Evening star., 1925-02-02
CHICAGO OPERA BRINGS TO d. C..
FOUR WORLD-FAMOUS SINGERS
Chaliapin, Garden, Raisa
ARd DaL Monte to
T Be Featured
Russian, French, Italian,
And German, Scores
Viii be Sung.

The four performances of the Chi
cago Opera Company here will pre-
sent four worId-famous singers
Chaliapin, Mary Garden, Dal Monte
and Rosa Raisa
The operas have been admira bly,
selected. The first will be Tam
hauser," February 8, with Raisa in
the role of Elizabeth. The curtain
rises on the interior of the Nenusberg,
the Horsel Mountain, in Thuringia,
where Venus and her court made their
abode after Christianity hanished the
gods from Olympus. Tannhauser has
witnessed the pleasures of her court
for d year, and is beginning to long
for the outside world again. Venus
seeks TO hold him; she asks him to
slpg the song she has taught him, a
hymn to her own beauty knowing
that II he does so he will be ensnared d
once more. But he resists, and calls
on the Virgin Mary. He thus be-
comes free. He encounters pilgrims
bound for Rome, and later the hunters
of Landgraye Herbert of the Wart-
burg, whose niece, Elizabeth, loves
Tannhauser.
knights Rush to Attack.
Tannhausers return is celebrated
ny an old-time tournament of song,
IN which Walther Won der Nogelwiede
and other historic characters are en-
tered The theme of the tournament
Is love, and Tannhauser, fresh from
the court of Venus, finds the themes
or the contestants weak and futile
In q rash moment, he sings the hymn
to Venus and invites the whole as
sembly to meet him in Venusberg.
Such heresy is unendurable The
knights rush upon Tannhauser to slay
him, but he is saved by Elizabeth
Repentant, he seeks pardon in Rome
but his alone of all sins is not for
given He returns, a ragged wan
derer, TO the Wartburg, where he
learns that Elizabeth is dead He ap-
peals to her, as the newest of the
saints, and learns that her interces-
sion has won his pardon
Chaliapin MT His Best.
The second, Boris Godunod," is
tale of Russian chieftain, and
thaHapin Is said to be at his best
in Interpreting this character.
Lucia di Lammermoor." in which
Toti dal Monte has the title role, is
based on melodramatic story told
oy Scott in The Bride of Lammer-
moor" Lucia loves Edgar, but for
reasons Of state her brother, lord of
the manor, wants her TO wed Lord Ar
thur Bucklav. Edgar must go to
france; Lucia's brother intercepts his
letters, and tells Lucia that he is un-
faithful to her AS she finally agrees
10 marry Lord Arthur, Edgar returns
and with his entry begins the IA
nous sextet- Lucia's mind totters; she
Kills Lord Arthur, and after trans
ports of insane anguish, as depicted
IN the famous mad scene" she too
breathes her last. Edgar, learning
OF Lucia's death, takes his own life
as the mourners descend from the
castle of his loved one
That's" in which Mary Garden will
be featured shows a con tict between
faith and love Anthanael the monk,
essays the conversion of That's, the
courtesans. He succeeds, but in doing
so loses his heart to her. She becomes
one of the White Sisters, but Atha-
naei cannot forget her. He comes to
her, to find her dying; he pours out
his love for her, but she cannot hear.
She dies, acclaimed saint, but for
Athanael there is no heaven without
That's He sobs for mercy and pity
as the drama ends.