The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-13
Random Notes of
Life i'm London.
Chatty Letter About New Concerts, Afternoon
Teas and Visit to London Tower.

eninE up wOndertully just now, anu
everything and everybody Is ''perking
up a bit" and getting ready for the sea-
son, which opens here at Easter. The
opera at Covent Garden commences on
May 49, as Sir Augustus Harris begs to
inform the royalty, the nobility. the
aristocracy, the gentry and the public
on his announcements this spring. We
are to have all the artists whom you
have had over there in New York this
winter besides a few more important
eNponents of the divine art of song
Albani, Calve, and even Patti. ThihK
of it! / do hope | can go great many
times, for | have been living In the
hopes of the opera season all winter
long, and If | am so fortunate as 10
realize my dreams. | shall certainly
treat myself to II perfect repast or II,
and as often as l can, too. There is
only one drawback. Opera Is expensive
the cheapest seats costing half crown.
instead of shilling. as the concert
tickets sometimes do.
Apropos of concerts. we are going to
have a perfect surfeit of them this sea-
son, and in fact. are seeing the begin
ming of them even now. The Philhar-
monies. as | told you before, are al
ready begun. the one last week having
been particularly interesting, on ac-
count of it's being the occasion or the
first introduction of Nilliers Stanford
new symphony, "L'Allegro ii Pente-
cost" 1t was conducted by the COM
poser, of course, and was a lovely per-
formance of a beautiful piece OF work.
the audience receiving it with the
heartiest approval and even the critics,
who always find fault with thing II
they can. praising II way up to the
skies in the paper next day.
Something About New Music.
Dr. Stamford is an Irishman and is
the foremost teacher of harmony ana
composition in London to-day. besides
himself being one of the finest present.
time composers of lovely things for the
piano and for orchestra. Dawson. an
English pianist. and one trained en-
tirely in England. was the soloist OF
honor. and Mime. De We're Sapio sang
again. in place of Ella Russell, who was
i'll. She did no better than at her first
appearance two weeks ago, and was
success. nor does anyone else who sings
like that deserve to be, either. and the
disappointment of the English audi
ences in her is intense. | am dreadfully
sorry. At the next Philharmonic the
voice soloist is to be no less person
than Adelina Patti herself, whose
agents in Birmingham have kindly con-
sented to allow her to appear, as great
favor to the Philharmonic directors.
Every seat in the great Queens hall is
already sold, and everybody that can is
going to hear her. Fortunately for us,
we had our tickets for the whole series
and so rest easy on the subject of get
ting our seats all right. l dare say the
audience, as we'll as the soloist, Will be
we'll worth seeing on that night. l do
hope she won't get one of her charac-
-teristic little fits of temper on the long
looked for day and send word at the
last minute that she is ''indisposed."
And may Providence protect her from
catching a cold, also, so that, when the
auspicious night arrives, | may have
the pleasure of hearing her warble the
threadbare favorite of hers-"Una Voce
POGO Fa''-with which she promises to
delight our ears.
The Divine Masters Son.
We are soon to have no less a person
than Herr Segfried Wagner, over to
conduct some concerts of his fathers
music, and then there are to be some
more orchestral concerts of the highest
class, directed by the famous foreign
conductor De Hans Richter. at one Of
which the adorable Paderewski is to be
the soloist, which artist Is to give one
or two-only one or two-recitals also,
before he flies back to, Paris again.
Daniel Mayer, the agent who first ran"
Paderewski as a risk a few years ago
when he first came out, and to whom
Paderewski owes a big debt of graft
tude for believing in his genius when
no one else did, has prevailed upon him
to emerge from his temporary compar-
ative retirement for the sake of his
worshippers in London. Herr Felix
Mottl is also expected, and a visit
from Herr Herman Servi Is on the
cards.
Great interest will necessarily at
tach to the debut here of Mr.. Arthur
opera at Buda Pesth, who gained such
a distinguished reputation as conduc-
tor of the Boston Symphony orchestra
at home. Mr.. Nikisch will, it is now
arranged, direct four orchestral con-
certs to take place in June and July.
1t is understood that Slavonic music
will be q prominent feature on the pro-
gramme of these concerts.
Last Thursday attended the last one
of the Thursday subscription concerts,
at which my friend. the Scotch girl,
made her debut on the concert plat
form. We all went to support her and
she deserved Vt, too, for she did splen-
didly. We are very proud, indeed, of
her, as she Is quite clever, besides being
gifted with a lovely voice. She sings
foreign songs simply charmingly.
An English Afternoon Tea.
Yesterday afternoon / went with a
friend to an out and out English tea.
1t was all very smart and grand, and
suppose / was the dingiest looking one
of the constantly going and coming
stream Of people. but that did not
trouble me much as no one seemed tc
object to my OLD winter clothes. In
fact the wearers of the incest gowns
kept persistently coming up to me and
my chaperone. until rather suspected
them of wanting to use me as foil tt
all their spring bravery. The handshakt
at these occasions is heart-breaklng, OF
rather arm-breaking, correctly speak
ing. You are expected to hold up yOul
hand on level with the top of your
head, and all the limper you can make
1t all the better. Then you waggle II
to and fro sideways while shaking
hands. 1t Is hard enough on me, who
am so small,to keep my hand up as higf
as my own head. but after several at
tempts Of the sort, shaking hands with
people much taller than myself ant
trying toreach their standard of height
why I was rather tired out. ! shall no