Evening star., 1932-03-06

TIME appalling conditions in
New York, SO far as music
and musicians are con-
cerned, are brought daily
more and more forcibly to mind
Washington, at the moment, is
one of the few oases in the midst
of a land of parched musical ac
tivity. Musicians are coming
here because they find the situa-
ton in Manhattan intolerable
And when they get here they
claim that the profits as well as
the pleasures are greater than
they had possibly imagined.
Evidence of this is the recent
arrival in this city of Alfredo
Salmaggi, who, in the days of the
Manhattan Opera Co., directed
those forces at the opera house
on East Fifty-first street in New
York. Maestro Salmaggi. a Spe-
cialist in open-air opera per-
formances, is planning much
musical activity. Without in any
way infringing on the plans of
the Washington Civic Opera Co,
which hopes to present grand
opera in some outlying open-air
theater in the Summer, Salmaggi
is negotiating for the production
of a vast gala" opera night "a
single night the first Sunday in
June-at which time he will pre-
sent Aida" as a great operate
spectacle at Griffith Stadium.
Three months ago Salmaggi
produced the same opera in Mex
leo City under somewhat the
same circumstances, and those
who know their open-air per-
formances will, no doubt, recall
that back in 1928-29 he was STIR
ring to similar activity perform
ances at the Polo Grounds, and
previous to that at the Yankee
Stadium and SheepShead Bay
Maestro Salmaggi, in other words,
knows his Aida" he does his
Carmen" and 'Pagliacci," etc.
For his production in Wash
ington, the sponsor and producer
will use a local group of ballet
dancers and choruses, but will
import prominent singers of met
ropolitan reputation At the mo-
ment it seems likely that Rosa
Ponselle's sister will appear in
the cast, as also PaSquale Amato,
or, perhaps, Mario Basiola-heard
here with Miss PonSelle at Mrs.
ToWnsend's final musicale Of the
season. Mr.. Salmaggi undertook
a similar project last season at
the stadium in Montreal, Canada.
THE fact that musicians are
having such a hard fight for
their lives in New York is a
further reason for keeping the
National Symphony Orchestra
afioat here. Evidences of its
success were brought out into the
open the past week, when it was
stated that some $4,000 is being
returned this year to the guar
antorS.
Mr.. Paul Wilstack stated last
week that wherever he has trav-
eled people have asked him how
it was possible to launch the Ma
tional Symphony in such a peril
Gus year, and how it was possible
to alight on a firSt-ciaSS con-
ductor almost Immediately. The
orchestra's fame and Mr.. Kind
ler's fame have gone far and wide
and people are speculatlng OH
how it was possible only because
they know now that it was and
has been possible.
Although one hears of troubles
out San Francisco way in the Or
chestral field, one also hears Of
new orcheStraS which are crop
ping up all the time. For in
stance, Time magazine states
that Hawaii has a 62-piece SYM
phony, and that at its first con-
cert of this season there was an
audience of 1855 people-a large
audience, but actually 500 less
than this seasons average audi
ences at National Symphony con-
certs. This orchestra, playing out
Honolulu way Mendelssohn's
'fFingars Cave" and Beethoven's
Fifth Symphony, is particularly
interesting since it's nucleus is
composed of 7 Filipinos, 2 Japa-
nese, l Hawaiian, 2 Chinese, 2
Portuguese, I Porto Rican, 2 Ital-
lians and As Anglo SaXons.
A LADY called up yesterday to
find out if Sir Thomas
Beecham, the distinguished con-
ductor who is leading the New