Radio Digest (Mar 1928-Oct 1929)

68 RADIO DIGES T — Illustrated knowledge, and a conductor of splendid masculine personality. DALMORES, CHARLES, Tenor (Dahl-mohress). Mr. Dalmores has made a splendid success in America, and has proven one of the best French tenors heard in many years. Charles Delmores was born at Nancy, France, in 1872, and made his debut at Rouen in 1899 with such success that he was engaged for the Brussels Opera, and his Brussels triumphs were repeated at Covent Garden, where he sang with Calve in "Carmen," and with Melba in "Faust." He was brought to the U. S. in 1906 by Oscar Hammerstein, and his successes at the Manhattan in Don Jose, Hoffmann and other roles are well remembered. D'ALVAREZ, MARGUERITE, Contralto (Dahl-vahr-ayz). Marguerite d'Alvarez, contralto, comes from the ancient Inca city of Cuzco, in Peru, which even the Indians of today salute with a brief invocation whenever they come in sight of it. She made her European operatic debut as a young girl. She since has sung in the chief opera houses of the world. An artist of strong personality, who gives her own individual stamp to everything she undertakes, d'Alvarez has become something more than a favorite with American audiences. She is a writer as well as a singer; a circumstance of enormous help in considering creatively, her very numerous operatic roles. DAL MONTE, TOTI, Soprano (Dahl Monteh, Toh-tee). Toti Dal Monte is a name which is borne by one of the greatest coloratura sopranos ever sent here from Italy, the home of song. She is a Venetian, the daughter of Professor Amilcare Dal Monte, a distinguished man of letters, and, like Galli-Curci, she originally intended piano study. While yet at school, she strained a hand practicing, and thus put an end to hope in that direction. Her father took her to Barbara Marchisio, famous teacher, then living in retirement, for whom she sang, in a little-girl voice, the Jewel Song from "Faust." Marchisio became literally her guardian angel; and in 1916 she made her debut, at La Scala, in Milan. Since then she has sung in Europe, South America and Australia, recognized and acclaimed everywhere, and with justice, as one of the greatest of coloratura sopranos. DANISE, GIUSEPPE, Baritone, is of Italian descent and studied under Colonnesi in the conservatory of Naples. He has sung in the great opera houses of Europe, South America and the United States, appearing for two years at the La Scala Opera house in Milan, Italy, where he endeared himself to all who heard him. When he came to America he aroused the admiration of New York's critics through his first appearance with the Metropolitan Opera company. Since that time he has been an outstanding figure in the musical world. DE LUCA, GIUSEPPE, Britone. Giuseppe de Luca is one of the most distinguished members of the Metropolitan Opera company, and no artist has more successfully proven his right to a place of distinction than this young Italian baritone. A Roman by birth, at the age of thirteen his talent for singing was brought to the attention of Bartolini, the famous baritone and teacher. The boy then showed indications of musical feeling in marked degree, and his voice at that time was of the distinctly baritone quality. Fearing a possible change in the voice, it was not until viint (wo years later that de Luca entered the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome, where he studied for five years before making his debut in "Faust." He spent eight winter seasons in the famous La Scala and has appeared with most significant success in all the considerable capitals of Europe. Mr. de Luca's American debut was made as I igaro in the "Barber of Seville" at the Metropolitan Opera house, November 25, 1915, when he won instant favor with press and public alike. DUX, CLAIRE, Soprano, was born in Poland but her ancestry represents several nationalities. Her parents were musical and she began to sing i child, At the age of twelve she made her public appearance as "Gretel" in a school station of "Hansel and Gretel." Afler a few years of study, she made her debut in Germany and since that time has been one o( the leading sopranos with almost all of great opera companies of the world. She her debut at the Royal Opera in Berlin, and anfi leading roles at I. a Scala in .Milan. Subsequently, Dux sang at Covenl Garden, ! I gained thi incere praise and admiration of her fellow artists as well as of the Alt' i singing at the Royal Operas in Stockholm and Copenhagen, she came to America and joined the Chicago Civic Opera Association. Here she won additional fame and her subsequent