Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-07-12
Stephens Writes the
Choir from Norway.
5Innnnnnnn

static night on "santens Hagen" over
looking the neyer-to forgotten city
OF Christiania, with IT'S ford or bay dot
ted over with sails and pleasure boats,
Is quite enough to repay me for my
fifteen thousand miles journey here and
back. Need say more? | could not,
excepting as TO It's people. AS 10 them,
/ can only repeat my favorable Inn
preston OF two years ago. Its young
people strike me as the fairest, light
est hearted and most genial In the
world.
AT THE OPERA.
Where have | been since my last
writing? A few days In London to open
the grand opera season lin company
with my friend the p-no, the klng)
We all attended In our usual places,
Nordica sang Elsa" for u.s. 10 the com
partnership Of the weeplest, wobbling-
est "I.ohengrn,' ca GermaniZed ltai.
lan), have ever had the pain to listen
to. She was not in good voice, either
being at best too large and robust for
the ethereal dream, MAID OF Brabant;
II was "A misiit all around, and ones
sympathy the whole night went-ln
spite Of himself-and Wagner thrown
in--with the bad knight and his royal
witch wife, for they were both mag
nificent singers, Van Rody the one, ana
a new English contralto. Miss kirby
Lunn. who, By the way, was for some
time a pupil OF the present teacher OF
our own Mamie Tout. II Mamie comes
out as well there is fame In store Tor
her
A REAL COMIC OPERA AT LAST
The following night was cheered up
a bit by hearing the new comic opera
--(don't have a ft), "Merrie England
a CHEEKY Merle work with more Wis
dom, pretty viii and real humor IN
II than all the operas CD ! have seen
and heard for some years. II Is not for
u moment the aimless hodge-podge we
have learnt TO look for in this sort or
work, but like the old Gilbert ana
Sullivan best samples, full Of point.
poetry and ready wit In text and ele-
ment, appropriate music TO match, 20
that one need not feel foolish for snNl-
ing, not utterly unmuscal In applaud |
ing many OF the musical numbers The |
music Is by Edward German fmnsi- |
clans at home Will remember his Rus |
tic Dances" that our band won their |
laurels for playing at the Denver Els |
teddfod). so this clever work is real |
ly full Of character and charm. A home |
Of such q work az this. |
once or twice year, would be healthy |
recreation, especially for those OF our |
singers who have no serious aim In |
view unsteady, but to such | would |
still say, never stoop to trife.
AN IDEAL "RIGOLETTo."
Next we--Will and Invent to hear
Verdi's "Rigoletto," with Melba and
Renaud IN the two leading roles. A
new italian tenor the real thing this
time, with a free. clear, luscious tone.
and delivery TO match, and
with Kirby Lunn TO finish the quartet.
Renaud's "Rigoletto" easily stood out
as the masterwork of the night, though
Melba and the tenor both sang d.
vinely. But this great baritone sang
and acted the part In way that made
one forget that Verdi ever wrote mere
tunes" the simplest melodic phrase
was invested with such Sltense
and definite meaning by this
artist that one felt conviction that Il
was all surpassed Just as itit were real
word tone and action. All, my young
friends, you who are careless of the
words IN singlng--notwithsta
his was uung IN What would have been
10 you as to me a foreign tongue, could
YOU have listened with me to this great
artist, could never more be content TO
ilight the very foundations and essence
If your attempt--the expression of q