Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-26

rain and cold, the sun broke through the fort
nights gloom and blazed merrily on the enor-
NOUS crowd which had assembled to witness
the inaugural opera of this seasons series.
''Tannhauser" was the opera, the conductor
Arturo Toscanini, and the crowds as reverent
in their attention and as predominately Amer
lean as one has come to expect of such things.
From all available reports ToScanini led the
newly recruited orchestra with incredible skill,
although he was suffering torture from the
rheumatic pain which afflicted his right arm.
He Is said however, to have suffered In silence,
and not to have stinted himself even during
the long rehearsal periods. These rehearSalS,
incidentally brought with them a listener
in" Wilhelm Furtwaenger the newly ap-
pointed general musical director of the festival
who it was rumored not getting along too
well with the maestro BY the frequency Of
his visits during the Toscanini rehearsals. and
by the latters visits to Furtwaenglers re-
hearsals. however, it would seem as though
all battle clouds had disappeared and as though
all is quiet now on this particular front
That this first performance was a success
was proved by the applause which Numbered
through the theater for full 10 minutes after
the final curtain. Although tradition forbidS
the customary metropolitan bowingS and
curtseyings before the curtain. or the merest
word of thanks from the conductor the audi
ence insisted on giving vent to its feelings and
echoed its applause long and loudly.
Thus there is no depression at Baireuth
Apart from the fact that only half the cur
act. there scarcely anything to RUNE the
smooth now Of the performance. Lauritz
Melchior. replacing Mr.. PilinSky. who last year
became suddenly indsposed and very nearly
turned the opera upside down, was his Gus
tomary capable self (his season this year at
the Metropolitan was especially brilliantly and
!. other singers who seem to have covered them
selves with considerable glory were Maria
Mueller Whose Elizabeth is one Of the great
pfides and joys of the German public, Ger
hard Huesch, q splendid Wolfram, and Anna
Helm familiar Venus to those who know
their Berlin.
Great excitement prevailed in this town
later in the week when Toscanini presented
"Parsifar' for the first time and Furtwaengler
"Tristan and Isolde" AS capable
probably the performance Of the latter one
ventures to predict that larger more
invigorated audience was ever present at this
theater than at "Parsfal"-for whatever he
does, Toscanini is a showman-like the Pied
Piper he draws his crowds with him. His
musical yes men" are limiteSs. Particularly
since his unnecessarily rough treatment at
Bologna his crown has seemed all the more
secure and his methods (even with an arm
limp from PAIN polished Thus,
while the town of Baireuth smiles in the hey
day of its sun, and Wagnerian memories are
evoked and extoled. there is an infinite impetus
given to it all by the mere presence of Tos-
canini who is received in apparently any quar-
ter Of the globe with open arms, and whose
first click of the baton Is waited for as breath
lessly as if it foreshadowed the beginning of
new era Of prosperity.
A AdONG the past weeks events was the return
to Washington OF Lillian Evanu GILL
Llama" to her italian public after what seems
to have been her "succes fou" on the continent
and more recently in England. Miss Evanti,
whose recent appearance in Bath, England,
previously mentioned in these columns brought
with it praise of flattering dimensions and
whose major successes have been strung up
and down the Riviera, italy and France has
come Unexpectedly from England and expects
to remain in this country until next Spring.
While at the moment Miss Evantis plans are
more or less at the command Of her manager,
ductors has asked her to sing with his or
chestra during the coming season, and that
many other honors Of singular Importance are
I'm store for her
Singing in Ave languages, Miss Eyantis
repertoire. incidentally. includes such operas
as ''Lakme" Gin which she scored so heavily
In Paris at the Trianon Lyrique), "Traviata,"
Lucia" "Rigoletto," "Sonnambula," the Bar
Der Of Seville" and the Magic F1ute"-and II
you question her closely you will find that her
greatest preference at the moment, as far as
concert work is concerned. is Mcfarland that
q beginning and even as an ending means
that she likes nothing but the best. What
more could you want-except to hear how
she does it?
0NE Of our local composers has been signally
honored in distant lands. It seems that
Mr. A. Moszkowitz local globe -trotter, attended
D recital program recently given in Crate,
Austria, and there found that the artist, Herr
Georg Wunscher had included on his pro-
gram two selections by r. Deane Shure, veteran
director Of music at the Mount Vernon Place