The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-27
LONDOES NEW TMPUESARIO
T8OMaS BEECHAwS TRIUMPH
IT COVENT GARDEN.

NlRe Perfarmaneea sS "Rslektra."
% which Londoa CrO~aed-Other
Novelties AmePaean singers HelpeSi.
LONDON. March I0.-Thsmas BeechAm
was a few weeks ego only the very musi-
cal son Of Q rich father. Joseph Beecham.
Of pill fame. Nov he in one OF England's
leading impresarios. having managed
an opera Aesson az Covsnt Garden which
has We'd with the grand season there in
hrilliancy and artistic and financial re-
suits.
Mr.. Beecham had conducted has own
orchestra for some time. and a very ex-
cellsnt orchestra u IN: hut when he pro-
posed IN take Covent Garden and pro-
dUce operas in Frsnoh and German
few months before the regular season
London smiled at his temeTity. MI.
Beecham smiled back and began by scor-
ing heavily over his rivals. He secured
'slektra.' and il proved thu foundation
on which the success Of his opera seasOn
was based
Mr.. BeechAm did not spare expense in
presenting operas. He got just the ar
tists he wanted for the parts. n they
already had signed contracts TO sing else
where he paid heavy indemnities to re-
lease them
The season opened with "Elsktra.'
and the opera took London by storm.
The FIVE performances originally arranged
for were extended TO nine. Royalty came
on three separate occasions. Crowds such
a. COvent Garden had not seen since
Tetrazzini's first appearance gathered
th-re. Hundreds were turned away from
every performance. London talked OF
-Elektra- and Mr. BeechAm was q made
man.
Besides STRAUSS work the new manager
gave several other novelties. including
Frederick DeIi,Is's Village Romeo and
Juliet Debua@y's -L'EnfAnt Prologue
a revival OF Sullivan's -TvanhOa" and
The wrsoksrs.- which hEd only been
sesn at HiS Msjesty's Theatre before.
Carmen. Tristan una isolde" ana Han
sci and Grstel- wore also among rhe pro-
auctions
The Village Romeo and Juliet like
many other operas by English composers,
met with success on the Continent hut
had % wait long before England cared
To hear IT, The IibrettO 10 from a story by
the Swiss poet Gottfried Keller and il IN
six scenes a prologue and three acts.
There 10 much beautiful and original
music in the opera. Mr.. Beechsm gave
an almost perfect production. The or
chestra under his alert attention played
superbIy. Beautiful scenes were pre-
s@nted
-L'Enfant ProdiRue.- which England
had never seen before pleased greatly.
and came next 20 -Elektrs- among the
seasons successes The Nreckers' had
the advantage 81 far better production
than when giv~n az Hia Majesty'S Theatre.
hut IL did not prove n great drnw wing card
and vas surg only twice.
Tho revival ~ 'IvAnhoe- had almost
tragic features Nin~,een wears ago
this op~ra was herald~d a. marking the
dawn 81 a ns~ era OF English opera and
nov ~ has been revived and laid aside
again as unfit to take a place beside the
OPERAS ~ to-day The sol'~ Nhi~h have
ls.'"ns popular in drawing roOms. -uch
~ 10 Jolly Jenkins Woo Thou the
~no~daka. Lord ~ Dur chosen Rae
and Moon Arr Thou Clad "a Silver Mai.
w~rp rap',rorlSly sncor~i. hut for the
rnasi ran the rnusic s~eiD~d too TRIVIAL
for , o,snt 6ia-rien and the opera rather
hor-t ~. sndi~nc" despite the weslth
~ color and picturesque -s~nes.
Mr. Bes-~harr's artists we're IN many
cases English. and - must be admitted
With Roget tha, thsv we're sometimes
scarrslv equal - 'h~sr parts Training
for url'or,o and ErgIsh concert plat
forms docs uOt mean training for grand
opera and tpssutIful voices are not enough
~ compsnsais tor amat~urIsh acting
On. appreciates the patriotism which F..
prom pts.i Mr. B..~,'hsn 10 give chance .
to 49, many British ARTISTS ~ veil A. =" a
British orchestra and several British
composers but tha 'a~T remains that MS
season was carried - success hy american
singers ard French and t'"Tman com .
poSars.
Miss Ediih Walker ard Miss Frances
Roa.. are the two Americans who won
-t,~rial honor amt distinction m England
in these last few weeks Miss Walker has !
ot cp,rsa sung IN London b~fore hui her ,
Elskfrn hrough, her Ia the topm"-' pm
nAcI.. ot onerAiic fame IN The Wrecksrs-
also she did remarkable work
Miss Frances Rose ns~comer. -
CkrVsofhsHpis has now mad" name for !
hsr-sH hers after , successful career in :
German while a. Carmen she WIS also !
very fine She has a h.a uiiful voic' and ,
- an ,XC~ll~nt sctress
FRAU MiIdenburg Who came from 7
Germany H. suE C!psm~ssfTG. was
another artist who aided Mr. B-~cham ,
TO achieve what he wanted She - a
good actress and IN -Trist"n ind Isolde .
as we'll ~ -Eiektra- she did superb work :
The seal was set UPON Mr. Be~cham's
sucressfuI -~sson when Dr Strauss came
over from Germany ." see -Elsktrs and /
himself more than pleased .
With the production. gladly consenting
20 conduc, AZ two performances London
.uccunb~d then aud halls Mr. Beecham
as its leading conductor and mana ger IL (
musicpl benefactor
Mr. B~echam. flushed with success has
now arrspged for a season NJ light Opera
at His Maj~sty's Theatre IN May. He
will produce there Ms non. Hansel and
(,rrt@I IL BohSme. Louise 6c
Rur10r- Of knighthood for one Beecham
ov the other IRE current Either the