Evening star., 1958-05-04
NEWS OF MUSIC
TuIent Is SPreod
In Offenboch Opus
ny DAY THORPE
star Music Critic

star Music critic
When the washington
Civic Opera presents offen-
bach's fanclful comedy
Tales Of Hoffman" this
Thursday. Friday and Satur-
day. the two leading women's
roles will be shared by four
singers. II Is not that the
Civic Opera cannot decide
upon whom 10 put its trust,
but In the carrying out OF rs
basic purpose. II must be
catholic In It's choice Of sing
ers. "Our aim." II says. 1T
10 give young local. singers
an opportunity for artistic
development"
So on May 8 and 10 Naomi
Blake will play Olympia. and
Mary Ann Stable. Giulietta,
while on May Q the roles will
be given TO Carolyn Knight
and Dagmar Hasalova-W White,
respectively. Two profess
sionals are cast In the leads
OF an performances - Jim
(not Jamesl Hawthorne, Of
the New York City Opera.
and Elaine Scott. OF the Bal
timore Civic Opera. a pupil
Of Rosa Ponselle.
The conducting assign
ment will be shared by DR..
Frederick Fall. of the Agri-
culture Symphony and Mich
olas Pappas of the Commerce
Symphony. Stage director is
Ida Brodenova: sets are by
Tom Hickson and James
Ayres. Leon Fokine Is the
choreographer. e..
Large Cast
Other singers in the large
cast are Robert Shelton. as
Coppelius. . Dapertutte, Lin
dorf, and Miracle; Grace
Bradford as Nicklaus; Dam
lei Entriken as Cochenille;
and James Smith. Virginia
Linn, Gene Yenni. Miles
Brandon. Anthony Dinkins
and Charles Devote.
II Mary Ann Stable is not
q stage name 1t is certainly
an unprecedented omen for
a girl who has made the oper-
attic boards her chosen caHser.
One of the greatest bass sing
ers of the age (now, / be-
lieve, retired is Mariana
Stable. whose Falstaff under
Toscanini and Dan Giovanni
at Glyndebourne set the
standard, in the opinion Of
many, for modern perform
ances of these roles.
Since its premiere in Paris
IN 1881. Tales of Hoffman"
while not a prime favorite,
has always had devoted ad-
mirers. A notable. If slightly
surreptitious. believer in the
show is the Metropolitan OPP
era itself, which silently lifted.
some of the numbers for in
clusion in its present produc-
ton of another 'Offenbach
opera la Perichole."
The Washington Civic OPP
era is doing an invaluable
service not only for local
singers interested in appear
ing in opera. but for the
cause of opera itself. Its shows
are generally well done for
amateur, low budget produc-
tions, and by finding places
for everybody interested, it
is providing a substitute for
the European small-town OPP
era company supported by
the State.
X 4 4
AMERICAN MUSIC
Starting today and con-
tinuing every Sunday until
the first of June. the latest
series of the American Music
Festival, under the guidance
of Richard Bales, will bring
the Washington music-lover
five concerts of native music
-ch a m b er music, choral
music. piano music and Or
chestral music. Most Of it
will be contemporary, but
lest someone think that
American" music has roots
only in the near past, in post
war jazz, Mr.. Bales has in
cluded some earlier pieces
his own arrangement Of
Hewitt's Battle of Trenton"
a whole program Of Charles
Ives, and some salon music Of
Louis Moreau Gottshalk. This
pianist, In his short but fam
ing career, caused a sensa-
ton as a virtuoso that would
lave made Chopin or Liszt
look to their laurels, if they
had visited the New World.
Most of the music, however, is
contemporary American,
much of it to be played here
for the first time.
The concerts, given at the
National Gallery, are of
course subsidized, since they
are free to the public. The
orchestral concerts are paid
for by the American Fedora
ton Of Musicians out of
money it collects from the