tours in concert have made her one of the greatest sopranos of today. EASTON, FLORENCE, Soprano, was born in Middleboro, England. At the age of five she moved with her family to Toronto, Canada, where she started the study of music a year later. Miss Easton later returned to England and took up the study of voice at the London Royal Academy of Music, later going to Paris to continue her vocal work. She made her debut at Covent Garden, London, and then came to the United States to sing with the Henry W. Savage Company. Her success here gained for her an engagement with the Berlin Opera. Following this, Easton went to Londori to create the leading soprano role in the Ricordi prize opera, "The Angelus." Again, she returned to the United States to sing the leading dramatic roles with the Chicago Opera Association and later joining the Metropolitan Opera Company. Since then, her career as a portrayer of leading soprano roles at the Metropolitan has been most successful. ELMAN, MISCHA, Violinist. Though he has lived for some years in America, and has come to be regarded as one of our own, Mischa Elman was born in South Russia, and owed his musical education to the accident that the great teacher, Leopold Auer, while on tour, heard him play. Owing to racial difficulties, a special permit from the Czar had to be obtained to get Elman and his family out of Moscow and into Petrograd. Once there, however, he made astonishing progress. Overwhelming success in the Russian capital was followed by equally astounding results in London and eventually in Russia. Among violinists the "Elman tone" is spoken of almost with bated breath, as of a thing apart from ordinary experience. It has a fullness of volume, a sensuous richness of quality that make it unique, and it is used with extraordinary nicety of technique and a musicianly understanding. FARRAR, GERALDINE, Soprano (Fay-rah). Few artists are so dear to the heart of the American public as Geraldine Farrar. Her wonderful voice, her histrionic gifts, her personal beauty, count for much, but above all her courage, her spirit and enterprise, are peculiarly appealing to the American point of view. She was born in Melrose, Mass., and began her musical studies at the age of twelve, under Miss Long, of Boston. Later she studied with Emma Thursby in New York, at the same time learning dramatic action from Capoul. In 1899 she went to Paris to study with Trabadello, but being desirous of achieving the highest development wisely went to Mme. Lilli Lehmann. Operatic successes in Europe of the most brilliant kind made her engagement by the Metropolitan inevitable. Among American music-lovers, especially opera-goers, the name of Geraldine Farrar has become a household word. The number of roles she has successfully created is astonishing, and to every one she has brought the same care, the same intelligence, the same superb artistry. More especially, perhaps, we think of her as Tosca, as Carmen, Marguerite, or Madame Butterfly, but to these may be added Mimi, (an unforgetable achievement), Zerlina, Juliet, Cherubirio, Gilda, Violetta, Nedda and many others. Nor can we omit reference to the charm with which she sings the old American and other folk songs, and established favorites of the concert room. FLETA, MIGUEL, Tenor (Flet-ah, Mig-ell). Miguel Fleta, who made his Metropolitan debut during the season of 1922-23, is of Spanish birth. Almost by accident it was discovered he could sing — when a disciple of the famous singer Manuel Azo heard him and offered instruction. He studied in Barcelona, but made his debut in Trieste, passing thence to Rome, Bologna, Milan, Vienna, Madrid, and the Colon at Buenos Aires. When he first sang in Madrid, he was recognized as one of the greatest of Spanish tenors. He has been chosen to create important roles by modern composers. Fleta's voice is a pure fresh tenor, clear and bell-like in quality, and he especially delights in music and in musical phrases which exhibit his unusual power of coloring a single long note. This, however, is only one detail of many. GABRILOWITSCH, OSSIP, Pianist (Ga-brillov-vitch, Ohs-sip). Ossip Gabrilowitsch is one of the greatest living tone-poets of the piano. Composer, virtuoso and orchestral conductor, his is one of the most significant names in contemporary music. In listening to his several records one is impressed by the feeling that every individual ton. has its own special and separate life, — and yet how marvelously each is fused into an organic whole like a separate cell into its parent organism! Gabrilowitsch is of Russian birth, and he studied with