Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-06-29
Europe Crazy Over a Waltz.

Special Correspondence,
I ONDON. June l5.-Folk in Amer
lea who cannot abide musical
rrazes' VIII do well to quit the
country without loss of time. They
must not flee to Europe, however for
to do so would be 10 encounter the
precise hing they viii he wanting TO
avoid, namely a walt2--a waltz which
has keep all the continent hummnE
for the past twelve-month, and which
has just scored hit in this country
such as has not been known for many
years 1t Is certain sure to cross the
Atlantic before much time has passed
and then, wen --.
one cannot put musical notes in a
letter, else the waltz refrain in ques-
ton mlghl be set down here Neither
can one really describe a melody in
print so ! must try to give You an idea
OF the Fascination of this waltz from
The Merry Widow by going into de-
taiis DIT regarding its phenomenal
success on the continent and by chron-
icing It's electrical effect upon an audi
ence at DAILY theuteT. where the OPP
eretta containing it was given for the
first time In England on Saturday
evening last.
But first TO explain about the oper-
eta itself which is known throughout
Europe as Die I.ustige Witwe" Com
posed by Franz Leher. a Hungarian, it
Was 1rst given IN Vienna about a year
ago, and not only is il "sttll running"
in the Austrian capital but il has been
produced in almost every other contin-
entail city OF the first rank; having
been performed, In fact something
like 1000 times! And the wonderful
waltz has done II ali, Of that there is
little doubt, since, apart from It and
perhaps two of the songS. THE Merry
Widow" is only fairly meodious anu
nothing very special regarded as an
entertainment. But the nobody of this
dance and the dance itself Well.
wherever YOU so on the continent
where there is a band you will find 1t
playing "Balsirenen, las the waltz is
called-and the composers profits out
of the sale of the music are said to
have been 5000 900 already.
1t is safe to say, too, that probably
few more dangerous. not to say sensu-
Gus, things have been seen on the
stage than this waltz, even as two An
glo Saxons dance 1t at Dat theater.
1t Is introduced, by the way. as a
"MarsoVian' dance. and / will not try
to describe the business" as you arc
sure to see it in America before long.
one may say, however that II is not
hard to understand the sensations Of
Otto Natherson, leading Danish actor
who, after seeing his Wife. Gcrda
Krum, do this dance with another man
some dozens OF times. became SO MAD
doned by jealousy that he shot her
dead on the stage Of the Aalborg thea
ter.
Al Days the dancers are Joe"
Coyne of L. 5. A., and Lily Elsie.
whom George Edwardes finally chose
for THE Merry Widow" after post
poning the London production of the
piece for months in despair of finding
anybody who could I'll the title part.
His first choice naturally, was the
actress who created the part in Vienna,
but no terms could tempt her to come
TO London and where AN English song
stress could be found "strong" enough
for the role even Edwardes did not
know. He induced Marie Tempest 10
go to Vienna and see THE Widow. .
but she asked to be excused and the
managers quest seemed more hopeless
than ever. He seemed 10 have done the
right thing. though, in choosing Lily
Elsie TO play Coma, for though she
previously has had only small parts
she won In a canter on Saturday night
and can have the lime-light from now
on.
The famous waltz comes in the Sec
ond act of THE Merry Widow" and
while It was danced the audience sat
SPELL bound. That is not too strong a
word TO use; we We're enhanced, just
as Europeans have been. by the
haunting refrain with It's SLOW
dreamy swing, as we'll as by the Ian
guorous grace OF the dance itself Then
came thunderOus applause. ana a repe-
tition OF the dance, during which an
almost somen hush fell on the speeta-
tors. After this the curtain fen, and
AS Herr Lehar the composer, who was
conducting, turned To leave his scat