Variety (Nov 1942)

86 CONCERT-OPEBA Wednesday. November 18, 1942 The First Week of Qiicago Opera Josephine Tuminia Scores in 'Lucia'—Hold 'Rig- oletto' Second Act Curtain for Radio Singer Chicago, Nov. 17. Highlight of the first week of the Chicago Opera (32nd season) under Fortune Gallo, was the flashing into probable stardom of Josephine Tuminia, 27 year old Metropolitan Opera coloratura, who had been hired by that company as a possible successor to Lily Pons. The con- tinued illness of Miss Pons caused her to cancel the Wednesday (11) performance of 'Lucia,' and Miss Tuminia substituted. The coloratura scored one of the most remarkable personal successes in the history of the Chicago Opera and after an eight minute ovation which concluded the 'Mad Scene' was forced to continue to sing with the applause still unabated. The ainger proved herself a consummate actress in the part but her flawless accuracy in the higher tessitura with its brilliant runs and cadenzas cli- maxed by a crystal clear 'F' above high 'C together with adherence to pitch and carrying power, indicated the coming of a new star. Miss Tuminia's performance almost eliminated her colleagues, but James Melton made a distinguished looking Edgardo, whose voice has grown in size although he still has some diffi- culty with the tops which have a tendency to be white. His perform- ance was on the whole praiseworthy, however. Richard Bonelli sang an excellent Lord Ashton, winning his round of applause for his excellent delivery of 'Cruda Finestra.' Vir- gilio Lazzari rounded out a brilliant cast, with Pietro Cimara conducting well. On the preceding Monday (15), the opera had presented 'Rigoletto' and had held the curtain for an hour to permit Josephine Antoine, Met coloratura to rush through her Car- nation Radio hour show, and leave the studio in full costume amid a police escort. This is believed the first time in operatic history that an opera waited on a radio perform- ance. A ballet was presented in the intervening hour. Miss Antoine proved worthwhile waiting for, as she was in excellent voice and de- livered a brilliant Gilda, with full powerful rich rounded tones espec- ially in the 'Caro Nome," 'Tutte le Feste' and 'Si Vendetta.' Together with Miss Tuminia she gives the Met excellent coloratura reserve in case of accident to Lily Pons. John Charles Thomas sang an adequate Rigoletto although not in his best voice. Jan Kiepura was the Duke, whose singing as usual was brilliant but characterized by over-held top tones and mugging. Nicholas Mos cona made an excellent Sparafucile while Anna Kaskas was a good Maddalena. On Friday (13), 'Martha' was given in Enclish, with Josephine Antoine again scoring for the second time in a week as the star of the cast with her singing of 'The Last Rose of Summer" stopping the show. James Melton ran her second honors with his "M'Appari." while Coe Glade and Douglas BcalUc rounded out the capable cast. Saturday afternoon (14), 'Lakme' was cancelled due to Miss Pons' ill- ness, and 'Carmen' with Coe Glade In the title role, substituted. The veteran mezzo did her usual com- petent job but honors went to Raoul Jobin. the Jose, whose powerful tones, brilliant acting and excellent diction made him standout. Dorothy Kirsten the Michr.ela disclosed a rich full lyric soprano who also stopped the show with her bril- liantly sung 'Je dis che rien' topped by a full bodied high 'B' flat. Beattie as Zuniga also scored a success, as did George Czaplicki as the Zsca- millo. Saturday evening (14). 'Faust' was marred by Richard Crooks' inability to reach top tones. The tenor was using a toneless transposed falsetto, and his high 'C in 'Salut Demeure' was a disappointment. Licia AI- banese sang an excellent Margarite but was again costumed unattrac- tively. Moscona made a good Spara- focule, while John Charles Thomas sang a brilliant Valentine, especially in the 'Avant de quitter.' The Siebel . of the cast, Margery Mayer was overstout, and her large voice was insufficiently focused to cope with the music. The Net's Schedule The first week of the Metropoli- tan Opera Co. will witness six N. Y. and one Philadelphia performance for this, its eoth season. The com- pany opens on Nov. 23 with 'Daugh- ter of the Regiment' with Lily Pons (if recovered), Raoul Jobin, Salva- tore Baccaloni, Irra Petina, Louis D'Angelo and Frank St. Ledger con- ducting. Tuesday (24), in Philadelphia. 