Liadow, Glazounow, Leschetitzky and Navratil, — all of them geniuses. Concertizing, touring, composing, working quietly but incessantly since his debut at Berlin in 1896, he several years ago was called to the conductorship of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. GALLI-CURCI, AMELITA, Soprano (Gal-lee Koor-chee, Ah-may-lee-tah). Galli-Curci first came to the United States unheralded. Her debut with the Chicago Opera Company in November, 1916, however, was such a triumph as has rarely been experienced in recent times. As soon as her operatic engagements permitted she visited other important music centres in America, where similar fortune awaited her. Not until January, 1918, did she make her formal debut in opera in New York. Her singing at once created the wildest enthusiasm, and her conquest of the United States was complete. Galli-Curci is an Italian by birth and training, but is something of a cosmopolitan by nature. Her voice is one that haunts the memory; wonderfully pure in quality, amazingly flexible, and of even quality throughout its entire wide compass. GARDEN, MARY, Soprano. Mary Garden is a unique figure in music. Singer, actress, critic, manager, there is no phase of operatic art which she has not conquered and made her own. She was born in Scotland, coming to the United States as a child. When only twelve, she played the violin in public. A few years later she went to Paris to study singing; and when Charpentier's "Louise" was first put on at the Opera Comique, she substituted in the third act. Paris went wild and she was compelled to sing the role for 100 successive nights. She has created many famous operatic roles, and many an opera has been written with the image of Mary Garden in the brain of the composer. GIANNINI, DUSOLINA, Soprano (Jahnee-nee, Doo-so-lee-nah). Dusolina Giannini is an American soprano who startled conservative London into placing her with the greatest recent names in song. She was born in Philadelphia, and as the daughter of Ferruccio Giannini, a distinguished tenor who made some records in the very early days of the Victor, she comes honestly by her fine natural powers. Though, like very perfectly trained singer, she can "sing everything," some of her loveliest achievements have been in the domain of pure lyric song — in simple legato melodies of the type where the utmost correctness of intonation is the very first demand upon the artist. A woman of gentle and winning personality, of almost Olympian simplicity and dignity of presence, she steps by natural right into the company of the great. GIGLI, BENIAMINO, Tenor (Jeel-yee, Benyah-mee-noh). Beniamino Gigli is of Italian birth and training, and by right of those things is fitted to carry on the great traditions of the art of bel canto. Coming to the United States almost unknown, he was engaged practically offhand, by the Metropolitan Opera Company, for which he sang a number of important roles. Gigli was born at Recanati in Italy, March 20, 1890. His musical studies began in childhood. His father was sexton of the largest church in his native town, and for ten years the boy sang in its choir, soon rising to be chief soloist. His voice attracted crowds, even then. He was sent to the Conservatory at Rome, where he studied under Rosati, and his operatic debut was made at Rovigo, in 1914, in La Gioconda. His success was instant. He soon became one of the most celebrated Italian tenors of the day. GLUCK, ALMA, Soprano (Glook). Although born in Bucharest, Roumania, Mme. Gluck is essentially American, as she came to this country at the age of six, and most of her musical education was received here. The public knew very little of this fine artist until one morning, several years ago, when, after making her first appearance as Sophie in "Werther" at the New Theatre, she awoke to find herself famous. After several seasons at the Metropolitan, Alma Gluck entered the concert field, in which she has made a phenomenal success. There are few singers today who can turn so readily from the heavier operatic arias to to the simple songs which find an echo in every heart, and it would be difficult to say in which province this brilliant artist is best appreciated. Her concert seasons have been among the most successful ever enjoyed by any singer. GODOWSKY, LEOPOLD, Pianist, was born in the ancient town of Vilna, in the Lithuanian province of Russian Poland. From early childhood he showed an extraordinary aptitude for music, making his first public appearance at the age of nine at a concert in his native town. Four years later, he was enrolled at the Berlin-Hoch