Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-11

ing violent or natural deaths
were demonstrated to an apparently
keenly interested audience every
night but Wednesday and twice yes
terday under the auspices OF the
Washington Opera Co during th'
past week There was some beau
tiful singing; there were many
picturesque scenes with the chorus
and settings well placed by the apt
Miss Dillon. and there was much
hard work for the orchestra. The
general consensus OF opinion seems
to be that this week OF operate
festival provided good time for al
who were not too tired at the end Of
the seven days to remember and en-
JOY the events.
And now. after Mr. Albion has
subsidized for at least a brief period
from his labors with the loca
company and guest artists, the
American Opera Co, Vladimir RoS-
ing. director, comes to hold the
boards with three more perform
ances of opera this week. There vii
be one acknowledgements popu-
lar Faust" which was sung in
French Friday night. will be sung in
English tomorrow night. Puccinl S
Butterfly" and Mozart's Marriage
Of Figaro" will be the other opera
this week. At the present moment
of writing at least one listener rs
thankful that this is Washington and
not New York or Chicago, where
opera is a daily occurrence week IN
and week out for whole season. 1t
will be good to hear the Philadelphia
symphony Orchestra for a change
even if they do have a vocal soloist.
X x x
THE motto Of the American Opera
L Co. is stated as Opera in the
language of its audience. Mr.. Ros-
ing also insists that opera should
be staged with equal emphasis on
dramatic and musical values 1t IS
suggested that the English texts
have been revised in the hope OF
making the stories OF the operas
plain 10 the audience without the
use of librettos and to take advan-
tage of the lyric values which are
inherent in the English language.
As an organization claiming TO be
composed entirely OF American
artists, this company has passed the
stage of being merely an experiment.
Following the three Washington
performances. there will be a season
of seven weeks in New York at the
new Gallo Theater. followed by sea-
sons in Boston. Chicago and possibly
one or two other cities.
This organization is sponsored by
the American Society for Opera IN
English and is organized to estab-
lish a permanent opera company
whose members, including singers
orchestra and technical and execu-
tive staff, shall be Americans. Mr..
Rosing is a naturalized American
citizen and the list of coworkers IN
cludes MANY we'll known American
names, with but perhaps one for
eigner, Michio Ito, Japanese dancer,
who designed the sets and costumes
for Madame Butterfly"
WHILE on this subject of opera
w in English, it might prove in
terestinq TO quote here bit from
an article by Eric Blom, British
critic. on Sir Thomas Beechams
plans for England in this respect:
Sir Thomas comes to the National
Capital later in the season as guest
conductor with the Philadelphia
Symphony Orchestra, which gives a
performance in this city Tuesday
rnder Mr.. Rciner Mr.. Blom says
"The undertaking is to be two
things which opera as flXed estaD-
l;shment has never yet been in this
country-democratic and British.
The latter, of course, only IN so tar
as a musico-dramatic venture can
ever be indigenous to any particular
country: that is to say, the operate
masterpieces of all nations will be
sung in English and, So lar as pos
sible. though by no means eXclu-
sively, by British artists. British
birth will in itself be no qualifica-
tion. while in a foreign artist the
ability TO sing faultlessly in English
combined with hrst-rate interpreta-
five gifts, will be the only passport
required to Britain's new operate,
stage. The claim to preference OF
the British-born interpreters, OF
whom there arc many now dispersed
among the continental theaters, will
lie solely in artistic equality with
the foreign singers who may present
themselves as competitors. lncom-
petence will receive short shit all
around.
"The patriotic principle will thus
be applied in a sane and temperate
manner. The democratic one, by the
mere fact that it is present, cannot
do anything else. 1t is not, one must
hasten to explain, to be realized by
any sort Of collaboration on the part
of the government. The hope that
any support could ever be expected
from that quarter, or, for that mat
ter. from municipal bodies either,
has long been given up by Sir
Thomas Beecham Nor is this very
much TO be deplored. Apart from
the fact that a state subsidy must
inevitably subject an operate ven
ture to the bureaucracy of an official
department, it is not truly demo-
cratic to make opera pay its way
by means of taxation, which levies
contributions on the willing and the
unwilling alike for a thing which
some people eagerly want and which
means nothing whatever to others
The only really public-s spirited man
ner OF raising money for it is that
of getting il from the people who
wish to reap the benefit accruing
from the funds raised"
The article continues at consider
able length and with much detail
The above, however, gives an idea
of the sincerity and thorough broad
n1indedness of the British plan for
presenting opera in English.
ND now American opera, as dis.
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