'Don Giovanni' will be given with Zinka Milanov. Jarmila . Novotna, Marita Farell, Ezio Pinza, Charles KuUman, Salvatpre Baccaloni, Nor- man Cordon and Mack Harrell, with Bruno Walter the conductor. Wednesday (25), 'Gotterdaemer- ung' will be presented with Helen Traubel, Irene Jessner, K e r s t i n Thorborg. Lauritz Melchior, Herbert Janssen and Emanuel List as the principals, Eric Leinsdort, conduc- ting. Thursday (26), 'Carmen' will be presented with Lily Djanel. Licia Albanese. Rene Maison, Alexander Sved. and Lorenzo Alvary making his debut, with Sir Thomas Beecham conducting. Friday (27), 'The Magic Flute' will be given in English with Josephine Antoine, Jarmila Novotna. Lillian Raymondi. Ezio Pinza, Charles KuU- man. John Brownlee and Norman Cordon as the principals with Wal- ter conducting. Saturday matinee (28), the flirst broadcast opera will be 'Lucia' with Lily Pons, Jan Peerce. Leonard Warren and Nicolas Moscona, and St. Ledger conducting. Saturday evening (28), 'Aida' will be given with Zinka Milanov, Karin Branzell, Arthur Carron, Alexander Sved and Normon Cordon. Cesare Sodero will debut as a conductor. Schuster-Reisenbergf Comb All-Beethoven Recitab Joseph Schuster, cellist with Nadia Reisenberg, pianist, will pre- sent a complete cycle of Beethoven'i works for the cello at Town Hall, N. Y., Dec. 2 and Dec. 14. Works include five sonatas and three sets of variations written be- fore 1796-1815. NEW OPERA CO. SMOOTHING KINKS? Concert Renews HELEN TBAUBEL ' With PkiUdelphIa Orfshestra Carncfle Hall, Not. II, 1842 Helen Traubel, now established as probably America's greatest dramatic soprano (she succeeds Kirsten Flag- stad on Dec, 4 at the Metropolitan as Isolde) appeared in excerpts from Wagner, with the Philadelphia or- chestra under Eugene Ormandy. The soprano fully lived up to her promise. With her enormous voice under perfect control in its more than two octave range. Miss Traubel sang with an artistry and dynamic power that well rewarded her lis- teners for the long summer she spent studying the role under Dr. Ernest Knoch, the Wagner interpreter. The orchestra supported her bril- liantly. Eddy. Picket Opera Company, Impresario Clahns It's Jost Bimch of Stadents Philadelphia, Nov. 17. Theodore Feinmann, director of the Cosmopolitan Opera Co., filed suit last week in Municipal Court here seeking an injunction to re- strain the Musicians Union from picketing his concerts. He claimed the union (Local 77) sought to in- timidate him into hiring a band of union musicians. Feinmann also seeks $2,500 in damages. In his bill of complaint, Feinmann declared that he conducts a studio f< r instruction in music, voice and ballet dancing, and his concerts are staged for the purpose of giving his students an opportunity of perform- ing before the public. He said he had scheduled a series of nine concerts at the Stephen Girard Hotel here, with the public aomitled for a "membership fee' of $5 for the series. The orchestra, he said, \yas composed of people who receive no pay, but get free in- struction in their instruments in re- turn for playing the concerts. If he" was forced to hire union tooters, said Feinmann. he would b> forced to gc out of busine.ss. Because of the picket line around the Stephen Girard. Feinmann de- clared he was forced to move the performance of the 'Gondoliers' from the hotel to the Mercantile Hall 'at great expense.' The union placed pickets around the hall. also, he said, and threatened to call all union em- ployes of the hall and hotel out on strike if he continued to use a non- union band. The New Opera Co., now in its second season, last week shelved contemplated performances of 'Pique Dame' and 'MacBeth.' Instead, 'La Vie Parisienne' will run indefinitely in N. Y. Company, which lost $153,- 000 in four weeks last season, could not stand a similar loss this year. The new organization apparently has a definite place in New York for its productions, yet some problems apparently have not been managed sufficiently well. When the com- pany was organized by Mrs. Lytle Hull, it seemed that it was to be the plaything of socialites and the gen- eral public was the so-called rifT- rafT whose money was accepted with some distain, but accepted neverthe- less. Until the hiring this season, and after the opening of the year at that, of Jean Dalrymple as press agent, little or no attempt was made to make N. Y.'s vox pop feel they were wanted. Then too, the com- pany put on works which were of little interest to the public of N. Y., which demands its 'Carmen's' and 'Pagliacci's' and will tolerate new works or old ones which are not overly popular so long as it can feast on a standard repertoire. The new productions might have drawn had the singers used been of first rate caliber, but with hardly an ex- ception the so-called young Ameri- cans were inferior to even the Me- tropolitan audition winners. In many instances they were not Amer- icans, but singers tried and found wanting by the Met. Some of the 'young Americans' had already been singing 18-20 years before the pub- lic. Being able to hear superior tal- ent at half the cost in the annual San Carlo Opera visits, in more pleasant surroundings and in operas more to their taste, the public stayed away. Also the foreign influx was such, that not one native born con- ductor was a member of the roster of the new company. Wanda Landowska, the harpsi- chordist, has joined S. Hurok's man- agement. Jascha Heifetz on Road Following hi.'