The Portland daily press., 1883-10-24
MUSIC AND DRAMA.
ro.NidHr's ENrERrAINMENT.

bridge course at City Hall, with Mr.. Georg
Henschel conducting. Miss Emily Winant of
New York, vocalist, and Mr.. Freygang. harper.
will be the soloists. A few good seats still re-
main at Stockbridge's.
MISS o'BRIoN IN BOSTON.
We have already published the remarks of
the Boston Advertiser on Miss O'Brion's per-
Torrance at the Boston Symphony concert last
Saturday Other papers notice it as follows:
The Journal said ssThe soloists of the
evening we're Miss Olga Won Radecki and Miss
Mary e. QBrion, who played upon two pianos
Mozart's concerto in e fiat (Koechel, No. 305, J
with cadenzas 10y Massachusetts, first per-
torrance here-and rondo by Chopin, OPP.
70. The concerto proved to be a beautiful
work and thoroughly characteristic of the COM
poser. The first movement, perhaps, suggested
Mozart only indirectly, but the second and
third were most interesting examples of his
peculiar power. In this work Miss O'Brion
took the first part and Miss Won Radecki the
in the Chopin selection. Both artists played
exceedingly well, showing fine appreciation
OF the works which they interpreted and
presenting them in sincere and intelligent
manner which was eminently worthy of praise
Neither, however, displayed any marked
power of execution or original insight into the
composers ideas, and their performance inn
pressed one as being that of thoroughly well
taught and talented players, who are not, how
ever, possessed of any profound genius. OF
the two Miss Won Radecki's playing pleased
us the better, as being on the whole, broader
and more individual The pianists were warm
~ applauded and recalled after each of the
selections
The Transcript said: 'sMozart's beautiful
concerto was nicely played, and made a charm
ing Impression. The Chopin Rondo went less
well, the players all but coming to grief in two
pieces; another proof of the foolishness in
young pianists of playing concerted pieces
without notes.
The Sunday Herald said: "Miss OF rion, a
resident OF Portland, Me-, was heard fer the
nrst time here, and gave unmistakable evil
dence OF rare abilities as a pianist. Her touch
is a delightfully."- clear and elastic, and her
playing has an individuality which gives an
added beauty to all her work. The two ladies
played with remarkable unity, and the several
movements were highly enjoyable, Miss Won
Radecki ably seconding the efforts Of her a.
sociate. The cadenzas by Moscheles were add
cd, and the orchestral score was given with
excellent taste, being never SO prominent as to
cover the pianoforte parts. In the Chopin
NUMBER for the two panists the results gained
were only less satisfactory, the unusual ex-
celence of the playing in the concerto not be-
ing fully equalled. Both numbers won the
favor OF the audience to such degree that the
ladies were recalled after each by the enthu-
slastic applause which rewarded their per-
Torrance.
THE NEW OPERA HOUSE IN NEW YORK.
One may enter this temple of music by
any one of three spacious vestibules. The
principal staircase is led to by the entrance
from Broadway, the vestibule of which is
about 60 feet long and 40 feet wide. The
Thirty-ninth street entrance is nearly as COM
modious, and communicates with the winding
staircase, by which the boxes on the South side
of the house are reached, and also with sepa-
rately enclosed stairways, by which the baloo.
ny and the gallery may be reached The YES
tibule on Fortieth street has but one stairway
each to the North side boxes, the balcony and
the gallery. The great double stairway from
the Broadway front rises through the three
tiers of boxes to the hallway floor Thus there
are eight distinct staircases. The most strik-
ing thing in the interior is the vastness oil the
auditorium. The boxes, with the dressing
rooms which adioin them, are about Is feet
deep, and there is a corridor behind them. 1t
is, IN fact, the largest auditorium in any opera
house, the parquet containing 600 seats, and
these unusually spacious and comfortable
seats, being arm-chairs, two feet wide or fully
IL inches lin the clear between the arms
The boxes are intended to hold six persons
each, and there being two tiers of 81 each, and
the IL baignors, is 1872 seats. The two galle-
ries, the balcony" and the ''family CIRCLE
bring the whole seating capacity of the house
up to something over 5000, 1000 more than
the number in the New Opera at Paris, and
considerably greater than that of any opera
house In Italy. The house is believed to be
absolutely fire-proof, having brick walls
throughout, terra Gotta partitions framed in
iron, iron beams and Orders, iron staircases, a
metal ceiling. The frame of the curtain OPEN
Ing, which represents the proscenium- there is
no true proscenium-is entirely of metal, and
% oards oil
10 timber, systems of light iron-work.
The orchestra is enclosed in an inverted
dome OF masonry which hides all its members,
except the conductor, from the view of the
spectators in the parquet; it does not COM
pletely conceal them, but it prevents the OBJ
trusion of their movements One departure
from conventional lines in the architecture of
this building is the form of the amphitheatre.
which has been aptly described as mot a
horseshoe, but horseshoe with the 'calks'
turned out" Another is the absence of the
proscenlum. This is said to have been die
tated by the fact that the cause of SO much
trouble in the Academy of Music has been a
struggle for that sort of social precedence
which is caused by the possession of a pros
cenium box, and SO this source of possible
danger was avoided by doing away altogethe r
with the proscenium. The interior decorations
were designed by Mr.. e. Prentice Treadwell
OF Boston and executed under his supervision.
The background is a mixture of red
threads with gold and neutral tints, COM
pairing almost exactly with the silk upholstery
with which the boxes are lined. The iron
frames of the boxes are nearly white, and the
metal fronts of the balconies pale blue. The
effect aimed at for the whole house is golden
tint, and the decoration is in various tones of
yellow; from dull nge In the flank of wall
visible above the stage end of the upper galle-
ry to positive chrome. The only strong col
or in the house is rich brown red, which is
used in the carpets and in the upholstery Of the
chairs in the parquet. With this exception the
whole is in an extremely light key of color.
There is frieze at the top of the bounding
wall in darker tones than those of the wall
itself, and the central dome of the ceiling is
deliberately decoratedwith concentric Ferries of
designs on ground of blue green, the ceiling
outside showing panels of deep metallic lus-
tire on buff ground, with a filagree of renais-
sance ornament interpreted. The frame of
the stage picture Is virtually of gold, its pias-
tiers bearing panels in bright tints with figure
subjects and raised ornament in metal. The
wall above the opening is the elimination of
the decorative scheme. A segment arch in
the center of this oblong space is filed with
Mr.. Francis sLathrop's "Apollo Crowned by
the Muses." fanked on either side by three
niched statues. This frame is Withdrawn
from the front of the stage wall by the deep
splay which does duty for proscenium. The
girder which carries this is indicated by an en-
tablature richly oRnamented with classic de-
Iaii ,anu, having It's bearing QlmInlSn6d by vary
bold consoles projecting from the side walls,
which at these points are modelled into pilasr
tiers, one bearing figure of "The Ballet and
one of "The Chorus. painted by Mr.. Maynard.
NOTES.
An exchange says that the news that dead
whale came ashore last week at Barnegat has
caused great deal of apprehension among the
friends of George Fortesque, who went in
swimming lately at Long Branch.
A New York Wrifnr palla Rosa Fuf;,oo Hthat
black-haired woman whose midnight eyes
have tropic dreams in them still.'
Lawrence Barrett's debut on the stage was
made IN the character of Murad in the "Fretch
Spy" at Detroit thirty years ago.
There will be good advance sale of seats
for the Kellogg concert at Portland Theatre
to-day judging by general talk.
A Sad Case.
A young lady Of this city lately invantad