The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-12-08
THE PEERLESS MELBA
SHE WILL SING IN INDIANAPOLIS
TOMORROW NIGHT.
Her Success I'm the Present Tour
Scenes from Two Operas
Other Attractions.

al opportunity 10 near the woman sang
who. in critical estimation. is now regarded
as the greatest OF lyric vocalists-Nellie
Melba. The Australian artist who. IN the
past three years. has achieved the greatest
distinction a singer can have. is more
sought for and better paid than any OF
those who attempt to rival her. She is
the great prima donna Of the London grand
opera season in summer, the sensation Of
the Paris season, while in this country
her triumphs with the Metropolitan Opera
Company are recent and widely known
that they need not be commented upon.
Melba Is just now concluding the most sue
cessful concert tour that any artist has
ever made In this country. In New York,
Boston and Philadelphia she attracted such
great audiences that return concerts were
at once arranged for. In Chicago she sang
three times in one week at the Auditorium
and the gross receipts were over $4,000
In Louisville and Columbus, o., the past
week, her audiences were great, and that
has been the experience wherever she has
appeared She had never sung in Louisville
before. and the most of the audience there
was disposed to regard with surprise the
seemingly extravagant praise that had been
bestowed upon her in other cities. But it
did not take long for them to know that
1t was deserved, and after her first num-
Der there was unchecked enthusiasm and
she was almost covered with flowers thrown
on the stage. The critic of the Commercial,
in his account Of the concert, says:
But what can be said OF Melba? Where
Is there another voice that combines such
richness, and yet such arch deicacy; such
dramatic power and silky fiexibility; such
tender pathos of expression, and at the
same time such fiery brilliancy and spirit :?
From the gentle girlishness Of Marguerite
Lucia she passed without EFFORT, and
yet each was, in its own way, perfect.
To hear every note given with absolute
purity or tone; to hear each delicate shadow
OF a shade finished until IL has the polish
or Jewel; to feel through and. through
the thrill OF a voice as fresh as that OF a
as that Of mature woman-ths is Melba.
Such smoothness and ease, such flexible
colorateur is rarely found in a voice capable
Is impossible to say where she excels.''
Melba has a company Of great artists
With her. Nine Scalchi. perhaps the most
famous contralto Of the world, and one
whose services are always in demand in
the notable operate engagements, is the
principal one. Then there is Signor Cam
panari. the great baritone; D'Aubigne, the
famous French tenor, and others. They
will have ample opportunities to display
their capabilities. for the programme to be
given Is a varied one and Includes entire
acts from operas well solo numbers.
The company is particularly well equipped
artists it has an orchestra Of its own, un-
der the conductorship Of Mr.. Landon Rom
aid, and carries complete equipment OF
scenery and costumes for the presentation
of its operatic selections. Melba Is not only
a singer, but Is also a violinist and organ
ist. She learned to play the violin In Aus
session Of her magnificent voice. and then
she slipped over to the organ and played
for church choir while perfecting her
sol in, ha rrI6i re Of
was only after the wonderful range of
her voice had attracted the attention of
one or two musical rSa enthusiasts STATS, in Mel
gan and devoted her time exclusively 10
singing Young Ronald. her conductor. is
Cheer, Boys, Cheer" and is 2 brother of
W. Clarke Russell, whose stories of the sea
are popular all over the world.
concert at Englishs tomorrow night is
unusually attractive because Melba is to
appear in acts from two operas. In de-
tail ii is as follows:
Overture, Tampa" Observation-Disclosures erold
Orchestra.
(a) Moonlight" ...................Max Spicker
CD Clouds" (c) Sunshine. ......... Shilling
Aria from Barber of Seville $500. .Rossini
Mr.. Campanari.
Cavatina, ''Nobil Signor'' Giles Hugue-
NUS Mime. scalchi.
Aria from ia RENE de Saba. ...Gounod
r..
Aria, "Ah, fors luz C'Traviata'D .....v Verdi
Nine. Melba.
Overture, civilian Tell" .Rossini
Orchestra.
The third act of Faust"
Marguerite .......................Mm Nine. Melba
Siebel ........................-. mime. Scaicni
Marina ...........................M Mile. Elsird
MephistopheleS Mr.. Campanari
The mad scene from Lucia di Hammer
moor
,,cia Mime. Melba
d'iute obiigato, Mr.. G. X. North.)
Mr. Landon Ronald, conductor; Sig. Rigo.
king Olafs Christmas. ...... Dudley Buck
Incidental solos by Messrs. Henry Lippert
and c. r. Martens.
There promises to be fine audience,
representative Of the fashion and musical
culture of the city to hear Melba.
The Fairy Opera, "Hansel and GreteI"
The presentation of "Hansel and Gretel."
Humperdinck's fairy opera, at English's
Opera House Thursday. Friday and Satur-
day, with children's matinee Saturday,
will be one of the most pretentious musical
events of the season. 1t is sung by Sir
Augustus Harris's English Opera Company,
The charm of the piece lies in it's natur-
alness and simplicity. The story Of Han
sci and Greter' is the familiar one of
BABES in the Woods" In the first act the
children, Hansel and Gretel, are seen In
the kitchen. the boy working on a broom
stick, and the girl knitting stockings. Tir-
ing of their work they commence to sing
and dance and their mother, coming in and
finding them neglecting their duties, re.
to pick berries. Then the father comes
home and after quarreling with his wife
for sending the children into the forest
they start out to find the little ones. The
second act opens with the children happy
and light-hearted, picking their berries.
Finally they fall asleep, after saying their
prayers, and the angels come down the
beautiful golden stairway and watch over
them while they sleep. The last act opens
with the children still in the forest. They
come TO the gingerbread house and satisfy
their hunger by picking off huge chunks
of gingerbread. But the wicked witch here
appears and, catching Hansel, thrusts him
into cage to fatten him. She then pre-
pares her oven and proceeds TO put Gretel
into it. but. putting her head into the
oven to show Gretel how to get IN, the
gentle push and she Is burned into a crisp.
Suddenly there is an explosion and the
house and furnace going TO pieces reveals a
lot of children who had previously been
caught. Just then the parents of Hansel
and Gretel come upon the scene and all
ends happily. The advance sale will begin
tomorrow morning at the Pembroke Ar
pany, which is precisely the same one that
in London, New York and Chi
cago.
Media and Patti.
In the Chicago News last week the we'll
known writer, Avery Leslie contributed
this interesting account Of Melba's experi-