Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-02

Garden, only a few weeks ago
pronounced an emphatic doom
= on the opera, this past week
has been notable for its astonish-
ing virility and the enthusiasm
of audiences strung out more or
less across the country. With the
Summer moth balls shaken out
of the Metropolitan, and Chicago
patrons tlocking in droves through
their operate portals, the beacon
light of society's musical season
has been definitely ignited And,
although the nearest approach to
the opera that Washington has
been allowed the last few years
> TIE pleasant memory of last
.Aprils presentations at the Fox
Theater, one wagers that there
are few that agree with Miss
Garden, and that those who were
able went s-~mpering off to New
York to welcome back this mighty
musical sport.
Opera-lesS as this city may be,
1t has discarded the doldrum
days of the late Summer, and
during the coming week will set
tie down to the Winters music
feast which seems to have been
prepared by a kindly god. First
and foremost comes the Phila-
delphia Orchestra under the as
tute, polished and magical guild
ance of Leopold Stokowski. and
later on the week will see the
inaugural program of artist solo,
lists which begins with burst In
the form of Mrs. Wilson Greene's
gala opening of her series. The
potency of these two concerts is
something to wonder about, since
any program offered by Philadel-
phia's master of the baton is an
event of prodigious magnitude,
and such an array of SoloiStS as
Mrs. WilsonGreene has evoked
out of the musical heavens Is
something further to delight those
who have been waiting with i'm
patience for the great musical
curtain to go up.
y
ONE must, furthermore, be
thankful that Washington is
on the good" book of the best
musical organizations. This is
due, as is apparent, not through
the imprisoned approval of
audiences-since Washington is
notable for lack of enthusiastic
demonStration-but through the
tireless efforts of a few music
minded citizens who have literally
put Washington on the musical
map. This seems a fitting time
to beStow a small blessing on
them, and to hope that more and
more, bigger and better and finer
and finer music and musicians
may be lured to these parts
through their ceaseleSs search
tngs.
AS matter of fact, much that
was notable took place in and
among the local musical alleys
during the past week. Manager
w. H. Brennan of the Boston Or
cheStra was heard discussing
with DR.. Harmed concerning the
vocal peregrinationS of the lat
ter's chorus, which is training
with something like skilled aban-
don for the great concert in De-
(GAAAbCAy xAoOA4 OCoA1FCAAL, Vic
ChriStus Of the Passion Play, sur
prised his first-nighters and
others by the quality of his sing
ing as well as his speaking voice;
Mrs. Lawrence Townsend was
detected among those prominent
ly present at the opening of the
Metropolitan, and an impressive
rumor flew in the window to the
effect that skilled group of Six
tenth street choristers has been
asked to give full-length pro-
gram in a monster hall for the
benefit of an interesting charity
during the latter days of January.
Other events that came troup-
ing to town with enthusiasm
were reports on the all-Debussy
program at Carnegie Hall, given
recently by Mary Garden and
Walter Gieseking, which was, in
the vulgar slang of the day, "a
knockout" critics maintaining
that however offkey Miss Garden
sang, she made up for it by her
unquenchable method of attack,
and her white gown, which was
among the dreSsmaking triumphs
of the season. Still another re-
port brought to light the fact that
the promised concert here of
Emma RedelPs is fading into
nothingness, and that Lawrence
Tibbett is to sing in Baltimore
without, strangely enough, so
much as setting foot here. All
of which brings to mind the days
when Mr.. Tibbett was a constant
recitalist here, and the sad but
truthful report that the movies
have raised the famous singers
concert indemnity to sky-high
proportions. So that unless GER
tain gold mines are opened up in a
prominent locale it would seem
that Mr.. Tibbetts very fine voice
must be heard at long, long dis
lance.
Locally, furthermore, excite
ment was caused during the week
especially by the performance of
the BroSa String Quartet of Lon
don and Harriet Cohen, at the
Founders day concert at the Lii
brary Of Congress. All these
young musicians played with
such pleasurable coordination
and absence of personal tempera-
ment, working together with
musical comradeship and perfec-
ton, that the necessarily small
audience seemed as we'll satisfied
as would be possible over Mrs
Coolidges importations from
England.
FRANKLIN ADAMS, who is-aS
all "coG ZaShingtonians
krOW-cOuOSelOr Of the PAN