Variety (Sep 1942)

^ ITednesdaj, September 2» 1942 COMCERT-.0PISIIA 4S Inside Concert-Opera Further indications that the Metropolitan Opera Co., in desperate need oi a dramatic tenor iot Italian roles to aid Giovanni Martinelll, plans to use Lauritz Melchlor, comes in the form of the tenor's first recordings (or Columbia. For the month at September, Columbia will release four Melchlor recordings, two being from Wagnerian operas, and the other two from *Otello.' Selections from the latter opera are the 'Dio mi potevl scagliar' and •Nuim ml Tema.' 'Rienzl's Prayer" from "Rienzl' and 'O Konig' from Tristan' are the other selections. Columbia took full-page color ads in Life, the New Yorker and Time, Aug. 17, 22 and 24, to push the sale of the records. It is believed that 'Otello and 'Aida' would be the roles Melchlor may sing at the Met, he having sung these roles when he was first starting as a tenor, and the former as recently as the 1937 season In San Francisco. One of the rarest record finds in the past several. decades has been turned up by WQIiam Seltsam of the International Record Collectors Club, Bridgeport, Conn. The record Is a cylinder recording of Adelina Fatti recorded in 1895 and singing the 'Laughing Song' from Auber's ■Manon Lescaut' Pattl recorded for Victor in 1906 when she was 63 and her records only show faint traces of her phenomenal voice. This record, cut 11 years earlier, exhibits all the florid ddll of the artist at her best and is con- cluded with a brilliant eftortlea top "C.' Seltsam will release the record after re-recording in September. Nathan Mllsteln, violinist, Is still carrying on negotiations with his cousin, t«wis Milestone, for the production of "The Life of Paganini,' but in the interim, Warner Bros, has become interested in the artist for a part in 'Humoresque.' Whichever deal jells first will be accepted by the violinist It is also rumored without confirmation that United Artists has offered a contract to Jan Kiepura, who last aK>«ared in films under Paramount The Het's Polish lenor is also considering an engagement at Carnegie Hall. N. Y., for an appearance in an operetta. Salvatore Baccalonl, Met basso buffo, has been screen-tested in New York by 20th Century-Fox. It is planned to make a series of operatic two-reelers with the singer sometime next April after the close of his Met tour. In the audition film, BaccaTmii did scenes from 'L'Elisir D'Amore' and 'Barber of Seville.' The singer had Pietro Cimara, Met conductor, a| the piano, while Burke Simon directed the making of the short. Arnold Plsanl, Baccalukl'a personal representative, is conducting the negotiations with 20ih-Fi»x. SUBSCRIPTIONS AT MET mm OF LAST YR. The Metropolitan Opera's reduced price scale from $7 to $5 top has re- sulted in new subscriptions'running well ahead of last year at the same time. The most gratifying factor is that persons off the list for several years are renewing subscriptiohs, and out of ,town buyers are still holding their own, while new subscribers are being added daily. It is hoped that the present pace will possibly sell 80% of the house by subscription before the opening. Giddi Out of Sti. Synpk After Golschnam Row SL Louis. Sept 1. . Hie St Louis symph orch i^ prepping for its 63rd consecutive season, the teeofl being skedded for Nov. 6. Vladimir Golschmann, mae- stro, who became a naturalized citi- zen two years ago, will start his 12th season on the podium. He is the winner in a feud with Scipione Guidi, concertmaster and asst con- ductor, that flared into the open last Spring. Golschmann, at that time, declared Guidi had feuded with him for II years and he wanted no more of it. No contract was sent to Guidi for the forthcoming season although his supporters made a determined fight for his retention in the orch. Nego- tiations are tmder way to secure an outstanding American violinist to replace Guidi As in*f»ast seasons, Uie orch performing in the opera house of the municipal auditorium wiU present 18 pairs of concerts, to be presented on Friday afternoon and Saturday night and four per- formances of the new Ballet Theatre