The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-15
INSPIRING MUSIC
and SPEECHES AT
FREIHEIT AFFAIR
Communist Celebration
Stirs Chicago Crowd
BY ALFRED V. FRANKENsTEIN.

BY ALFRED v. FRANKENsTEIN.
Ivan Steschenko, bass Of the Chi
cago opera, won a tremendous ova-
ton at the concert in celebration of
the second year Of the "Freiheit", at
Orchestra Hall, last Friday evening.
Steschenko is what Chaliapin was
twenty years ago. Both singers have
big bass voices, large in volume, per-
feet in quality But where Chaliapin
has dignity and reserve, Steschenko
has the vigor, fire, and brilliance Of
youth. He appeared in Russian cos
tune, and again like the better
known Chaliapin, acted every song as
well as singing it.
The ballad called 1.-THE Pedlars,"
sung in Russian to text by Nekras-
SOY, a reckless and staggering song,
was the one with which he captured
his audience.
voIga Boatman's Song.
His singing of the almost hackneyed
Song Of the Boatmen of the volga"
was quite new and different from the
familiar interpretations. Where the
average American conceives the tune
as slow and sobbing one. Steschen-
ko sang quite fast and staccato, with
the proud joy Of strong man, CON
scious of his strength, and revealing
in the use Of it. A unique and wond-
erful performance was his, and it
would be hard to find anyone else
capable of one like it.
Great Russian Tenor.
Ivan Dneiproff, tenor Of the Russian
opera, sang also. Dnieproff has been
praised so often and so highly in these
columns recently that further praise
is unnecessary. But, when he goes to
the Chicago opera next year, Polacco
cannot use him too often to satisfy
this writer.
Minna Ysaeva, dramatic soprano,
who started her artistic career at a
sewing machine in Rothchild's shops,
was the third soloist. She displayed
q voice Of fine quality and well.
schooled, and consid erable interpreta-
tive ability.
FreiheIt's ProIetarlan Artists.
The Freiheit Singing society, probe
tartan artists par excellence, under the
direction of Conductor Shaeffer, open
ed the concert with the Internationale.
Other numbers were rendered to the
accompaniment Of the Freiheit Man
dolin orchestra.
These two organizations are prob
ably the only ones Of their kind in
the city Of Chicago; composed exclu-
sively Of workingmen and women at
each of their appearances they sur
prise and please the audience by the
perfection of their performance and
tho variety of their repertoire. Their
services are always donated to work
ingclass enterprises.
6ItteIman and Dunno Speak.
Alexander Bittelman, magazine edi-
tor of the DAILY WORKER and MEM
Der of the Central Executive Commit
tee of the Workers Party, delivered a
short address in Jewish, conveying the
question of the Jewish Federation and
dealing with the mission of the Fret
heit and the party. William F. Dunno
of the DAILY WORKER, delivered the
greetings of the Central Executive
Committee of the Workers Party to
the Preiheit on its second anniversary
and took up the collection for the sup
port of that paper
Comrade NJ Backal, chairman of
the meeting told the history and spoke
of the task of the Freiheit in the fu-
ture. Greetings in the form of tele-
grams and short speeches were re-
ceived from the Freiheit offices in
New York, from the T. U. e. L., Y.
w. L., and several other organiza-
tions.
About 1900 people attended the con-
cert. The affair was exceptionally we'll
managed and reflects credit on the To-
cal management of the Freiheit and
the Chicago section of the Jewish Fed
Grafton.