Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-07-28
VIEWS OF MUSIC
By CONSTANCE MELLEN

Empire State Music Festival
bare was the production Of
Richard Strauss "Elektra."
with the symphony Of the
Air In the pit. LasElo Halasz
conducting. and q cast in
seluding Virginia Copeland.
Ellen Fault. Elizabeth Hoen-
sen and Michael Bondon,
the Kllenville performances
achieved Q considerable ar
tistie success.
"Elektra" II rarely sung
for two principal reasons
It y hard to ind Q soprano
equal to the cruel demands
Of the name part. and equally
hard to attract audiences
fond enough Of its musical
beauties to endure t he rig
ors Of the story.
Like its predecessor, "Sa-
lome," this gruesome MASTER
piece is written in one long
act, an act of unremitting
tension. But where "Sa-
lome." while not exactly q
sunny tale, has at least the
distraction Of the famous
dance. "Elektra" is sheer
nightmare. Hugo Won Hof-
mannsthal's version of the
classic tragedy has taken
care Of that.
Score Rich and Vital
Musically, it is one Of the
richest and most vital scores
Strauss ever wrote. 1t shows
the rapid development of his
own Leitmotif scheme. and
a far more subtle translation
of emotion into orchestral
sound than he used in "Sa-
lome." The lyrical passages
-Elektra's scene with Chrys-
othemis, and her recogni-
ton of her brother Orestes-
rank with the composers
most superb pages.
In the role of Elektra, Vir-
ginia Copeland. young Amer
lean soprano chiefly known
for her appearances in "The
Saint Of Blocker Street" and
the TV opera, THE Ballad Of
Baby Doe," showed herself an
artist Of heroic accomplish
ments.
On stage continuously for
all but the first flve minutes
Of the operas hour-and-
three-quarter length, the
heroine has Q great deal Of
singing to do, and Miss Cope
lands vocal resources APP
peared to be endless. Her
voice had depth in texture
rather than surface brilliance.
The lower register had .
throaty quality, and her high
notes O molten smoothness.
There were measures In which
her voice did not carry wen
over the din Of the full or
chestra. but the tricky acous-
tics Of the huge Ellenville
tent might be blamed for
that. The miracle was that ct
the end Of her role, Q long
crescendo of frenzy and hate.
Miss Copeland poured out
fresh reserves Of tonal beauty.
Fine Supporting Roles
The Vienna Staatsopera's
famous contralto, Elizabeth
Hoengen, was imported to
sing the role Of Klytemestra.
Although her voice lacked it,
former richness. and gave her
frequent trouble with shaki-
ness at the top. her portrayal
Of the queen was q MASTER
piece OF towering decay.
Ellen Fault, as Chrysothe-
mis-. was never in better voice
and sang with power and as
surance. She had no difficulty
at any time in clearing the
orchestral sound barrier and
her high register had a great
deal Of richness.
Michael Bondon, the
strong voiced Orestes. sang
with appealing warmth of
tone. but seemed detached
from the general tension;
this criticism might also be
applied to Miss Faults act
ing.
Lesser roles were well sung
by Marcello di Giovanni and
Helen Baisley.
Brilliance in Orchestra
The Symphony of the Air
is the pivot on which the Ell
lenville Festival turns, and
Maestro Halasz conducted 1t
with sweep and brilliance,
although his strong feeling
for the Strauss idiom cou-
pied with the orchestra's
power potential sometimes
carried him to excuses Of
sound. Leopold Sachse's stage
direction fatty ignored the
libretto at times, and had
Z imposed some awkward and
unnecessarily ugly gestures
on Miss Copeland. but other
wise made the best Of a wide
flung stage and a crouching
set.
Considered as q whole, the
Ellenville "Elektra" had ex-
element. cohesive tension,
and artistic style. And in
Virginia Copeland 1t dis
closed q dramatic soprano OF
powerful gifts.
Other items OF Festival
fare were being discussed in
the taproom Of the Wayside
Inn, where the elite gathered
after the "Elektra" perform
ance. There were both braves
, and boos for Stokowski's pres
.. entation. the night before, Of
StravinSky's "Canticum Sa-
Nf.ffYla - (UAnli0VufvNs, Nba of~.. -.