The Washington times., 1927-07-05
CHORUS SCORES
ROXY HIT

While there was no chance to
lose the cracking, smashing cele-
bratiOn static staged ON the wave.
lengths last evening, at the same
time there were programs to be
feceived-sOTne of them with un-
usual clarity. Atlanta was one
OF the very clear brOadcasters
tuned and KNOX, st. Louis, an.
other. Canadian stations were
also tHnabIe. Fading was noticed
here and there but did not in
terfere with reception as much
rs it has in the past week.
With the use of human instead
Of an instrumental symphony. Roxy
scored striking hit on the ether
last evening when he presented two
notable Niennese compositions dur
ing the course of his regular Mon.
day broadcast endeavor. Perhaps
It is because the human symphony
Idea has been pet scheme of our
own for some years that the demon.
stration of it's value by Roxy gave
~ SPCC4dl LAHtH pEOuuIAAS poSS4p4t-
tiles, but we've not been so cheer
ed up for weeks as we were by
the Kreisler number which opened
the vocal part of the Roxy endea-
VOr and the very fine arrangement
of the blue Danube waltz that
came later.
were most effectively presented the
80 1xr
lost In the radio broadcast because
the microphone could not separate
all Of the parts and particularly
the solo voices, as they were heard
by the audience present. For in
stance the bird-like cadenzas of
Beatrice Belkin in the waltz num-
Der were completely covered in the
broadcast by the orchestra and
now and then during the progress
of the singing.
While the singing of these num-
bers reflected great credit on the
vocal ability of the principals and
chorus, the most difficult part of
the job was the arrangement of
the music, the training of the peo-
pie to sing it and the direction of
both orchestra and chorus. We're
crediting Emo Rapee, the Roxy
orchestra director, with having
done most of this.
EXECUTING IDEA
EXACTING DIRK
It is a very simple thing to get
the idea of doing this sort of
thing, but the work of carrying
out that idea, of practically re.
composing the music to admit
choral color, and then the training
of the chorus to sing it and the
orchestra to play it, and directing
them both while doing it, is the
real job, that requires musical un-
Outstanding, intelligent discrimina-
ton and a stick-to-it-iveness of the
highest order. We believe it was
Rapee who supplied all these quail
tiles. If we're mistaken as to the
identity of the trainer, we transfer
our tokens of appreciation to who.
ever it was. Anyway, Rapee's per-
Torrance SO far with the Roxy
organization has impressed us in
such way that we naturally re-
gard him as the man who did the
big job.
The presentation Of James Melton,
the Nashville lyric tenor, and AIDE
laide de Luca, the Jamaica contraIto.
likewise were distinctive features
of the Roxy performance. Melton
shows promise of having one of the
best lyric voices we've heard in
blue moon. Miss deLuca was too
nervous to show much beyond pos.
session of a remarkably rich voice
of great range.
XYLOPHONIST
BAND SOLOIST
In the Navy Band concert the pro-
gram features that appealed to US
mostly were Sibelius "Finlandia"
and the ever popular American Pa
troll" "Finlandia' isn't a band com.
position-it needs the subtle colors
only strings can supply to deliver
It's meaning. But Lieutenant Bcnter
did more with it than we've heard
a band do. The American Patrol"
IL distinctively band piece and was
remarkably well played. So, too,
were tho two xylophone solos by
Musician Louis ]. Goucher-a very
fine hammer weilder. The opera
was the usual Sodero performance
with, no special trimmings.
In the outer wave lengths the most
uncovered was orchestral and piano
celebrations of the glorious Fourth
most Of them being along the same
lines and many of them using the
same selections