The Washington times., 1927-08-15

Saturday night was full Of noise
and great volume from high
power brOadcasts and Sunday
night was good except for the
craziest and most irregular fading
we've heard in months. Every
section Of the country was avail
able for dial twisteTs during the
Sabbath eVening-frOm Minneap-
oils to Jacksonville and Atlantic
City to Iowa Cify-witII good pFO-
grams and clear brOadcasts.
The yoluble Arthur Bagley re-
turned to the gym this morning
after a two weeks absence and
seemed to put more vim and vigor
therefore we can assume that the
vacation period is over and every
body muet get to work.
The peak of the weekend per-
torrance was the flow of informa-
ton regarding the German air
planes that started their transat
antic flight Radio listeners were
Informed about the start from sew
eraI broadcast stations and of the
coming down of the Europa almost
as soon as the giant plane came
down. Likewise progress reports
from the Bremen filtered through
the atmosphere from time to time
during the evening and until late
at night.
AS to entertainment from the
loud speakers-ythere wasn't any.
thing on the ether waves that
quite equalled the performance of
Pasqual Amato, Metropolitan Opera
baritone. from WPG. last evening
unless one heard the program of
modern Spanish music from WGN
late in the evening-or at least that
part of it devoted to the music of
Granados which we heard.
BARITONE STARS
FROM ATLANTIC CITY
The Amato performance was
married by the most erratic fading
we've ever heard-even from such
a fine and fancy fader as wPG.
But even at that, it was one of the
greatest bits of baritoning- loud
speakers have given us in months
His program contained about every
kind of music a mans voice can
accomplish and the singer gave
each song its full value. musically.
and then a bit of his own varying
mood. His performance of the bari
tone 'coloratura" aria from 1.-The
Barber of Seville" was one Of the
finest things we know anything
about, vocally.
The WGN presentation of Span
ish music was unusually good
and in keeping with the excellence
of the series of programs of master
composers which WGN has been
broadcasting every Sunday evening
for the past two years. Granados
is an especial favorite of ours
among the modern Spanish music
masters. and both the singer and
orchestra used last night gave fine
interpretations :. his works.
Frank Ferguson's talk on the
theater, from the National Broad
casting Company's chain. including
WRC, was perhaps one of the most
enlightening things we've heard for
some time past-and eminently
sane and sensible in its smashing
criticism Of the good old days."
as compared with the fine produc.
tions and good acting of the pres
ent. So far as production Is con-
cerned there isn't any comparison
between the make-shift of the good
old days" and the elaborate pres
entations of the present, as Mr..
Ferguson very plainly demon.
strated.
Otherwise, We rather enjoyed the
organ recital from the Mignon Stu
dos last evening-especially the
Hadley number that opened it,
which we introduced to Washing
ton. we believe, with the Ralon
trio in our "At Home" hour some
weeks ago. Speaking of the "At
Home" hour, by the way, induces
us to tell the audience the trio
never did better work than it did
Saturday evening from WMAL.
Bob Gotta the pianist, came. from
the hospital to the piano and Ar
seno Ralon became suddenly i'll
during one of the numbers-but
the music they made gave abso-
lutely no indication of it.
There is also bit of common.
1ation due Alexander Slavinsky, if
that is the name of the assistant
concertmaster of the Capitol Thea
ter Orchestra, for suddenly raising
the whole level of Major Bowes'
last nights performance with his
exquisite playing of Valdez Gypsy
Serenade." Otherwise the week.
end was just another weekend,
with the Stadium Orchestra, Roxy
and the others doing their best in
their usual best way.