New Britain herald., 1930-04-08
Max Brand, Viennesc Com poser, Presents Musical Drama of Hurrying h. dustrial Age = Mechan- ical Devices Represented in Music of Piece.

Berlin, April P-An iron. opera, singing the metallic destiny of three humans caught among the cogwheels of modern mechanized life, is startling the music-lovers Of Berlin.
 The name. "Machinist Hopkins" would lead one to expect Cor fear| a musical dra,natization of factory life; but few who attended the opening of the Berlin Civic Opera production were prepared for the event to which this idea is carried out. ---.-. .-..--r-.-.- ss.-..r.-.
 Viemesc Composer Its Author
 Max Brand, the young Nienneso composer of "Machinist Hopkins" which is his first opera, by the way-conceives the towering ma chinery of present day industry as more, than iranimate metal. He endows it with a vague but ruth less personality; makes of it a loom- ing, jealous deity of metal which dominates the humans who serve 1t and destroys the man who rebels against it.
 The story in which this metal god plays the deciding role concerns two machinists and a woman. One ot the men, eager for escape from the enslaving machine, steals the production secrets of the factory and flees with the woman after killing her husband Ca foreman) when the latter tries to block the theft.
 Soul AbSOrbS Metal
 The other machinist, Hopkins, IS a man whose soul has absorbed metal from the atmosphere in which he works. He is in tune with the whirring diety of steel and cop per, and it is he who finally up- sets the plans of the slayer, who for time seems to have won mastery over the machine and quick riches because of his possession of the stolen secrets.
 The backgrounds against which this drama unfolds are of unusual interest, particularly the enormous JdtlOlS llllCllOlo u lllC PioioS HS and second and third acts.
 When Bill, the machinist, and his woman accomplice, Nell, slin < into the silent factory at night, the great, shadowy machines become vocal. The chanting of offstage choruses, whirring. missing, mur- muring choruses, throbs with the rhythm and suppressed power of great engines. (Brand even has written solo parts for first wheel,' second wheel,' ''cogwheel" "pis- ton" and the like) The result is music, but the sort of music ona might hear from an orchestra of hssing valves, chugging pistons, humming cogwheels anr clinking chains.
 Different Rhythm Used
 The factory office scene in Act ] emphasizes different sort of rhythm. 1t might be called the chant of the yes-men. Bill, now d big industrialist. listens to the stac- cato reports of his bass and bari tone heads of departments, anl gives them his orders in clear tenor. Ninety days, Continental bank sings a secretary, or Two thousand tons, r. o. B., Bombay" and Bull sings back "Check!" or How much did you say?"
 More lavish, though not so com plicated technically as the factory interior scenes, is the roof cabaret scene in which Bill and Nell are shown spending some of the money which now comes to them in such abundance. A complete and very snappy jazz revue in the midst of gay crowd of moneyed pleasure seekers provides the extravaganza atmosphere in which Nell achieves her great ambition-the signing of stage contract, A later scene therefore takes place backstage in a big theater. In other words, there is no lack of scenic variety in thii opera.
 Working Dn Second Theme
 Brand. who is 34. already has be- gun work on q second opera. Writ Ing the Dook pt Machlnlst Hop- kins" took him 14 days, he says, while the music occupied him seven nonths. He relates with some sar- isfaction how he tried 10 pass the entrance examination of con servatory of music and failed; whereupon he went ahead and wrote songs and orchestral music studying meanwhile with Alois Haba and Erwin Steinhoff.
 During the war, Brand was an