during the holiday season. Because of transportation difficul- ties it has not been determined whether the orch will make its cus- tomary three tours through {he mid- west. QUITS PITT SmFH JOB Pittsburgh, Sept. 1. Henri Temlanka, Dr. Fritz Reiner's concertmaster with the Pittsburgh Symphony orchestra, has relinquished the post he held here for one year to devote his time to concert work. He will appear with the orchestra as a soloist during the season, how- ever. Luboschutz-Nemenoff Open Fall Tour Oct 14 Pierre Luboschutz and Genia Uemenoff open a fall tour of 35 dates in Sayre, Pa., Oct 14. The duo-pianists are booked for or- chestral dates with the Chicago, Cincinnati, St Louis and Los Angeles symphonies. Included In their next season's repertoire will be a new concerto for two pianoii written for them by tho Czechoalovakian composer, Bor islav Martinu. MriKOPOULOS SEEKS YANKEE CITIZENSHIP Minneapolis, SepL 1. Dimitri Mitropoulos, conductor of the Blinneapolis Symphony orcheS' tra, has filed notice of his intention to l>ecome a U. S. citizen. He gave his age as 46 and former residence as Athens, Greece, where, before coming here, he conducted the Athens Symphony orchestra. Mitropoulos recently returned from Mexico, where he was guest conductor at several concerts with the national symphony orchestra AFM Throat Brings Hub Symph Nix ii Rochester Rochester, N. Y., Sept 1. Rochester Civic Music Assn dropped the Boston Symphony from its winter concert schedule for the first time in a decade on threat of American Federation of Musicians to boycott the Eastman theatre, where symph. had skedded. Manager Arthur M. See has booked two series of five concerts each, including Lily Pons, Heifetz, Rachmaninoff, Francescatti, John Charles Thomas, Robert Casadesus, Ballet Theatre, Don Cossack Choir, and two locally produced operas with name princi- pals, 'Barber of Seville' and 'La Traviata.' Giannini Tour Set For Oct. 30 Opening Dusolina Giannini, Met dramatic soprano, will open her fall concert tour in Minneapolis, Oct. 30. She then goes to the Chicago Opera Co. and resumes her concert tour Dec. 7 in AshviUe, N. C. Singer will make nine concert ap- pearances intermingled with her Met season. Grace Moore Forms Operetta Troupe For 6-Mo. N. Y. Season; Evans Siped Mex Symph to Tour Mexico Ctiy, Aug. 26. Mexican Symphonic Orchestra, di- rected by Carlos Chavez and com- posed of 102 musicians, starts a three-week, 21-concert tour of key Mexican cities when it ends its local season in early October at the Palace of Fine Arts (National Theatre) here. Orchestra is to augment its playing staff to 129 for the first rendition in Mexico, early In September, of Shos- takovich's Seventh Symphony, writ- ten by the Russian composer during the siege of Leningrad. Sees Dearth Only of Young Opera Ideas New York. Editor, "Variety': I should like to take vehement eX' ception to the writer whose pessimis- tic pen decries 'The dearth of yotmg singers.' It is regrettable that the Met weeps- for opera with great crocodile tears while planning to drop many young artists painstakingly weeded out through several years of radio audi- tions (Variety, Aug. 19, p. 32, col. 2). ■ Decry instead the system that pre- fers to cater to wealthy boxholders and music critics instead of to thea- tregoers who will support an or- ganization that gives them a show rather than a museum. I have had it verified for me that audiences in the n. S. A. will go to opera in Eng- lish if it displays any of the show- manship values they are accustomed to from the movies and legitimate plays they see. The challenge Is to the rahUng opera producers who prefer to accept the status quo rather than seek out translators to transform dull and Involved operatic libretti into meaningful (and sing- able) idioms for the enjoyment of the millions who love opera for its music but laugh at its unfortunate staging and its unintelligible tongues, Another golden age of opera is not just a dream but can be a reality if it be under the aegis of skilfull young producers who are honest enough to admit the inadequacy of the average opera presentation