Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-22
THE CHORAL SOCIETY.
Van Rooy's Triumph at Last Nights
Concert

| Anton Van Rooy last night made a COM
plete conquest of the Washington Choral
| Society and its friends. From this time
| onward he Is to be reckoned one of the
most favored vocalists among the musi-
| clans who are heard in the national capital.
This result is an outcome of last night
concert of the Choral Society at the First
Congregational Church and is the culmina-
| ton of extremely interesting musical
story.
Madame Schumann-Heink has long been
in Washington eyes foremost musical at
traction, and when the Choral Society an
nounced her as the Soloist for its regular
April concert every seat in the auditorium
was Immediately sold. At that time prob
ably singer in America could have been
substituted without the most bitter remon-
strances from the society and its patrons.
But Nine. Schumann-Henk has been quite
worn out this season. and since last week
has been very i'll. 1t was a physical i'm
possibility for her to come to Washington
Sunday.
This announcement occasioned all the
CONSERVATION expected. But Herr Van
Rooy's fame in New York persuaded all
but twenty-five ticket holders to remain
and submit to the change in the offering.
Very probably the great basso himself APP
preciated this and sang with even more
earnestness than, like the true German
wise. At the end Of his first number-the
well-known "Blick ich umber.'' from
''Tannha user"-the substitution was con-
doned. The encore, the Evening Star
song, justified it. And the succeeding num-
bers-lullabies, serious songs and operate
selections-converted the recital into per-
sonal triumph for the substitute.
A singular parallel exists between the art
of Nine. Schumann-Heink and that of Herr
Van Rooy. Both are German musicians
Both have deep, richly colored voices Both
are distinguished pre-eminently as great
Wagnerian interpretists. But more than all
else both sing simply and sincerely and
produce a melodic series Of pure tones
which thrill the hearer with an almost SEN
suous delight. They, too, probably repre-
sent modern voice culture in it's highest
development. That Van Rooy should have
so completely won over last nights audi
ence is a fair indication, then, that his au-
dience heard him intelligenuy and without
bias.
The Choral Society gratifed the audience
by maintaining the high standard set by
its recent performance of the Mazzoni
requiem. 1t is now easily the best large
chorus to be heard in the community. The
changed program provided for-two Men
delssohn numbers, two excerpts from
Bach's THE Great Passion" and Eichbars
ITO Thee, o Country 1t would be hard
to choose between these offerings-the gen.
eral excellence of the chorus work was so
marked. But the Mendelssohn selections
apparently gave the most pleasure. Con-
ductor Kaspar, DR.. Gloetzner and the 9TH
ers who have contributed to this seasons
concerts of the Choral Society have made
themselves the creditors of the entire city.
In addition to the numbers given above
Herr Van Rooy rendered, either as formal
selections or encores, the following:
Reichart's Lied die Nacht;' "Das
Muhlrad," Erik; "Todessehnnicht," Bach;
Phyllis und die Mutter," Erik; ''Du Dist die
Ruiz Schubert; Der Doppelganger,"
Schubert; Der Tod und das Madchen,"
Schubert, and AN Schwager Kronos,"
Schubert When the last Schubert number
was finished Herr Van Rooy retired amid
a storm Of handclapping. For seven minutes
the demonstration continued, to be renewed
twice when, with marked graciousness, the
great basso responded with the Toreador
song from Carmen" and that wonderful
German song, Itch Grolle Nicht."