Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-08-26

AUONc are 1 SdQO as Tie
Butterfly"
barring the occasional sugges-
ton Of a bleat, he used it well.
Despina was skillfully han
died by Elena Rizzieri, who
despite an edgy, sometimes
acid tone. conveyed the spirit
of the true Despina - all
charm, energy and opportu-
nism. Glyndebourne audiences
have taken a great fancy to
the American mezzo Nan Mer-
riman, who sings Dorabella.
They like her warmth, her
hveliness and the Sensuous
color of her voice.
Though the Glyndebourne
powers have disavowed the
star system, they have one in
spite of themselves land sure
ly to their satisfaction in
Sena Jurinac. Fiordiligi is one
of her outstanding roles. Her
pure powerful voice is used
with exquisite taste and scru-
pulouS attention to the letter
and spirit of Mozart. There.
is never a scoop in those dizzy
ungarnished rises and falls of
the two arias; her attacks are
absolutely clean. Also her voice
has enough resonance to carry
to the back of the house
rather a feat here. The au-
dience gave her its big ovation
of the evening after per
pieta."
Good Stage Appointments
"Cosi" was designed by Rolf
Gerard, whose sets were more
airy than Messel's. Mostly
Skeletal architectural detail in
screen form, their trans
parency made for space.
Again Miss Dandridge's stage
direction was unbelievably in
spired. 1t called for. and got.
just the right amount Of
laughter.
During the 75-minute inter-
mission period for supper. the
Glyndebourne imponderableS
take over; the inner-jacketed
and fox-furred picnic parties
on the lawns, the game Of
hunt-the-celebrity, which is
valid intermission sport any
where. Tyrone Power was
our most distinguished export
one night, Leon Barzin the
other) The public is also al
lowed to visit Mr.. Christie's
enviable music room: an organ
at one end, a concert grand at
the other. and between, many
treasures in the way of books
and pictures. After these di-
vertissements the audience is
fully refreshed and ready for
another hour and a half of
opera. It is a civilized way to
present music. fair to all con-
cerned, including the composer.
Two Bob for a Banquet
At the other end of the Lon
don musical spectrum from
Glyndebourne's tiny opera
house is the Albert Hall whose
5000 capacity puts our Con-
stitution Hall to shame. There
the Prom concerts, founded by
the late and much-loved Sir
Henry Wood, are played every
night for two months in sum-
mer, and there a patron equal
to standing-room can partake
of an immoderately generous
musical meal for two shillings
sixpence. The night Of my visit
the BIC Orchestra played the
Handel-Harty Royal Fireworks
Music. Mozart's c minor Con-
certo K. 49l with the American
pianist Rosalyn Tureck as
soloist. Walton's "Belshazzars
Feast" and Tchaikovsky's I'd
Symphony. All of it.
"Belshazzar" is one Of Sir
Malcolm Sargent's specialties.
He does 1t con brio and the or
chestra and the massed bat
talions Of choristers produced
an amazingly powerful effect,
greater than would seem pos
sible in that vast hall. All
sorts Of articles are used for
simplifying sound there which
might be worth study. :.
Posters were up for Liberace
and Sidney Bechet in October:
the Albert Hall has something
for every one.
Washingtonians will be in
terested to hear that the
Canadian soprano Lois Mar
shall. who made such a sem
sation as Donna Anna in last
seasons Don Giovanni" with
the National Symphony, had
a recent triumph in London.
Summoned by Sir Thomas
Beecham TO sing with the
Royal Philharmonic Orches-
ira. she programmed Mozart's
"Exsultate. Jubilate" and. as
an encore. gave the great aria
from "Entfuhrung." "Martern
aller Arten." My informant,
a reliable first violin Of the
Philharmonic. said the house
went wild, and gave her an
tpyation lasting Ave minutes