! N. Y. recital yester- day (Tuesday) at Carnegie Hall,- Yascha Heifetz left for Savannah and will play concerts there, in Atlanta, Birmingham and at Fort Benning. The balance of hi.s engagements before hi.'! three week Christmas holiday period will take him to Cleveland, Nov. 27, Oberlin. Dec. 1, The Pittsburg Symphony. Dec. 5 and 6, the Bell Telephone Hour, Dec. 7, Chicago Symphony, Dec. 10 and II. Joplin. Missouri. Dec. 13 and the University of Missouri, Dec. 15. Violinist then knocks ofC until Jan. 6 when /ie resumes his tour. 'LA VIE PARISIENNE' Third in the New York season by the New Opera Co.. 'La Vie Parisi- enne' has not improved over last season's presentation. It remains hodge-podge. The work contains much music that did not belong to the original work of Offenbach, and the English translation loses the bite and light, airy humor of the original French work. Orchestrally it is weak, with the string section especially almost in audible at times. The rather heavy handed conducting of Paul Breisach allowed a seepage of gloom where light should have been. The singers for the most part are as inept as the miiiic and words thoy are given to sing, with several notable excep- tions. Wilbur Evans, radio baritone displayed a big voice of rich color and used well for the most part, while hi-: acting was satisfactory Andzia Kuzak made a vivacious Ga- brielle and sang prettily if not with an abundance/of voice. Hugh Thom .son (son of the music critic of the N. Y. Sun) displayed a well-trained baritone and an excellent stage pres cnce that belied his years. Carolina Segrcra was not up to last year's wor|t as the opera singer, as th« vibration in her voice was more marked and she had some difflculty with thinning out top notes. Virginia Card was miscast, having neither the voice nor the personality for the heroine. It was she. unfortunately, who spoiled most of the en.itemble work with open, unfocused top tones Paul Read as Jackson was hardly the equal of last year's George Rasley. Others in the cast were fair but unimpressive. Nothing seemed spon- taneous, and the entire performance Just failed to jell. Eddy. 1942 MARIAN ANDEBSON Contralto Town Hail, N. Y., Nov. 4, Marian Anderson was in good voice for this opening of the Town Hall Endownment series. The singer showed that after a summer of rest, after more than 70 arduous concerts last year, that her voice is still fresh. Its deep rich tonal color and the peculiar tremulo characteristic of the Negro race lend a certain atmosphere to her lieder that no white singer can approach. The house was completely sold out. Eddy. MARJORY HESS Soprano Tov. Hall, N. ¥., Nov. 15, 1942 This soprano will probably be more at home in opera than on the ct ncert stage for some time to come, as her top tones are full and brilliant and she will be able to get away with the weaker middle and lower registers. Interpretatively she still haj a great deal to learn, although she approached every one of her songs with a serious purpose. Equalization of the entire vocal register will result in a top flight Ivric soprano. Eddy. C'.EORA WOOD Soprano Town Hall, N. Y., Nov. 15, 1942 Miss Wood has the makings of a brilliant lyrico-spinto but she mis- uses her extraordinary material through lack of sufficient breath sup- port. In her concert her best tones were in the middle register with an occasional remarkable piano note on top, or full chest tone on bottom st-owing what the voice might have been had it all been emitted as freely. From the interpretative standpoint she seemed more intent on vocal quality than on diction, except in her English group which was ex- emplar. Eddy. SARI BIRO Ftanlst Town Hall, N. T., Oct. 27, '42 This young woman has all the at- tributes of a great pianist if she can successfully coordinate her other assets. These include good looks and personality, a full rich singing tone, •extraordinary digital dexterity and a clear concise knowledge of what she wants her results to be. E.Ycept on rare occasions in this recital, she failed to set forth her virtues together, and the impression was gained that too great an effort was being made to seek perfection, which resultef in a lost spontaneity of result. Eddy. BYRD ELLIOTT Violinist Carnegie Hall, N. Y., Oct. 27, '42 Miss Elliott is the possessor of a good technique and a fairly large tone for a woman, which put to- gether with an inate sense of balance and understanding of her works made for an interesting recital. Works of Puiccll and Mozart were played best, indicating that the more romantic school is easier for her than the hard driven tone .she ac- quired in the Sibelius concerto. If the recital had been given in a more intimate hall the violinist would probably have showed to even belter advantage. Eddy. ERNEST HUTCHINSON Pianist Carnegie Hall, N. Y., Nov. 11, 1942 Playing with the cool brilliance that has always characterized - his recitals. Ernest Hutchinson. 