Arizona republican., 1922-01-20
OPERA
SINGER BREAKS
WITH DIRECTOR
rRepubIIcan A. p. Leased wlre1

LRepublican a. p. Leased WIre1
CHICAGO, Jan. 1s.-Lucien Mura-
tore. tenor of the Chicago Opera
company, departed for New York to-
day In the midst OF his controversy
with Mary Garden, director general
of the company.
He took exception to Miss Gardens
management, not on the ground that
she is a women but because she is
singer and director,
The French tenor voiced his resent
ment that Miss Garden had said in
statement last night that the Chi
cago Opera was to be under "Ameri-
can dictation" and that foreign die
tation was thing Of the past" He
also denied that he had asked un-
reasonable favors, disclaimed any as
| piration to the opera dictatorship and
said he preferred to return to the
| Chicago company next year. provid-
| ing Miss Garden is not the director.
| Miss Garden has been too worried
and too nervous over her duties as
director to maintain smooth organ
| ization," Mr.. Muratore said. Much
money has been spent on singers
who never appeared, consumes never
used, and operas never produced In
! her anxiety to make good. she has
unconsciously caused much dissatis-
! faction among the company.
| mo one can sing and be director,
| too. Singers are generally jealous
of each other. They are bound to
| show favoritisn, and in an opera
| company that causes discomfort.
| But why does Miss Garden talk
| of American dictation? There should
| be no dictation at all. The singers
are under contract which specify
what they are to do. There should
| be do dictator"
Miss Garden, he said, did give
American opera this year and
brought out only one new American
singer-Mary McCormic
Edith Mason sang for the first
time, but she was signed up before
| Miss Garden became director" Mr..
| Muratore said.
Miss Garden engaged artists from
| Germany and Vienna and crowded
out singers who have been with the
| comapny before.
Miss Garden bought a ballet La
Fete A. Robinson from Grovlez, one
Of the assistant conductors, had
costumes made, scenery painted. re-
! hearsed it and then never gave it i.
All that was a big expenditure Of
money.
II love to sing with Miss Garden,
but this season she has always been
thinking of other things. and it was
| hard to sing with her. / want to
come back to the company, but not
with Miss Garden as director"
AIR. Muratore exhibited contract
in which he was engaged for 40 per-
formances at $2,S00 each. The con-
tract required him to learn three
roles which he had never sung before.
Muratore declared that after learn
ing these long roles, one was never
given, another only twice and the
third but three times.
Muratore said he had been offered
contracts by the Colon of Buenos
Aires, the Metropolitan of New York
and concert agency in this country.
lie said he would sing for none of
them, however, until he was assured
that Mary Garden was again to head
the Chicago company next year.
Directors OF the opera company
said Muratore had agreed to fulfill
the terms Of the present contract
which call for 13 more weeks with
the company, five in New York be-
I ~h4~ChASAyy anu NA6AI OA NAAS
western trip. Efforts to persuade
him to sign for the 1928 New York
season Of the Chicago company fail
ed, 1t was said. when he was told
that Miss Garden would be the d.
rector.
Not for $4,000 a night with her
as director" he was quoted as re-
plying.
There were many reports among
the singers of the company tonight
that Muratores break with Miss
Garden will be followed by the resig-
nations OF some other members.
Muratore himself today told re-
porters that Miss Garden recently
had pushed Giorgio Polacco out Of
her office following an altercation
over Polacco's orchestra conducting
and that the condutor would not re-
new his contrat.
Mis- Garden repeatedly had told
Polacco he was the best conductor
the company ever had," said Mura-
tore. Then she called him into her
office one day and told him he was a
rotten conductor. Polacco told her
to pay more attention to her singing
and less to his conducting. Then she
struck at him with her fists and
pushed him out"
| Polacco tonight refused to confirm
or deny Muratore's statements con-
corning him. One group in the COM
pany recently urged Polaccos ap-
pointment as Miss Gardens sue
cessor, bat the directors did not heed
the apeal
Miss Garden praised the singers
to their faces" said Muratore; "she
petted and kissed them, and then be-
hind their backs she knocked them.
l heard her tell Edward Johnson he
him he had a wooden voice.
"She talks so much of her Amer
lean dictation. Why did she not
give Johnson, Mason, Marshal and
other Americans a fair chance this
season?" ...... Is.