The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-12
RICHMOND PROVES IT
is A MUSICAL CITY
Braves Influenza Hear Alma Guck Sing and Then Shows
Dissemination and Catl oicy of Taste That Is Al
together Delightful erfect Piece Of Program Making

A smiling, shedding, coughing audi
ence braved influenza and, enraptured,
heard Alma Gluck sing In the Academy
last night It was a brave but well
repaid audience, for the concert was
delightful from more than one point
OF view. II may not have been from
the most important one OF all. the box
! Office point Of view, but Mrs. II. w.
Iawksworth and Mrs. Mary Pace
Groner. who presented Alma Giuck.
may not say that Richmond is not
musical, even after counting noses.
The Academy was remarkably well
/, filled, and. most remarkable Of all, 1t
was not the songs of antebellum days
that received the most applause. Not
I by a long and sustained outburst. The
number that received the real plaudits
of the evening was Chant Indoue
from the Legend 'Sadko." by Rim
sky -Korsakon.
not musical after noting that state
ment.
Modern Of Moderns.
Rimsky -Korsakofr. IL a not too faulty
moderns. He rs such an advanG ed
modern that he Is termed futurist
by eminent critics who write descrip-
tons of program music for the benefit
Of the less gifted.
I Rimsky- Korsakoff, Ii not too faulty
memory can be trusted, is a Russian
OF more than passing fame. whose
symphonic writings have attracted at
tention in the new as well as the old
world; who Is regarded as a coloriss.
a realist OF bartarie splendor and
! beauty; with q touch of that Russian
temperament which proclairns the
uri.nlal and makes the Russ the most
{ WasfNrr nrE "a ct In at NJ
! the most Eastern of Western, as MIR.
kipltng hath It
-! Richmond 10 Musical.
! And when a Richmond audience
greets a Rimsky- Korsakoff Chant In
doue, which may mean Hindoo chant.
with soft pealing chimes stealing
I through the accompaniment, forming
a background for the iulling melody
as said in the beginning. when
| Richmond audience greets this sort of
music with tempestuous applause, IL
is no use crying aloud that Richmond
Is not musical. Richmond H. And IL
that il not enough authority for the
statement. add to IL that Nerdis fiorId
"Aht fors lui' did not get any more
applause than the Rimsky korsakof
number, IL az much, and you have
proof positive that Richmond is n mu-
steal city.
/ To be sure. the wonderful art of the
singer in this number had a great
! deal to do with the success of this
song. So had the pianist. Arthur
Rosenstein, who played SO wonderfully
that it did not need much imagination
TO see q broad highway. white in the
blazing sun. a temple in the distance:
! hear the chant sounding from afar OF
and the chimes peaiing softly. drow-
silly, on the haxy, lazy afternoon air
| IL there is any air In the afternoon III
! India. Well, make 1t evening and let
It go at that
Ante-Bellum Songs
Most folk would have got up ana
wagered, II given to the sin OF de-
claring something which does not find
expression in money put up or laid
down. to back an opinion. that all
Richmond would have gone Wild over
Alma Giuck's songs of ante-belium
times She sank My Old Kentucky
Home" and The Old Folkes at
Home and ordinarily they excite al
I most as much of Ia riot as Dixie.
But they did not do SO with that mu-
steal Richmond audience. last night.
| the people In that discriminating
crowd applauded the singer for sing
ing them so well, but did not demand
that she should sing them ali over
again.
They paid their greatest tribute TO
| the charming. giriish looking prima
donna under a wonderful sunbonnet
and gowned in a marvellous swaying.
! boobing creation of crinolin that re-
vealed a shapely ankle or two at ap-
propriate times Mme.-or Is 1t
Miss ?--Gluck certainly was charming
in that costume, dear to the hearts of
all Richmond folk: fully as charming
as she was In the wonderful evening
gown of white ivory satin that she
wore In the first part of the evening.
Won Triumph All Her Own.
1t may be said, therefore, without
fear OF contradiction that Alma Gluck
won personal triumph last night. AS
woman and as singer she was
equally we'll received and when at the
close OF the entertainment she step
ped forward and dared to challenge
the memory of Patti by singing
Home. Sweet Home" as Richmond
has not heard it sung for 10. so many
years that only Captain Guigon can
give an authoritive date and he prob
ably from merely legend. the house
repaid her by listening with all its
ears and then bursting into perfect
salvo of applause. II was a fitting
ending TO an eventfui night.
From q program point Of view the
concert was perfect. The opening
/ number were from the ancients-
classics, everyone Of them. The first
was one OF Giuck's characteristic arias
from tho opera III Teiermaco," as
stately and beautiful as Giuck ever
wrote.
The second was contribution by
one Wolfgang Mozart. q bright young
fellow Of his day who Is still regarded
az something Of a musician and q
writer Of melody. The third was a
song by certain Ludwig Beethoven
and the fourth was that piece of old
point lace, The Lass With the Deli
cate Air." that DR.. Arne wrota For
the encore Miss Gluck chose so
Sweet ID She" the words OF which
were written by rare Hen johnson
and the music by some forgotten COM
poser who lived in the year 1914, or
Whereabouts
Verdi and Moderns.
Diminishing the classics Miss Chuck
followed with the more modern. II .
A-4A a. xxhA - ~ f~ IA