as a show. Not even Shakespeare is bur- dened with all the tradition that shackles opera. Yet, when some capable experimental group points a way to more genuine enjoyment of opera through skilfull staging and good translation, not a commercial nibble is evidenced. To cite a specific instance, in Feb ruary, 1941. the Opera Department of the Juilliard Graduate School pre- sented an English version of The Barber of SevUle' that for intelU gibiHty, charm and sheer fun ri- valled any Italian performance by any major company. Principally because all the audience participated—unlike Met performances, for instance, where only a comparative handful who un- derstand the language can enjoy more than ' mere pantomime or familiar music. After witnessing Juilliard's performances I resolved to try similar performances of this and other works in an attempt to show the lay opera-goers that he'd been missing a great deal in opera if he had never heard it sung in Intel- ligible English and staged in a man- ner usually ignored by tradition- bound opera managements. I have so far been unable to In- terest any daring producer in the idea of giving young singers a boost financially 'and artistically by doing good opera in good EnglUh and say- ing with me 'to hell with tradition if it doesn't make a good show.' I haven't given up, however. It is difficult to condone the stul tifying assembly line' technique practiced by teachers, coaches and maestros universally that trains a singer to be an automaton to be fitted into an opera role so standard- ized that not even a rehearsal with the balance of the cast is required before a performance can be given Every young singer on the Met's payroll has possibilities beyond the scope of that company if for no other reason than youth. Let some- one start the ball rolling by en- couraging (financially) groups to do opera in English with no concessions to tradition for tradition's sake, and 111 promise that an appreciative pub- lic will respond in a manner that will make it possible to finance the careers of these young artists with- out their recourse to the great Met- ropolitan Opera House, There is no dearth of young sing- ers—only of young ideas! Jamei Lehmann. ARNALDO ESTRELLA'S TOUR IS AN'AWARD' Arnaldo Estrella, Brazilian pianist ^as been awarded the Columbia Concert Corp. Award, which will in- clude a sponsored tour of the U. S. The award is the result of a com- petition among pianists in Brazil and is backed by Columbia in an attempt to promote South American good win. Pianist will open his U. S. concot tour Feb. 7 with an appearance with the N. Y. Philharmonic under Bruno Walter. He will give a N. Y. recital at Town Hall, Feb. 17, and has been engaged as soloist with the National Symphony of Washington, the Cin- cinnati Symphony, the Minne^nUs Symphony, the Indianapolis Sym- phony, t e Chicago Symphony and the Philadelphia Symphony. Pianist will also make some Cbmmunity Concert appearances. MUSmN HEADS UNIT BOND PUSH Nathan Milstein has been ap- pointed chairman and condinator of the Musicians War Bond Drl-vc, and the violinist is lining up-fellow musicians in an allout drive through cmicerts to promote t|ie sale of bonds. He inaugurated Musicians Week as Mond^ (31) and dnring this week he's been appearing to- gether with Bidtt Sayao, Maria Gam- barelli, Alexander Smallena and Erica Morlni, over WJZ in a 15- minute anieal. MiiDtAtii has enUsted the services of cellist Gregor Piatigord^ and will give a joint concert with him on Oct 11 at Carnegie Hall, admis- sion to be purchase of war stamps. Among artists who will donate their services will be John Charles Thomas, Gladys Swarthout, Claudio Arrau, Bronlslaw Huberman, Duso- lina Giannini, Vladimir Horowitz and Serge Rachmaninoff. Grace Moore, taking advantage of the current vogue in N. Y. for oper« ettas, has formed a company in con- junction with Russell Lewis and wiU present a season of six months, start- ing in January, 1043, at a Broadway theatre. The first operetta will be Offenbach's 'La Belle Helene,' with Wilbur Evans, baritone, appearing opposite Miss Mooie. Evans is pres- ently