Evening star., 1926-11-28
Nj i S &c
BY HELEN FETTER.

Show OF Master Peter" and a new,
especially written "non-grand" opera
by Dame Ethel Smyth called En-
tente Cordiale" and based on an i'll
cident of the late war. From Italy
the newest opera to be presented at
La Scala in Milan is the world pre-
miere given November 10 of Arrigo
Pedrollo's "Delitto Gastigo.' An
important revival to be given soon
and acclaimed by the discriminating
musicians as the greatest opera writ
ten by an Italian III recent years will
be Pizzetti's "Debora e Jaele."
x x x i
A T home here IN Washington The
a opera company is far from idle.
The season OF the Washington Opera
Company, Edouard Albion. general
director, and Jacques Samossoud.
musical director, will open a week
from tomorrow night. A unique
feature of the production that night
will be the fact that for the first
time the chorus will sing i'll the Rus
sian language and, with one excep-
ton. it will be the first time that this
chorus will not sing in English, but
rather in the language of the opera
presented. The opera will be Tschai-
kowsky's "Pique Dame work that
has been given few presentations in
this country.
After all, i'll its broader sense,
language is any means of eN
pressing or communicating feeling
or thought may symbolic ideas
Therefore, although there are un-
doubtedly many arguments in favor
OF the singing OF an opera in a good
translation in the tongue native to
the people who will form the au-
dience. there are a'so sound reasons
for singing that work in the tongue
IN which it was originally written
and in which the nuances OF sound.
both OF words and music notes, fall
most harmoniously. Also, as the
pessimist would say. one can SO,
rarely understand what the chorus
IN an opera production is trying to
say anyhow that it might as we'll be
in a foreign language as in English
Yet the opera in English, is gain
ing steadily in popularity. News
from Chicago shows that at least
four works will be sung in English.
They will be Eugene d'Alberts
"Piesland.' said to be popular in
Germany: Cadman's "A Witch of
Salem; Humperdinck' "Hansel and
Gretel, and FRANKIE Harling's "A
Light from St. Agnes
To return. however, to Washing
ton opera plans. Dmitri Smirnov,
the Russian tenor. who makes his
local debut in the leading masculine
role of "Pique Dame" only appeared
in this country before in three spe-
cial performances given at the
Metropolitan Opera House. He has
sung in imperial opera at Petro-
grad, La Scala and the Paris Opera.
At present he is leading tenor of
the last-mentioned company.
Nine. Elena Rakowska. wife of
Serafln, conductor OF the Metropoli-
tan. has just completed four years
at La Scala in leading dramatic So
prano roles. and makes her American
operate debut in "Pique Dame" in
the stellar feminine role in the local
production. She sings once with the
New York Philharmonic Orchestra
before her performance here.
Mime. Boursakaya, whose latest
role in opera with the local COM
pany was Ortrud. in "Lohengrin,"
last year, and Ivan Ivantzoff. bari
tone, whose singing in "Pagliacci'
still rings i'll the memory from the
last performance last season, are two
Russian singers who arc already
very popular i'll Washington.
The work of the Washington
Opera Company has not gone un-
noticed in other communities. and
Baltimore has speedily raised the
necessary financial backing to pre-
sent performance of "Pique Dame"
by the Washington company in that
sister city the evening of December
!, the night following the local pre-
miere. This real cooperation should
be much appreciated by Washing
tonians, who. it is hoped, will prove
as loyal in patronizing their local
company's production on December
g. To those doubling souls who have
memories OF the coldness OF the
Auditorium last Winter. it may be
interesting news that much over
hauling has been done. and the house
is much warmer and more COM
Portable this season than previously.