The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-21
The Grand Opera Season.

The Grand Opera Season.
The only grand opera of the theatrical
year in Indianapolis will be heard at Eng
lishs Opera House this evening, tomorrow
afternoon and tomorrow night. 1t will be
sung by an organization at is in every
way capable of rendering the works of the
great composers-a company of efficient
singers that has established a reputation
| throughout America as a thoroughly meri-
torious organization. This announcement in
/ itself should be sufficient TO pack English's
/ at each performance, for il is seldom that
/ grand opera is heard nowadays in Indian
! apolis Music-loving people, lovers. indeed,
/ of things that refine, ennoble and elevate
i life should take full advantage of the OPP
/ portunity not only to delight and stimulate
their artistic sense, but to show that this
i city is not lacking in support and encour-
| agement OF great artistic enterprise All
who attended performances by Henry w.
| Savage's company last season in this city
are aware of the fact that gand opera in
| the English language has never before been
so finely sung, even in the days or the eel
ebrated Emma Abbott and the American
/ Grand Opera Company. Tonight Nerdl
masterpiece. "Othello. will be presented
nyson. the supurb dramatic soprano, in the
| role of Desdemona; Joseph Sheehan, the
role; Winfred Golf. a splendid baritone, as
/ Iago and Rita Newman, the new meZzo-
! soprano, as Emilia. TOMORROW afternoon
Verdfs ever popular III eTrovatore' will
be given, and Wagner's .Lohengrin" will
be presented tomorrow evening.
/ =
Something about the talented young sing
] ers of this excellent company will be of
I interest to those who expect to attend one
/ or more of the operas. Miss Rennyson,
who sings the leading soprano roles to-
night and tomorrow night, and who made
a most favorable impression in Indianapolis
| last year, is the daughter of Captain Rem
/ nyson, editor of the NOrristown PaO
| Times. She studied first at the Boston
Conservatory, and then went to Paris for
| three years. Manager Savage heard her
/ sing for the first time during the summer
| of the Paris exposition. The writer of
these notes, who was in Paris at the time,
! and had heard Miss Rennyson sing at
! several musicales in the Latin quarter
| among the music students, was interested
in the outcome of her trial before before the
turned from her rehearsal all aglow with
joy. "Mr. Savage likes my voice. she
| said, land has offered me an engagement
1t was Savage, however, who was. in the
| greater ecstasy of delight. He had found
the soprano for whom he had long been MI, IN
Well, rather! He signed her for three
| years, with an iron-bound contract.
Jean Lane Brooks, the new prima
donna soprano. who will be the Leonora of
I'll Trovatore" is a daughter of General
Brooks of Fort Smith, Ark, and a sister
of Madeline Brooks, the well-known ora
| torio singer. She is a brunette, and in her
early twenties. From childhood her music
al training was the special pride of her
| talented sister. Two years ago she went
| to Paris and placed herself under Juliani.
| Without a thought of returning TO Amer
ica for years, she sang for Mr. Savage
Last ifrCf
| done before her, and was Immediately Sc
| cured under contract by that shrewd i'm
pressario. who, although not musician
himself. seems 10 have an unfailing musical
instinct that leads him to select the right
people for his organization. Miss Brooks
made her American debut as Santuzza in
/ ''CaValleria Rusticana," and also sang
| Michaela in Carmen the same week.
| scoring successes in both roles. She and
Think of thatl-rival prima donnas who
are ehums. No wonder the Savage organ
| ization runs along so smoothly from season
| to season.
Winfred Golf, the favorite American bari
tone is not only fine singer, but an ex-
cellent actor. His best parts are Iago in
"Othello." Baron Scarpia in 'Tosca" and
| Telramund in 'Lohengrin." Pietro Cher
ardi is one of the most popular of the for
egn singers in the company. He is an
| Italian tenor with a finely cultivated voice
that blends the lyric with the robust. He
is very versatile and is enabled to sing
Don Jose in Carmen" one night and ''Io-
hengrin' the next with ease. His English
is almost perfect Signor Gherardi will be
the LOhengrin here tomorrow evening
Francis j. Boyle, who made a strong sue
| cess as Mephisto in Faust during last
| seasons enlargement in this city, is mag
nificent basso. He IS an American Who
like Miss Ivell, studied under Sbriglia in
Paris.
| And Marion Ivell. To see and hear this
beautiful young woman as Carmen is to ex-
| perience a genuine artistic treat, and to
| know her personally is TO love her. She is
a New England girl, although her Spanish
type of beauty suggests Southern Califor-
| MA and she has had four years of hard
study under Sbriglia, the famous teacher
| of the De Reszkes. Her voice has attract
| ed much serious attention in the large mu-
sic centers, for it is a pure, rich contralto
| of almost phenomenal quality. She has the
honor of being the youngest woman to
score a great success in the role of Car
men. Her Azucena in I'll Trovatore, a
| character in which she is obliged to dis
| guise her beauty (Which she doesn't mind
| doing in the least is another of her best
| efforts.
| Rita Newman is another newcomer. She
| is California girl with a beautiful mezzo-
soprano voice, and has had eight years of
the best schooling in Europe. The last
|
| ing under Marchesi Marie Roze and Mad
| anne Weinchenk. She is said to be a fine
| Ortrude in ''LohengTin''-a most difficult
role-and divides honors with Miss Ivel as
| Azucena in III Trovatore. She will sing
| the latter character at to-morrow's mat
| inee
| The newest acquisition to the Savage
! prima donna forces is AEtoinette lie Brun,
whose appearance here will be of especial
| interest as she is Indiana girl who has
| inst returned from abroad after four years
| study and singing in France and Italy.
| | Her voice is a pure soprano of high range,
| and her favorite role is Marguerite. She
will sing in Indianapolis at the matinee
tomorrow afternoon, appearing as Inez in
III Trovatore.
Joseph Sheehan is the best known of the
tenors of the company, as he is considered
the greatest of all English-singing tenors.
Mr. Sheehan has over hundred roles, and
. his latest study, that of OtheHo in the
Verdi masterpiece (to be heard this even
irg). is said to be his best He is an un-
usually handsome man and his Troubadour
in I'll Trovatore'' is a striking perform
/. ance.
The new singers with the company who