being featured at the Carnegia Hall operetta revivals. He was r^ cently signed by SOth-Fox. The singer will hivite internation- ally famous opera stars to appear with her company. Lily Pons' and Gladys Swarthout have been nt^ proadied and are receptive to the idea. The company will operate as a permanent unit, presenting a new operetta every two we^s^ or U over the season. All will be sung in Englidi and win have adequata translations from whatever language they were originally produced i& Auditions for the supporting singer* will be held as soon as incorpora- tion plans are completed. Miss Moore will probably present a new operetta by Kurt Weill, who is ai0MEcd in wrtting one nmr. Miss Mom* win inobably make all her ai90*rance3 br the flnt of Mtqr since RKO.has indicated an iatareit in 'Prima Donna,' the story Mis Moore is interested in. A film deal at Paramount is also being mulled The estatdishment of a perinaBent operetta company has alwaya bees a pet idea ot the soprano's since her student days in Bur^ie DAUGHrai9, JOINS MAAZEL IN CONCERT A new concert combination, Mar- vin Mnnygi pianist, and his nine- year old dau^ter, Saundra Berk- ova, will be presented this coming season by VCAC. ' The youthful violinist has already appeared with the Los Angeles Symphony, the National Symphony and in the Hollywood Bowl, It's Up to the Army On Ahram's Bookmgs Jacques Abraro, pianist presently a private at Fort Jay, Governors Island, N. Y., has been booked for 17 concerts by NCAC for next season. Vliether or not. the pianist will be allowed to play his dates is problematical Asheville Mozart Fete A Casualty of the War Asheville, N. C, Sept, 1. Asheville's Mozart festival is a casualty of the war. Gasoline and rubber shortage balked 1942 plans and Thor John- son, member of University of Michi- gan music faculty and festival di- rector past Ave years, is in military service. Fete is only musical event in country with entire program series composed 6t works of Mozart, NCAC SIGNS BEEINI Mario Berini, tenor of the Radio City Music Hall, has been signed to a managerical contract by NCAC, Felix Knight Joins Juds«n Felix Knight, tenor, formerly under NCAC management, has been signed by the Juclson Bureau of Columbia Concerts for 1942-43 man- agement. 19 Events listed For Fall Season By Frisco Assa San Frandsco, Sept 1. The San Francisco Opera Assn. has listed 19 events for the most ex- tensive winter c o nceit sdtedule it has ever programmed. The Opera House win be scene of 10 of the en- gagementa beginning Nov. 3. The other nine events are scheduled for tUe Curran Theatre The first of these is billed for Nov. IS. The Opera House programs are Jascha Heffeti, Carmm Amaya and her dance group, opening Tiight of a local Monte Carlo Ballet Busse sea- son, Sergei JaroCTs Don Cossadf Chorus, Bichard Cro<As, Miscba Elman, Helen Tranhel, John Charles Thomas, Nelson Eddy and Artur Rubinstein. Scheduled into the Curran are Paul Draper, dancer, and Larry Ad- ler, harmonica virtuoso, dividing one program; the Don Cossacks, Josef Szigeti, Artur Schnabel, duo-pianlsti Vronsky and Babin, Dnsiriina Gian- nini, the Trapp Family Singers, duo- pianists Lulioshutz and Nemenoff and Robert Casadesus. PONS SET FOR 4 DATES AT2|€F0RSJ.0PERA San Francisco, Sept, 1. Lily Pons has come to terms with the San Francisco Opera Co. aixl Vill appear in four performances of the 20th anniversary season starting Oct. 9. It is reported that 'fcucla,' or 'Lakme,' and 'Daughter of the Regiment' will be the operas in which she will appear. The signing of the coloratura means that 'Pagliacci' and 'Caval- leria,' scheduled to be presented, will be omitted from the repertoire. It Is said the singer will receive about $2,500 per performance. Szigeti's 45 Dates Joseph Szigeti opens a. 4S-date tour in Waterloo, la,, Oct 9. The violinist has also been booked with the National, Toronto, Montreal, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Peoples Symphonies and the N. Y. Philharmonic, Szigeti makes his bow in tha popular field this month when Co- lumbia releases an album of gypsf music recently recorded by him. 0