Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13

II IS the chicago lIrand
Opera Co. that is putting on
the productions, both OF which are
of Italian opera. Wednesday night
The Masked Ball" by that genius,
Giuseppe Verdi, will be the produc-
ton. Thursday afternoon. the oper-
attic version OF Tolstoi's famous novel,
Resurrection" with Mary Garden in
the leading role, will be presented.
This opera was written by Franco
Alfano, the composer who was
chosen to complete the much discuss
cd Puccini opera, "Turandot." Res
direction" was given its first Ameri-
can hearing year ago, and the pro-
tluction was so favorably received
that it has been added to the stand
ard repertoire and has proved mag
net for operagoers.
To quote a summary OF the chief
impressions received from Mr.. Ho-
ratio Pafker's story OF the produc-
ton of Resurrection, as given Feb
ruary /, this year, i'll Boston:
Without Miss Garden 'Resurrec-
ton is unthinkable. Mothers love
best their commonest children, and
TO Resurrection Miss Garden S
heart materially operate. goes out,
not altogether seltshly. True, from
the first rise TO the final fall of the
curtain she hardly quits the scene;
while at every turn OF the action
the center Of the stage plausibly in
vites her. True. she may shape and
color in succession katucha alno
rously awakened; forlorn and des-
perate: dirty, defiant, shame-strick-
en-; purified and uplifted. True, Al
fano's music for his heroine lies well
within her present scope OF song, or
may be innocently trimmed to those
limits. A singing actress feast and
heydey is Resurrection, the richer
il she have Gardenian resource and
temperament.
Herman Devries. music critic of the
Chicago American, wrote that:
Resurrection is the greatest OF all
Garden triumphs. Since Monte
mezzi's Love OF Three Kings can
not remember having experienced
such a thrill of enthusiastic enjoy
ment, or unreserved appreciation, as
that produced by the Chicago pre-
miere OF the TolstoiAlfano 'Resur-
rection.
karleton Hackett, critic OF the Chi
cago Evening Post, wrote: 1T made
forceful drama and story which
played itself to the eye. All this
would have been as naught save for
the power of Alfano's music. He
has the racial instinct for the theater
and for the human voice. The con-
ception is essentially lyric, though
cast in the modern mold, in which
the melodic line follows the meaning
of the word and enhances its value.
The orchestral score was filled with
melody set off with the richness OF
the harmonic colorings of our day,
yet always as background for the
story unfolding on the stage. AL
fano knew. whether by natural in
stinct or reasoned conviction is I'M
material, that opera is made upon
the stage by singers, and not IN the
orchestral pit Therefore, he gave to
the voices the melodic line. and even
the declamatory phrases were so con-
ceived that the accents fell upon the
sustained note, through which the
voices could send out the meaning
with power.
NNE of LIES little ironies is the
~ fact that Franco Alfano, COM
poser of the music of Resurrection"
can no longer see. His sightless al
fiction is particularly pathetic, be-
cause his music now brings him in
generous royalties, and he is, OF
course limited in his capacity to en-
10Y wealth. His one comfort is his
beloved music, and he cherishes a
cabled appreciation sent by. Mary
Garden and every member OF the cast
OF his opera when Resurrection"
scored its initial triumph.
* * X
WHEN the Chicago company ar
w rives in Washington next We'd
nesday morning it will offer a
chance for two-day honeymoon
tour for Olivia Ventura and Jean
Baptist de Keyser, two minor sing
ers with the company. They decided
to get married while in Boston. and
the company presented the happy
couple with an $500 radio set. 1t is
now a case of sing while you work
and hearing others sing while at
play.
A MERICA appears to be holding
~ its own i'll the operate world.
For example, one finds these stars
pn tour with the Chicago Civic Opera
Company: Edith Mason. lyric So
prano; Lorna Doone Jackson, born
in Illinois and reared i'll Indiana;
Cyrena Van Gordon, statesque prima
donna, from Ohio; Charles Marshall
and Charles Hackett, New England
ers both; Richard Bonelli, former
newspaper man and auto engineer,
from Syracuse; Clara Shear, Maiden,
Mass. ingenue prima donna, and last,
but by no means least, Henry u.
Weber, born and reared i'll Chicago
and the only American conductor of
a major opera company III the world
today.
WHILE on the subject OF Ameri-
w @eans in opera. it is with keen
interest one reads the list. just an
nounced, OF the complete cast for the
premiere of Deems Taylors first
opera. The Kings Heuchman"
which is 70 be presented at the Met
ropolitan Opera House, in New York
CITY. Thursday night. The opera will
he sung in English. and the music
was written for lbretto written by
Edna ST. Vincent Millay, gifted
Young American woman poet. There
fore, the diction OF our Anglo Saxon
tongue should have every advantage
to begin with. Secondly, the cast in
cludes a large majority OF American
and English singers. Edward john
son, Canadian. sings the title role;
Florence Easton. English singer. will
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