Evening star., 1928-02-19

the heroine of this opera, the
story of which, unfamiliar to
American audiences, was given
on this page last week. will be
sung by Jeanne Gordon. Ameri-
can singer. This opera is fa-
vorite with the audiences of the
Opera ComiQue and other opera
houses of France. AS Miss Cor
don is reported to have only this
season returned from special and
prolonged study in Paris and the
provinces. with her appearance in
Carmen" last December marking
her return to the American oper-
attic stage. her singing of this role.
Charlotte. should prove particu-
larly interesting,
] From a motion picture theater
on Broadway into the Metropoli-
tan Opera Co was the step taken
by Jeanne Gordon Despite her
Canadian birth. she is one of the
rare American singers whose sud-
den rise in grand opera parallels
romantic fiction. Unknown and
broke" at the time Of her arriva!
in New York. within a year she
was singing % different roles on
the Metropolitan stage. mecca of
all operate ambitions. Her more
recent success in Carmen
scored before a musically inclined
Washington audience. marked
another high point in her career
Following her appearance mere
! in "Werther" Miss Gordon will
return to the METROPOLITAN stage
on Washington's birthday in
Aida" Her plans for the re-
mainder of the season are as yet
unknown, but with the departure
of Maria Jeritza from the Metro
| politan for the season. new
Carmen will be needed Critics
might even welcome the return
of a Carmen in the traditional
manner.
/ Samuel Rothafel Of radio fame
might be given the credit for dis
covering Miss Gordon. It was he
who found her. during the dis
couraging days of the war. long
ing for chance. He gave her a
start in the Rivoli Theater. She
needed nothing more.
| Three weeks later Miss Gordon
was engaged to go on tour with
| Creatore. scoring a dramatic sue
cess in the operatic districts out
side of New York She was
promptly brought back. and with
| in a year was on the Metropoli-
tan stage. making her debut in
I'll Trovatore" and continuing
through an extraordinarily busy
season.
There are many dramatists who
are total failures when 1t comes
to providing librettos from grand
operas. A distinctive exception
was the noble Bard of Avon, Will
liam Shakespeare. whose plays
have inspired more than one
great composer. successfully. Per-
haps OF all these none was SO
notable as the opera that Giu-
seppe Verdi wrote around the lib
retto provided by Shakespeare S
|."Othello" It stands out as one
of the finest pieces of operate
writing left by that great italian
writer of opera. The tenor role.
the title part, is SO eXacting that
particular type OF robusto tenor
voice is required for good inter-
pretation. wherefore this work is
seldom heard in this country. The
baritone part Of Iago also is diff
cult. and TO the heroine soprano,
as Desdemona. fall many choice
morSelS OF vocal beauty, especial
ly the exquisite Ave Maria" of
the last act. "Othello," which
closes the international opera fes-
tival Saturday night, Is a fitting
finale TO two weeks in which un-
usual works have been featured
in a most ambitious program.
WHILE in the midst of this local
w festival. with brilliantly scin-
tillating stars apparently crossing
the great Atlantic to participate
in these operas in the National
Capital of the United States OF
America. rumorS are already ac-
tive concerning the second Spring
visit. after a long hiatus OF years
OF the Metropolitan songbirds as
they wing their melodious way
south for the Atlanta season.
The subject OF greatest moment
at this time is the theater in
which the visiting company ma,
find adequate housing. Polls
where the Washington company
is presenting its productions
might be ordinarily adequate. but
the heavy expenses in tranSporta-
ton make 1t essential TO charge
almost eXorbitant prices for the
limited number Of seats in that
house for the Metropolitan pro-
cuctions.
The Washington Auditorium, or
the other hand. has a completed.
inadequate stage. Only simple
operate productions with Limited
. settings can find room on that
houses stage.
There Is. however, in Washing
ton beautiful theater~-probabl,
ore Of the most beautiful in thu
country II has loge box ar.
rangement that would form 4
perfect setting for the most dis.
tlngulShed audience Washington
a city noted for distinguished au.
dienceS. could produce. II has 4
fine. big stage. fit for spectacle.
Of great size. The dressing room:
are we'll built and placed. Ever,
seat in the orchestra and balloon;
has good view of the stage. Put.
. ting the Metropolitan Opera pro.
ductiOns in the Fox Theater WOult
mean that about 500 more
Washingtonians could hear tn,
operas and. more important Sill
10 local music lovers, the price
+. as listed now for smaller nous,
could be considerably reduced.
Representative Sol Bloom ha
p gone To New York To personals
consult MI, Fox on this problem.
7