The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-23
PEOPLE PLEASED.
Suzanne Adams Concert Com
pany Heard in Topeka.
Audience Delighted With Prima
Donna and Associates.
is NO APPRECIATION.
Madam Adams Dresses Simply
and Wears Little Jewelry.
Mr.. Champion, the Basso, Makes
a Decided Hit.

Suzanne Adams. the American singer
who prefixes to her name the French
madam opened the Topeka Choral
society's series of concerts at the Audi
forum last night. The hall was not
crowded but the same audience would
have packed either of the theaters.
There were about 1.500 people at the
concert.
Madam Adams. who is really Mrs. Leo
Stern, was supported by a concert COM
pany of three persons who pleased the
audience and received quite as mucn ap-
plause as the prima donna soprano Leo
Stern vioIfncellist, George Champion
basso eantante, and Ward Stephens
pianist, made up the company with
Madam Adams. They all worked naru
and tried to please the audience. Each
responded to one and two encores after
each number on the programme
Madam Adams, of course, was the at
traction. All the rest of the company
appeared before she did. When she did
arrive on the stage to sing her opening
number the Jewel Song from Gou-
mods Faust she seemed like a coun-
terpart of Miss Glenesk'' in when We
Were Twenty-one', for she was dressed
in red; nothing but red and a red that
would have pleased the eye of Eugene
Field who liked any color just so twas
red.
Madam Adams does not invest her
earnings in diamonds. Unlike Nordica
and DeLussan she wore no ornaments
excepting small pin. Madam Adams
may have worn a diamond or two but
they were not large nor numerous
enough to dazzle the eyes of the people
in the rear of the audience. Her cos
tune was simple.
Madam Adams impressed the audience
with the power and volume of her voice
Her selections were rather simple for a
prima donna and she sang them with no
affectation. Madam Adams voice is re-
sonant and clear. If Nordica excels in
the low, soft, mellow notes Madam
Adams excels in the higher and fortis
simo passages. In the second part of
the programme Madam Adams sang a
double number, Little Thief and
"Printemps Valse," both composed by
her husband, Leo Stern. Just to show
how musical the family is Stern played
the piano accompaniment for the first
song of the two.
George Champion, basso, pleased the
audience with his first nHmber, The
Toreador Song from BiZet's Carmen"
Mr.. Champions bass voice has filed the
Auditorium before and he is still mighty
heard in the building. With the Span
ish song he outdid Albert. To every
number Mr.. Champion was forced to re-
spond with one and two encores.
Leo Stern pleased the audience with
his cello solos and he, too was compell-
ed to respond with one and more en-
cores. In the first. double number of
Goltermann's "Andante from Concerto"
and 'sTarantelle'' by Mr.. Stern, the
ce1lfst pleased the most musical in the
audience with the first of the double
number and the less musical kept time
to the "9Tarentelle," which after all is
about the same to concert music a s rag
time selections are to the lighter grades
of music Mr.. Stern accompanied Madam
Adams In the duo for voice and cello.
Rahn's .'Obstination." The closing num-
Der of the programme was the duet La
Cidatem.'' from Mozarts Don Giovan-
MI" by Madam Adams and Mr.. Cramp
Mr.. Ward Stephens, the pianist
worked quite the hardest of any in the
concert company. Besides accompany
ing the soloists he played two numbers,
and with the encores to his numbers
and the encores responded to by the
soIoists he played over twenty-fouf
pieces Mr.. Stephens is the most mat
ter of fact Dianist that has been in the
Auditorium. He walked onto the
stage sat down and played, and then
walked off. There were no aourishes
no crossing of hands. no tandem hand
work. and no shaking of long hair In
fact, Mr. Stephens has the least hair of
anv pianist that has been seen in To-
peka He is rather bald, and what hair
he has is cropped Close This proves
that Uianists are not like Sarnson-they
do not have to have long hair to stand
high in their profession. Stephens is
an excellent performer. and he played
selections that caught the fancy of the
majority of the audience. His playing
of The Tremolo," by Gottsehalk.
brought back remembrance of the
piano niece Chop Sticks" known to
children, and it also brought Mr..
Stephens hack to play an encore.
The programme announced in adj