Evening star., 1935-11-17


quietness." Usually she knits peace
fully while she is waiting for her cue
Her simplicity is almost unique.
She is probably the only star on either
the operate or dramatic stage who
will not have maid or secretary. This
is not done for economy, but because
she hates to have people fussing
around her. When she is on tour she
packs her suitcases herself When she
is singing she makes up and dresses
alone. When she has quick change
to make she will sometimes permit the
wardrobe mistress to come in and
help her. For "Parsifal'' last April it
was thought better to have a profess
sional for "kundry's" elaborate make
up. Flagstad disliked it intensely,
however - and rubbed it off and put
on her own as soon as she could with
out being rude. Her dressing room. in
striking contrast to the sumptuous
ones of other stars, has in it only
bare table with her simple makeup
box in the middle of it,
Unlike most singers she has no
superstitions. but she is strong
believer in luck. Just before she sang
for Gatti Casazza and Bodanzky at
St. Moritz summer before last she
found fifty centime piece buried in
the carpet; and to that she attributes
a good deal Of her success in America.
Her technique is so sure that amusing
mishaps seldom befall her during per-
formances. Almost at the point of
exhaustion after her terrific first
season in New York, she dozed off
once while she was singing "kundry."
But that amazing sixth theatric
sense of hers woke her up before her
cue.
The only break in her simple routine
comes at the end of each performance
when, if things have gone well on
stage, she drinks half bottle of
champagne. When she is not satisfied
with her singing. however. she denies
herself this celebration. And she con-
siders it very bad luck if anyone takes
her infallibility for granted and opens
the bottle before the evening is over.
After her recent concert in Worcester.
Massachusetts,, when there was mid
night sleeper to catch, the toast was
drunk without ice and in paper cups
down at the railroad station. After
the champagne, comes solitaire -
until the music stops in her head and
she can go to sleep. That silent singing
is apt to 60 on for hours - sometimes
until she has gone over the whole
opera again - if she does not drown
it out with the soothing, impersonal
rhythm of the cards.
Although she wrote to a friend in
America from home last summer in
her delightful. involved English, Il
an doing so much hardly wish l
never was success" Nine. Flagstad
has been happy about her triumphs
here; and very proud of them.
''There!" she said to her daughter,
Elsa Marie, who came with her this
time, after the ovation which fol-
lowed the Worcester concert. "No,p
do you think l exaggerated!
The two biggest moments America
has given her so far, however (the
worlds most important opera house
full of cheering worshippers is nothing
compared to them were having the
New York train held in Detroit for
forty minutes so that she could catch
it after her broadcast "a police
squad. with sirens shrieking, escorting
her flower-crammed automobile to the
station; and having an amaryllis
named after her at the New York
Flower Show.
Nothing, nothing in all my life,"
she said, has made me so glad and
proud as that" And when she went
home last May she took the very
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