Evening star., 1941-06-11


placed to carry out the necessary
scenic effect. Amplif1ers brought
the sound clearly to the fartheSt
listener and we'll arranged lighting
gave a COlorful atmosphere to the
scenes while strong lights, directed
to the audience, blacked out the
stage between the acts, The me-
chanics of the production showed
careful planning and there were no
embarrassing bitches to mar the
excellence of the performance.
1t was by long odds the best
amateur presentation of the popu-
lar opera seen in some time. Credit
must be given generously to the
production staff but in particular
to Kai de Vermond, who trained
the singers and conducted the Or
Chestra. There were no lapses on
the singers part and the pronun-
citation of all the cast was exception
ally good
The role of Faust was taken by
Michael Bartlett, who was the only
guest artist of the cast. The other
parts were distributed among stu
dents of the School of Music Mr.
Bartlett gave an impasSioned per-
formance, his ringing and rich
tenor voice dominating each scene
where he appeared. His singing of
the "Salut, demeure chaSte ct pur"
was beautifully done and that he
Is an artist fully cognizant of poetic
and emotional effect was confirmed
in every scene.
Arthur Davis Shines in Role.
Rivalling his finished perform
ence was that of Arthur Davis in
the role of Mephistopheles. Com
manding in appearance and gifted
with real hiStrioniC ability, he made
the part vivid, sinister and COM
pelling. His voice is sonorous and
large in volume and he sang with
freedom and dramatic power, max
ing much of all the climaXes. Here
is an operatic talent out of the
ordinary, with already a feeling for
the value of details as inStanced by
his superb makeup for the role
and his appreciation of its po-
tentialitieS. His success was a pro-
nounced one and he made the char
acter a forceful one as it was in
tended to be.
Ruth Logan was heard as Mar
guerlte and her singing of the
Jewel Song" and the scene that
follows was well done vocally. The
high register Of her voice shows
It's naturally fine quality which
should be matched, but has not yet
reached the same warmth of color
in her deeper tones. Viola Man
Eilla was the Martha and the little
comedy of her scenes was well done.
The Siebel of Helen Green was
also well taken and her singing of
the aria was greeted with special
applause.
Adding to the distinction of tie
male members of the cast was Will
liam P. Robinson, the Valentin, and
something of an ovation was given
him after his first scene. Round
ing out the characters of the opera
was Bryant Walker as Wagner. A
ballet, with Ada Fisher, premiere
danseuse, and David Leer, premier
danseur, gave a sophisticated touch
to the village scene, where the ex-
Cellent chorus sang and acted with
spirit. The orchestra, also members
of the school, gave a noteworthy
performance, in which the accuracy,
rhythm and pitch were all to be
commended
Choral Society Sings.
The Washington Choral Society,
under the direction of Louis Potter.
chose Randall Thompson's The
Peaceable Kingdom" for its spring
performance, given last evening at
Calvary Methodist Church. Another
appraisal and a better appreciation
of the quality of the new organ,
recently installed in the church, was
had through the musical interpre-
tation of several organ interludes
by Lyman McCrary. With great
feeling for their different styles and
content, Mr.. McCrary played i'm
pressively the Handel Concerto in
B Flat, No. O." Simonds' prelude Of
Nov the Suns Declining Ray"
EC0rtano ito,o1- -