The New York herald., 1922-10-08
Opera So ng Birds
Leave Italy for
the Metro po Titan
News and Gossip Of Music
Colony-Mr. Gatti Casaz-
Za's Roster.
BysciaJ Correspondence 10 THE new -onK
HmAIp.

BysciaJ Correspo~dsmcs TO THE NEW -onK
HmALp.
New York Herald Bureau.(
Rome. Sept. 20.
~ fULIO aATTI-CASAZZA, man
ager Of the Metropolitan Opera
Company, who sails for New
York September 80. has his winter
program and roll of artists completed.
Two Italians are among the stars who
will make their debut in New York
this winter. and judging from their
success on the Continent and in South
America they will prove an important
addition to the Metropolitan artists.
Several operatic favorites who have
been passing the summer in their
homeland are sailing early in October
for New York. Giuseppe de Lucca.
Giovanni Martinelli. Antonio Scott
and Titta Ruffo will soon leave for
America, while Beniamino Gigli. the
tenor, has already sailed. in order to
prepare phonograph records and make
short concert tour before the open
ing Of the Metropolitan, November Is.
Gigli carried with him a photograph
presented by Gabrielle d'Annunzio,
whom he visited Just before sailing to
present bust of Dante on behalf of
the New York Dante Society. He is
accompanied by his former teacher,
Enrico Rosatti, who will open studio
in New York.
Several changes have been made in
Mr.. Gatti-Casazza's list of new artists.
AS revised, fifteen new stars, of whom
seven are German, four American and
two Italian, have been selected.
The revised list as given to THE New
York HERALD correspondent. Is as fol-
lows: Sopranos, Barbara Kemp, Ger
man; Queena Mario, American: Della
Reinhard and Elisabeth Rethberg, both
German. Mezzo sopranos. Ina Bours-
kaya. Russian. and Sigrid Onegin.
Swedish. Tenors, Edward Johnson and
Emile Rousseau, American Giacomo
Lauri Volpi. Italian, and Kurt Taucher,
German, Barytones, Edmund Burke,
Canadian, and Gustav Schutzendorf
German. Bassos, Paul Bender, German ;
Michael Bohnen, German, and Italo
Picchi, Italian.
Young Roman Tenor.
The italian music world is watching
with affection the career of young
Lauri Volpi, which has been meteoric.
The young tenor is a Roman. and
strangely enough. has graduated from
a law school. An opera star who is also
lawyer is rather a novelty. but Signor
Lauri volpi has only one preoccupation
at present.
The tenor has a generous and very
flexible voice. and his diction Is dis
tinguished. His most successful roles
have been lyric ones, on such operas as
'Rigoletto," "Tosca,' la Boheme," II
Puritanir and Lucia" Making his
debut in the Scala in Milan last winter
in "Rigoletto." Lauri Volpi was at once
taken to the hearts of the Italian opera
goers, and had a return engagement.
He then sang in the Royal Theater in
Madrid, and this summer has had sue
cess in South America, singing in the
Colon Opera House in Buenos Aires
then in Rio de Janeiro and San Pauio.
He win return here late in November
and go to New York in January.
"Anima Allegra" by Franco Vittadini,
one of the two new operas which Mr..
Gatti-Casazza will present to Metropoli-
tan audiences this winter. has already
been heard in Italy and accorded an en-
thusiastic reception. The libretto has
been written by Giuseppe Adami upon a
little Spanish folk tale of the Brothers
Quintero, and is said to be charming.
Three italian Tenors.
Besides the two new Metropolitan
stars Italy will send three tenors and
one barytone to make their American de-
butts this winter. Two of these, the
Barytone Cesare Formchi and the Tenor
Angelo Minghetti, will appear In the
Chicago Civic Opera. and the other two.
Signori Barra and Famadas, have been
engaged by Signor Fortune Gallo for his
early season at the Century Theater in
2 New York and for the tour of the coun-
try during the winter. Signor Gennaro
Barra will return to Italy in December.
however. since he has Continental en-
gagements. Besides the favorite Italian
roles he has several French and English
operas at his command.
Cesare Formichi is already known to
Americans who attended the gala season
this summer at Vichy. where his sue
cesses in "Rigoletto" and "Tosca" were
followed by an equal triumph in "Thais"
NJ Prestat president of the Vichy Mu-
sical Society, gave a gala banquet In his
honor before his departure to sing in
the Paris Opera. Formichi will appear
for ten weeks in the Chicago company.
beginning November IL. Among his
French roles are those he will sing
In "Thais," Romeo ct Juliette" and
"Feur de Neige''
The tenor Angelo Minghetti. who goes
70 Chicago in the middle of October for
ten weeks engagement. sang this sum-
mer in the gala season in Bergamo,
where his Rigoietto was particularly
well received. Minghetti Is possessed of
dramatic ability. and his voice is adj
mired. One of his roles in Chicago will
be Leopold in "L'Ifbrea" by Halovy.