SINGERS AND FLAYERS

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 137, 10 June 1911, Page 14

SINGERS AND FLAYERS

Dr. Harris's musical composition, "Pan," to be heard at the festivals in Auckland by the Sheffield Choir, under his direction, is described as a chorio idyll and offers certain points of freshness both in idea and treatment as an example in cantata opera-form. The libretto, by Josephine Preston Peabody, deals with the old-time legend of Pan, the Arcadian deity, and the birth of music. This is brought about by the Shepherd-god's desire to possess Syrinx, one of Dian's nymphs, whose origin, like that of all the personalities of old mythology, was brought about by a study of, and appreciation for, the sheer loveliness of Nature. The immediate source of Syrinx's being was evidently the silver stream of the Lado, and to avoid the desire of Pan she returns to the element water which gave her birth. Out of the limpid stream there come the river reeds which Pan gathers; and •very beautifully the idea of Nature's music, which conies in its most elemental aspect from the waving of the stems in the moving air, is carried on by the fact that the god brings the art of music into existence by blowing up on the cut stems, which he forms into an instrument. Furthermore, the natural idea is very happily combined with the poetic, in that out of a purely elemental instinct is born an art which, of all the arts, is the" most emotional. These poin,ts are characteristically brought out in the music of Dr. Ilarriss, both by plan and treatment.

King Alfonso has instituted in Spain a prize in the form of a subsidy of £800 for the best orchestra, with a view to developing orchestral playing in the various cities of Spain, and a condition is affixed to the award that a composition by a Spanish musician must be played at every concert. Ferdinand Arbos, the •conductor of the Madrid Symphony Orchestra, has arranged for new works which are to be performed. The compositions are by Pedrell, Maurique, Berez Casas, Albaniz, Conrado del Campo, Granadus, Turina, Falla, and others.

Mine. Liza Lehmann, who has lately returned to London from an American tour, is one of the world's leading composers, although she first achieved fame and popularity as a singer. Randegger was her teacher, but she received many useful hints from Jenny Lind in her earlier days. Since her marriage in 1894 she has devoted herself entirely to composition. Mine. Lehmann tells a quaint story of Brahms. She was staying with Mme. Schumann at the time at Frankfort, and while she was there Brahms came for a short visit. Naturally her excitement at the prospect ol meeting one of the world's famous masters was great. On the morning of the first day of his visit the breakfast menu included sardines, which were served in the tin containing them. Brahms devoured a number with gusto, and then, to his youthful worshipper's amazement and horror, coolly took up the tin and drank the oil t

Madame Eteanora de Clsneros and Mdlle. Maria Voluntas Rapzenberg, who will be the two principal contraltos in the Melba Grand Opera Company, have both to tbeir credit well-established reputations. Madame Cisneros has appeared at the Manhattan Opera House, the Metropolitan Opera House (New York), Covent Garden, London and La Seala. Milan. In the last-named city she created the part of Clytemnestra in Richard Strauss' famous opera "Electra." In spite of the fact that she is not yet 25 years of age, Mdlle. Ranzenberg has had great experience, not only in Germany, Russia, and Poland, but also at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Her repertoire is a wide and varied one, and includes all the operas that will be given during the Melba opera season, in addition to others that will not be staged.

Miss Farrar's live geese and the animals in Mozart's "Magic Flute" and Wagner's operas will be simply "nowhere" when Nougues's sensational grand opera, "Quo Vadis," is produced in English in New York next year by 'Werba-Luescher. The managers expect to follow the realism of Sienkiewicz's original story with more fidelity than was done when the opera was sung in French recently. For instance, in the famous Coliseum scene, where the Christians are slain for the amusement of Nero and the Roman mob, a roaring bull will lie introduced with the girl Lvgia bound to its horns, as in the novel. There will be a battle royal between the giant Ursus and the animal in plain sight of the audience, exactly as performed when the opera was in Vienna. Following this thrilling episode, and when Nero orders tho Christians to be thrown to the wild beasts, the management expects to have real lions loose in the arena, providing a realistic spectacle never before attempted in the opera or in the dramatic production of "Quo Vadis." Andreas Dippel has sailed for Europe to secure the English singing artists for the Werba-Luescher production, and arrange with 11 agen lie.ck for the "Quo Vadis" lions. He also expects to engage in Vienna the bull that has been specially trained for its paat in the Coliseum spectacle.

The Royal Hawaiians, a native musical company which has toured Australia with great success, opened their Wellington season in the Town Hall concert chamber on Saturday night last, when they provided one of the most original of entertainments. There was no orchestra, not even a pianoforte, for the dozen llawaiiians with stringed instruments tilled the. role of accompanists whether to dances or songs. The

"Times" says, "They are all naturally musk-al, and use with remarkable skill a small guitar called tbe "ykulele," having four strings. Nearly all the music was of simple character, a few chords on the "ykulele." varied now- and then, sufficing to provide an attractive tone background for whatever item was in progress.

The prices which are quoted by the Covent Garden management in connection with the Coronation Gala night are such as to make New Zealanders sit back and think. They are as follows: — Pit and grand tier boxes, 100 guineas each. Front and second tier boxes respectively, 00 and 40 guineas; orchestral stalls. 20 guineas; balcony, 10 guineas; first four rows ampi'theatre, 4 guineas; other rows. 3 guineas.

Miss Mary Garden, the operatic star, has declared her intention of writing a book. She says:—"ln it you will find the American man and also the American woman, and a great many other thingsmanagers and critics and singers—just exactly what I think of them all, quite frankly. The managers and critics and singers have all talked about mc to their hearts' content, and now I am going to talk about them. I hope to make some money out of the book, besides relieving my mind of a lot of things which I want to say. Like the Mikado. I've got a little list." Miss Garden was very much annoyed at the .props no! ices of her appearances in "Salome." Two or three years ago the American prima donna was regarded as Madame Mel'ba's only rival in the United States.