70-year- old dean of the Juilliard School, gave his annual recital Wednesday (11) at Carnegie Hall. N. Y. He was in excellent form, but as usual played with so little fire or abandon that one felt he was carefully dissecting each note of his music, putting it carefully in place, and then turning to his students and remarking, "There, gentlemen, is the way this should be played.' As a le.sson it was superb, as a concert, it lacked the emotional qual- ity necessary to arouse listeners to their feet. £ddv- SEBOE BACHMANINOFF PUnlst Carncfle Hall, N. Y., Nov. 7, IM* This recital by the Russian com- poser-pianist was 'the closest thing to perfection.' The tall gaunt 70- year young artist played with a consuming brilliance that sent his capacity audience wild. The tremendous fiery brilliance ot his crashing forte, the crystalline clarity and extraordinary lightness of his pianissimo, the dynamic per- sonal simplicity of the master musi- cian, was everywhere in evidence, and his playing of Bach, Beethoven! Chopin, Liszt and his own composi- tions afforded the works reaiiingi which seemed to make them ever new and ever fresh. Rachmaninoff at 70 remains head and shoulders over most of his con- temporaries. Eddy. ALBERT SPALDING Violinist Carnegie Hall, N. Y., Nov. 8, 1942 This violinist played in his cus- tomary form at his annual N. Y. re- cital. It was good clean cut musi- cianship, excellent bowing, a fine in- terpretative style, especially In French compositions, and a general feeling that here was-ft. gifted artist, mellowed in years. Spaidihg is prob- ably the best of all the American artists playing his instrument. Eddv- RAY LEV Pianist Carnegie Hall, N. Y., Nov. 4, 1942 Miss Lev, one of the younger established pianists of the country, in her annual recital exemplifleil anew those characteristics which have given her success. Her playing was marked with a large free tone, excellent clarity, a fine sense ot bal- ance and understanding and her cus- tomary technical skill. Sopne of her tempi and forte work might be questioned, but that is a matter of personal taste since the markings of both Brahms and Chopin allow the latitude she took in her interpretations. Eddy. ELISABETH SCHUMANN Soprano Town Hall, N. Y., Nov. 7. 1942 While it is nearly 30 years since this soprano first appeared at the Metropolitan, her art and searching intensity into the meaning ot songs, especially lieder, made her recital, as usual, a thoroughly enjoyable one. While perhaps top tones are a bit worn, and breath support is not all it might be, here is still a great inter- pretator. Eddy. KURT APPELBAUM PUnlst Town Hall, N. T., Nov. 14, 1948 In this recital devoted to the Beethoven sonatas, one gained the impression that this talented young pianist had lived so long with his works that he had lost the inner fire that comes with spontaneous play- ing. Every bit of his playing was marked by careful thought and dili- gent effort, and his mechanical equipment stood him in good stead. But a feeling i>ersisted that he gave little of himself but devoted his entire efforts to just playing the notes as written. Eddy. ROLAND GUNDRY Violinist Town Hall, N. Y., Nov. 6, 1942 Violinist is one of the finest of the younger crop before the public today. His art has grown with each succeeding year and today his play- ing equals and surpasses that ot many better known older artists, and his interpretative ability is also that of a man many years his senior. There is no need to predict future greatness for Roland Gundry, he has already reached 'greatness,' and his task now is commercial. Eddy. DORIS DOE Contralto Town Hall, N. Y., Nov. 2, 1942 Thjs singer has been a second con- tralto of the Met for a decade. A character singer, Miss Doe is un- fortunately addicted to new and un- heard songs for her recitals. In this one she went the limit, for every song she sang was of that character with the majority of them ot once- Is-enough calibre. Good interpretation and adequate diction were Miss Doe's only a.ssets, since she was in poor voice. Eddy. MAXIM SHAPIRO Pianist Town Hall, N. Y., Ool. 2S, 1942 This young pianist emphasizes the lyric end of piano playing. Indeed, the continual pianissimo with nary a variation in color or shading, soothe his audience into slumber long be- fore intermission. If he learns to vary the monotonv of his otherwise carressing touch with an occasional forte he will be a much better performer and less soporific. Eddy.