paid conductor on the
roster, receiving $26,223.75, compared to $6,191.13 for Alfred
Hertz. This was the season of Conried's unauthorized production of
Parsifal, but because of his long-standing
relationship to Bayreuth Mottl was not obliged to conduct it. His fifty-five
performances of opera were devoted to Tannhäuser,
Lohengrin, Tristan, The Magic Flute, Siegfried, Carmen, Nozze di Figaro,
Roméo, and a single performance, in German, of Boieldieu's
Dame Blanche -- its only appearance in the Met
repertory. He also conducted seven Sunday-night concerts, and included
Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony, Grieg's Peer Gynt
Suite, and Smetana's From Bohemia's Fields and
Forests on the programs.
