Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-03-31
NEWS OF MUSIC
Woshineton's operate
History Reconstructed


I'm contrast to the spate of
imported singers. a lady
named Emma Juchs emerged
on the Washington scene.
This heroic woman ran an
opera company and sang all
the principal roles. She was
an ardent campaigner for
opera in English. Her plea
was echoed by Kate Field. who
edited a Washington weekly.
Grand Opera in English
Why Not, she editorialized.
Were ! a serious librettist. I'd
make Columbus the hero of
my opera. bringing in Indians,
Isabella. the Spanish court-or
make him a burlesque. and
have him visit the Worlds
Fair of 1893
There seems to have been a
slump in opera in the early
years Of this century. There
were a few eventS-Mascagni
conducted his own 'Cavalleria
Rusticana.' a French troupe
visited here from New Orleans,
and the Boston Grand Opera
played at the BelaSco Theater.
But Washington's first local
opera endeavor began in 1918
with the foundation of the Ma
tional Opera Association. Its
impresario was Eduard Albion.
a resident teacher and singer.
Looking over the programs Of
his company it is evident that
he had taste and imagination,
for he provided some operas
outside the stereotyped
French German repertoire.
and also good singers-some of
them brilliant.
Housed in the Washington
Auditorium. that forlorn struc-
ture at the corner of Nine
tenth and E streets. Albion's
company managed to produce
regularly until 1929. when we
can only suppose the stock
market crash engulfed him.
His productions with Chalia-
pin singing Faust and Boris
Goudonoff must have been
something to heart
Days of Mrs. wilson Greene
LAS the star Of Albion set,
a new impresario became as
cendant-a lady impresario by
the name of Mrs. Wilson,
Greene. Between 1920 and
1880 she brought to town a va
riety Of opera companies. Jug
Cling them deity at a dizzy
rate. Scotti's Grand Opera
Company. a Mozart Wagner
company, an American opera
company. the Metropolitan it
self. and the Chicago Civic
Opera Company, at the height
of its brilliance.
AN occasional opera would
sneak into Washington not
managed by Mrs. Wilson,
Greene. There were Deems
Taylor's The Kings Hench-
man. and an isolated per-
Torrance Of Rachmaninoff's
'Aleko.' given for the benefit
of Russian refugees. But
Washington had to wait until
1886 for the violent resurgence
and demise of Eduard Al
bion's National Opera Com
pany.
In Constitution Hall a gala
audience was assembled to
hear Delibes' 'Lakme.' with
Tokatyan, Albion himself, and
a young singer billed as the
Brazilian Nightingale She
was Bidu Sayao. There was a
long wait. and unrest seized
both the audience and the
musicians in the pit. The latter
started to pack up their in
struments. Mrs. Albion, dis
traught. rushed from the stage
and begged the players to &C
cept a check for $500. But
the orchestra insisted on cash
before the performance. In
the ensuing hySteria. a Rus
sian music teacher leaped up
and volunteered to play the
score on a portable organ
and thus 'Lakme' proceeded
until 1:30 am. 1t was a fiasco
that wrote fms to the history
of Albion's company.
While there have been a
number Of performances by
visiting companies. there has.
since Albion's time, been no
serious attempt to produce
professional opera in WASH
ington, until the inception OF
the Opera Society of WASH
ington this year"