The record-union., 1898-03-06

and in pieces like Il 'Etrangere. Sc
nora Guerrero is at present in South
America.
The Kendals expect to produce Wal
ter Frith's new play. Not Wisely but
Too Well" about Easter. They VIII
open their London season in September,
according to their present plans, with
The Elder Miss Blossom"
Brandon Thomas new play ~ a,
Curzon ST. which has been hanging
fire for some time, will be discharged
soon in the London Garrick Theater,
with Fannie Brough, Lottie Venne ana
Charles Groves in the cast.
England is the paradise of choral So
cieties yet even there they do not grow
as rankly as moss in a bog. At a re-
cent lecture DIR. Swinnerton Heap re-
marked: The. great drawback that
many societies experience is the neces-
sity Of performing continually, year by
year, one or two established favorites
IN order to keep their funds in a salts
factory condition. While many of us
would not desire that The Messiah and
Elijah should be banished from our
schemes, it must be admitted that the
sphere of society's work is much re-
stricted, when out of three or four con-
certs during the winter, one must of
necessity consist of a performance of
one OF those great masterpieces. In the
societies with which / am connected it
is common experience for a loss to be
ncurred-sometimes a considerable one
when new work by a British com
poser is brought out. and therefore it is
an experiment which cannot be repeat
ed very often. When one however
considers the high character of the
compositions of our leading men. and
even those of younger and less known
composers. it must be admitted that up
to the present the works to which re-
fer have not had justice done to them.
The Golden Legion is, of course an ex-
ception to the rule, but we could all of
US name several works Of the highest
musical character that rarely get
hearing"
Signora Duse is reported as having
spoken TO the following effect in a recent
interview in Rome: Il feel that / must
originate something new. The present
forms of my artistic activity do not sat
isfy me any longer. / feel that in my
mind something IS dying, and that some
thing new is beginning to germinate.
In the dramas ! am playing there is so
much that is artificial. conventional, old
fashioned, dead; and the fact oppresses
me. l am possessed by wish or an as
piration towards a new form of art
which will harmonize more closely and
more profoundly with the bent Of my
mind. l feel humiliated beneath the
garb of the character / have to repre-
sent. We must go back to the Greek
conception of beauty. We must return
TO the ancient dramatic art The move
ment, the color, the Elasticity of our con-
temporaneous art are the movement
the color, the Elasticity of a dead art.
EVen the language we speak is cor
rupted. Eternal ends, eternal truths,
are only to be found in the works of an
tiquity. 1t is only by taking these as
a basis that an artist can hope to give
the. public pure and healthy concep-
ton. A return to the tragedy of the an
clients is in the air, and such a move
ment will be followed throughout the
whole world
1t appears that some of the Americans
present at the first performance in Paris
of NJ Hermant's Les Transatlan-
tiques" were very angry The Paris
correspondent of the London Daily
Telegraph" says: "All the Americans
whom l saw in the house last evening
We're indignant at such gross carica-
nf a; t,.fr
rated at the Gymnase, and they ap-
peared not to realize that the whole
thing is simply a farce To criticse such
piece severely would be TO break a
butterfly upon the wheel The object of
NJ Abel Hermant was merely to raise
laugh and in this he certainly succeed
cd, for the first two acts We're decidedly
amusing, The third, which takes place
in the house of the Marquis former
mistress, was less pleasant"
Saint -Saens, with all his musical gen
ius, has never attained the success in
opera which Gounod, with inferior
musical powers, easily won. His opera,
Henry VIII" was failure at its first
production years ago. and an effort is
now being made to give il another pro-
duction in London under Mr.. Seidl's
baton. The leading part was offered to
Nine. Eames. but she declined it on the
ground that it does not suit her.
According to most Of the reports in
the English newspapers the perform
ance Of Sudermann's johannes" in
Berlin was attended by very little in
terest and no excitement. One account
says: The scene of the prologue is laid
in the rocky desert near Jerusalem.
where the people of all grades and call
ing flock II hear the words OF the
preacher. In the first three acts the
scene is Jerusalem. John. hearing
that the Jewish priests have not the
courage TO rebuke Herod Aniipas for
his intended marriage with Herod;as
sets out To warn the Tetrarch Among
his followers is one Miriam, a serving
girl and favorite companion OF Sa-
lone. and by her agency he gains ad-
mission to the palace. From this point
the Baptist becomes the object OF The
wiles Of Salome. the daughter of He
rodias and a very unscriptural con-
:rast Is introduced between the divine
mission of the Baptist and the earthly
7ttffAaStcitS VIII NiiaSh IS - aSSdIiSN.
In the last two acts the scene changes
to town OF Galilee. where John the
Baptist Is imprisoned The curtain
rises for the last time on the banquet
iag hall in the Tetrarch's palace. where
Herod Antipas entertains his Roman
guests. In the dancing of Saianas the
rythmic measure OF the East was aa-
mirahls depicted. though the rnalsis. left
something II he desired The tor-
demned preacher Is then summoned.
and. when the message frcm Christ As