Evening star., 1927-12-04


- weeks programs i'll Wash
ington. To begin with. there is the
long g-heralded festival week of opera
to be presented by the Wash
ington Opera Co. This will occupy
every night but one during the week
and that evening will be filled by a
program which sets forth the latest
wares for sale by the Composers
Club of Washington. and also, later
in the evening, there will be the
grand opera ball, at which the stars
appearing in the different operas
during the week will be present in
costume. and many operate stunts
will be featured
Mr.. kornspan and his excellent
orchestra, which is getting into
shape more admirably each week
presenting special symphonic pro-
grams, will give such a program this
afternoon. The school children of
the city will have had opportunity
to hear the final rehearsal yesterday
morning, and also-the newest inno-
vation-concise statements of the
use of the different instruments in
the orchestra and program notes on
the numbers heard in the particular
rehearsal will have been distributed
to the small folks. This is a pro-
gressive movement fraught with
many possibilities.
But song holds the boards per-
sistently both on the concert stage
and in the light and grand operas.
Three famous ecitalists-Emilio de
Gogorza, baritone; Mary Lewis, So
prano, and Marion Talley, coloratura
soprano-appear in special programs.
The former two, in joint recital, will
open the musical mornings of Mrs.
Lawrence Townsend at the May
flower Wednesday, Miss Talley ap-
pears in an afternoon program Fri
day.
QUITE the most significant of
~ the many dazzling features that
surround the performances by the
Washington Opera Co. this week is
the fact that two young Greatly
young) and thoroughly American
sopranos will have their operatic
debuts in America with the local
company, opening and closing the
week of opera. Dorothy Speare
sings Mignon tomorrow night and
Marguerite in Faust" Friday. Mil
dred Seeba sings Aida Saturday
night.
Miss Speare has such marvellous
gifts both in writing and singing that
a gala company of distinguished edi-
torial and musical writers will be in
the city especially for the opening
opera. They include such represent
atives of magazines for which she
has or is writing as Percy Waxman
of Pictorial Review, the editor OF
Red Book, Martha Dodson, until
very recently assistant editor of the
Ladies' Home Journal; Maxwell Alley
of the Woman's Home Companion
and the assistant editor of Good
Housekeeping.
Also the following editors of i'm
portant musical journals are sched-
uled to be present: Alfred Human,
editor of Singing; Alvin L. Schmoe-
ger of the Musical Courier and
Pierre Key of the Musical Digest.
Miss Seeba is known as the first
Caruso scholarship winner and so
her initial appearance in opera is
likewise a momentous occasion.
In addition to these young artists
there are eight other American
singers in featured roles of the six
operas. They include John Charles
Thomas (who had his operatic debut
locally two seasons ago before going
abroad and sang here last year in
"Rigoletto"), Jeanne Gordon, Luella
Melius, Paul Althouse, Margery
Maxwell, Rollin Pease. Charles
Trowbridge Tittmann washington
basso), Mary Lewis (who makes her
local operate bow in "Thais"), and
also there are other Washington
singers in small roles.
Of the foreign artists there are
few and exceedingly distinguished
names. Arousing the highest specu-
lation is the appearance of Maurice
Capitaine, French tenor of the Opera
Comique and the Monte Carlo Opera
who, "by special courtesy of the
ministe, of fine arts of France and
the Recommendation of the French
embassy in Washington" has beer
placed at the disposal of the Wash
ington Opera Co. There are also the
famous Russian basso. Georges Bak.
lanoff, whose Mephisto is noted
another Russian, Ivan Steschenko
and still a third from the land oi
vodka and bolshevism, Ivan Ivant.
zoff, baritone, who has given some
of the finest operatic characterize
tions heard in the National Capital.
A T this time, with grand opera
"A banners flying everywhere ove1
Washington for the coming week, i
seems particularly appropriate tc
quote here briefly from a letter re-
oeived from an American in Ger
many, written in the middle o
November. regarding the premiere
to have been given last Thursda,
night of Puccini's "Turandot." in thu
opera house of Barmen-Elberfeld
Germany, when the title role wa
sung by Washington soprano;
product of local public schools ant
preliminary vocal training-Emm;
Redell. According to the letter:
"All was in readiness for tn,
sensational performance (schedulet
originally for November 18) whel
the negligence of a Washington
D. C., dentist wrecked all the plan
and preparations. The performance
has been postponed for December z
The debut as Turandot was to TAX
place tonight, and the orchestra re
hearsals with the cast had been hel,