The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-02
Like a Real Page
from FairyIand
Miss Kaiser Delighted by Little
Opera Founded on Grimm.
AN EXQUISITE ANCIENT WITCH
Musical and Dramatic Features of the
New Year in tho Worlds Greatest
City - Chatty Paragraphs of Lon.
don News and Gossip.

City = chatty Paragraphs of Lon.
don News and Gossip.
Special Correspondence of The Tribune.
London, Jan. 1S.-Last Tuesday had
the pleasure of hearing the little fairy
opera, "Hansel and Gretel," which has
been make such a sensation in London,
after dts triumphs among the music
loving Berliners. I was simply de-
lighted with 1T. 1t is just the sweetest,
dearest, freshest little thing l ever
heard, and l sat through it the whole
evening in a state of enchantment.
Just fancy a man-a genius, for such
Humperdinck really must be-taking
that dear, wholesome little fairy tale
from the pages of the delightful old
Grimm, clothing 1t with splendid song
and magnificent orchestration, and in
vesting 1T with the greatest dramatic
interest. The little tale is treated with
all the dignity of grand opera, which
it neatly is, and of the most whole
some kind as well. l did enjoy the per-
formance so much, and followed the
familiar little tale all through with
the keenest interest, from their run
ming out into the Black Forest to pick
berries to their restoration to their
dear, good German father and mother
at the end of the last act.
You remember they get lost in the
forest and fall asleep there, 49, -
angels come down from heaven and
watch over them all night. The descent
of these angels was really heavenly.
Then the next day they come upon the
candy house of the old child-eating
witch and of course are caught and
kept by her for her next meal, but, in
stead of being pushed into her oven by
her satanic highness. they succeed in
pushing her into her own fire, and then
they lived happily ever after" and so
on. / had never seen a witch on the
stage, and really the way this one was
made up was charming. She had on
the regulation black jacket, Il red
petticoat and pointed cap of the itch
of our childhoods story books, al the
way she rode through the air Oh her
broom was just lovely! 1 fl lrly
screamed with delight at her. and my
dear Miss Radical declared that l acted
y
dear old witch came on and flew up
over the trees and houses in such
lovely, supernatural style. She was
altogether wi'tchy, and just fell in love
with her. 1t Is on now at Daly'S thea
ter, down in Leicester Square, and
dare say it will come to America some
time soon. All good things do.
An Attractive Theatcr
Daly's is a most beautiful theater.
l never saw prettier. not even in New
York, and of course there We're lots of
swagger gowns and all that sort of
thing to look at between the acts. There
was a little old operetta of MoZart's
given the same evening before "Hansel
and Gretel," and the contrast between
the styles of the two composers was
called to my notice by Miss Radical,
who is a splendid musician and tre-
mendously clever as well. 1t really was
remarkably evident, and of the two,
/ must say, / liked the latter-day man
the better. BY the way, Prince Henry,
of Battenberg, whoever he may be, was
there in one of the boxes. i could tell
he was swell from the minute l saw
him, by the way the poor women who
were presented to him had to courtesy
and hold up their little hands to be
shaken, but / didn't know which one
he was until my chaperon informed me.
Our boarding house is now full up
as the English have it. Every room of
the upper region is occupied by a stu
dent, each one the pianist, violinist,
'cellist or singer of the rising genera
tion, of course, and we are most melo-
dious, harmonious and interesting fam
lily. We are going to have our picture
taken as We are around the dinner table
in the evening, as there are ten of us in
all, and we really make very charm
ing table full l assure you.
Handsome English Pianos.
went through the great Erard piano
establishment one day this week. with
a girl who is going to buy an Erard.
We saw host of the loveliest pianos
Such beauties! And then such tone as all
Erards have Is marvellous, you know.
They showed us the one on which Pad
erewski always plays when he per-
forms in London and then some Won
derful beauties done in white enamel
and inlaid with mother pearl, be-
sides some beautifully painted SYM
bolically, you know. Some of these
were for princes and princesses, and
kings and queens on the continent,
but Paderewskps was plain black His
Is said to be the most magnificent in
strument, so far as tone is concerned,
ever turned out by the Erard house,
which is saying "a great deal, as their
pianos are famous for nobility of tone.
There was one there, all inlaid very
peculiarly with gold, silver and pearl,
and worth a Thousand guineas, about
$4,000, which was made for the former
khedive of Egypt; but not being COM
pleted before his death occurred, and
as his successor did not want 1t, it is
now for sale, at a slight reduction in
price. 1t is an immense concert grand,
and has great solemn looking sphinXs
for the legs of the instrument 1t was
very interesting indeed, and l should
think, too, that it would prove a very
difficult thing to sell.
Last night some of us went to an
other of the London Symphony orches-
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