Evening star., 1945-10-02
By ALICE EvERsMAN.

undoubtedly TO be remembered
and spoken of in years to come was
the joint appearance last night of
the British soprano, Maggie Teyte
and the American pianist, George
Copeland, in Constitution Hall, in
program confined exclusively to the
works of Claude Debussy. If any
one or more persons has sought out
this composer before as the sole
subject of a recital it has not been
widely advertised, so that last nights
affair was unique on this point
alone.
But it was further of particular
interest because the artists were as
sociates of DebuSsy; Miss Teyte as
his choice for the role of Melisande
in his opera "Pelleas ct Melisande,"
after Mary Garden, and as singer
of his songs in concerts in which he
acted as accompanist and Mr.. Cope
land as the composers personal
friend and one of the first exponents
of his music in this country. So that
there was a rare quality of authen-
ITCHY in the recital and direct link
between Debussy and the many de-
votees of his music. 1t was special
audience that listened to the two
artists, one familiar with the char
acter of the music and deeply appre-
ciative as the applause testified.
Miss Teyte, unknown personally to
many of the concert goers of today,
has won wide popularity by her
recordings of Debussy's and other
French composers works. She ap-
peared last night with the added
dignity years have brought since the
time when she sang in opera and
concertized here, but with her voice
still fresh and beautifully controlled
But it was not as singer that she
impressed most, for the voice is a
small one, but as an interpreter who
caught the tenuous quality that
cllaracterizes Debussy's songs and
gave it out effortlessly. The songs
are somewhat in the nature of a
recitative, the vocal line closely re-
flecting the text, and Miss Teyte
projected them and made them vivid
by the intensity of her manner and
the expressive use of her hands.
The numbers she selected seldom
are found on singers program and
here again the unusual was injected
in last nights recital. Bound up and
influenced by events in the COM
posers life were the groups, lie
Promenoir des deux amants," the
three songs of the last "Fetes ga
lanteS" written some 10 years after
the first, "Chansons de Bilitis" and
"Ballade des Femmes de Paris.
Approximately six years separated
the writing of each of these groups
with only lie Promenoir" and
"Femmes de Paris" composed In the
same year.
The peak of Miss Teyte's per-
formance was reached in La Lettre
de Genevieve" from "Pelleas ct
Melisande." Her remarkable de-
livery of this contralto air in which
the mother reads of her sons find
ing of Nelisande and of their mar
riage was received with enthusiasm
and had to be repeated.
Mr.. Copeland's fame as a pianist
is not confined to his playing of
Debussy, but that he is in full ac-
cord with the delicate tinting and
varied moods the composer en-
bodied in his piano works was fully
realized in his selections. He has
not orlyt the fine, expressive tone
for the evanescent charm of LES
Fees sont d'eXquises danseuses," la
terrasse des audiences du clair de
lune' and "Ref1ets dams leau," but
also the glinting wiimsy of "Danse
de Pick" and General Lavine-
eccentrique" and the gay abandon
of "MinStrels" and "Feux dartifce."
His own arrangement for piano of
'L'apres-nidi dun faune" was All
excellent adaptation and he drew
from his instrument the same Ian
guild and indecisive effect inherent |
in the orchestral form. His playing |
gripped his audience more and more
as the program progressed until a
climax was reached in the unabat-
ing applause at the end that called
him back again and again. He
served also as accompanist for Miss
Teyte, supplying complete unison
of idea with his expert adjustment
of the piano background to the
singers intention.
The concert, given under the aus