The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-18
NOhDICA PLANS
Her re TIRE MENT
Magnificent Cantatrice Talks of
Her Splendid Career in
Grand Opera.
PLANS FGR THE FUTURE
OF THE SONG BIRD
Kindness Of Frau Wagner: As
to National Opera in
England.

We'll. goodbye is a difficult word TO
say, but seriously | nm thinking Of TAX
ing things rather more easily in the
future, says Nine Nordca 10 the
London correspondent of the PhIladel.
pima Record. by The bye do you
know that mountain and Tivcr in
British Guiana have actually been
named after mo? Now that ] have
worked my way into the map of the
world, what more can ] ask of for
tune?'
Undoubtedly il is q solemn expert
ence 10 find oneself between the covers
Of an atlas, but need it drive you into
private lifc''
con, haven Z taken the fatal
plunge yet. You know ] am engaged
for the opera season at New York in
the winter, where, among other operas,
am going TO sing 'La Tosca for the
first time. Then in the spring comes
my marriage, and after that-well, we
shall see. doubt if | shall accept
any long enga cement again, but | may
very possibly turn up in dear old Lon
don once more, at any rate for concert
work. y
Anxious to Hear Her.
Yes. but we want 10 hear You in
opera. 1t was i'll opcra that You FIRST
won our hearts, though In the old days
you were our favoritc Gilda and Mar
guerite, and now we know YOU better
as Rrunblde and Isolde.
"Oh. | am Gilda and Marguerite
| ul, ,rp
Wagner, he has not driven Verdi and
Gounod ont Of my heart. Why, the
very last opera in which ] appeared was
: La Traviata, and | ENJOY singing 1T
as much as ever
"You are catholic in your tastes,
then?"
4" Well, and must not every artist he
so if he or she is worthy of the name!
do not believe in singers who continc
Most of the great Wagnerian singers
began with Italian opera. Matcrna 5
early days were spent in opera boutie,
and Lilli Lehman WAS the best go o
ratur' singer in Germany before she
discovered Wagner
"You fell under the spell of the
great magician very early, 1t seems
only the day before yesterday that
heard YOU sing Elsa at Bayreuth, but !
dare say it was fifteen wears ago.
"Ah that was q delightful time!
Yes, it was in 1894, T think ] never en-
ioyed anything moro than singing
?Lohcngrin' at Bayrcuth. What a won
derful woman Frau Wagner is can
not tell YOU how much | learned from
her. -
"You did not find her too autocratic?
She has the reputation of being ter
rible martinet.'
Tribute to Frau Wagner.
,"No, YOU musn t make fun of her.
Il will tell you a story of her goodness,
Soon after my Bayreuth experiences J.
went to Lucerne to study the part OF
Isolde. 7 told the manager of the no,
tel that ] should be pTactlclng goo"
deal and that ! hoped | should not dlS-
turb the guests. Oh. no, he replied;
everybody loved music there, and my
practicing would be a constant delight
IN fhe whole neighhorhood. After one
morning OF Tristan however, me
changed his note. Music was all very
we'll, he said, but the stuff | was sing,
ing had neither head nor tai. 80 L ha9
TO look about for a practicc room, ana
YOU would hardly believe the trouble )
had to find one At last | managed
TO secure a pokv little room over
barbcr's shop, where ] could sing to
nv heart s content and Frau Wagner,
who was living near came IN every DAY
"a teach me the part. On. how we
worked! From 10 to ! in the morning
and from 5 to 5 in the afternoon, |
nsed to be very tired sometimes, but
il was bliss all the same, and l never
can think of all the trouble that Frau
Wagner took without gratitude:
81 see you are believer III hard
work -
become an artist
~ have been an enthusiast for Eng
lisb opera ever since | sang IN st
Charles Stanford S yelled Prophet
nearly twenty years ago.