NEW GRAND OPERA COMPANY

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 14, 11 October 1927, Page 13

NEW GRAND OPERA COMPANY

WILL VISIT AUSTRALIA AND PERHAPS NEW ZEALAND FINE ARTISTS SECURED “TURANDOT” TO BE PERFORMED .Mr. Nevin Tait, in company with Sir George Tallis, has just returned from a mouth's visit to Italy and Erance to secure the artists for a new grand opera company for Australia and, this time perhaps, New Zealand tor next year. Air. Tait informed me that in order to see and hear performers or their agents they had visited all the chief centres of Italy and France, and the result he thought would bo the finest combination of grand opera talent that had even been assembled in Australasia; that because, not only were they to stage the usual lyric and dramatic operas of the Italian repertoire, but are to give at least three great Wagnerian performances, works which demand artists of unusual power and scope, vocally and dramaticlly. An Ambitious Repertoire. 'The repertoire will be as follows:— Wagner: “Lohengrin,” “Taunhauser,” “ Valkarie.” Verdi: “Aida," “RigolOtto," “Trovatore," “Traviata.” Donizetti: "Lucia di Lammermoor/’ “Don Pasquale," “La Figlia Del Rcgirnento." Giordano: “Fedora," “Andrea Chenier." t Gounod: “Faust." Puccini: “Turandot," "Suor Angelica,” and “Il Tabarro,” and “Gianni Schicchi” (three one-act operettas), “La Boliemc," “La Tosca,” “Manon Lescant," “Madam Butterfly.” Rossini: “11 Barbicre Di Siviglia." Offenbach: “Les Contes d’-Hoffmann.” Montemezzi: "L’Amore Dei Tro I’e.” Mascagni: “Cavalleria Rustieana," and "Loda let ta." . Leoneavelln: “J’agliacci." Cilia: “Adrianna Lecouvrier.” Fine Artists Secured. To sing these performances a distinguished., array of artists from the operatic halls of fame in Italy has been secured. At. present they are scattered throughout Europe. . America (North and South), and Africa, but. it is hoped they will all reach Australia to inaugurate the 1928 season. about the middle of April. ■ They include the following:— Sopranos—Toll dal Monte (now in Buonos Ayres); Aranghi Lombardi (dramatic soprano, who will figure ; as the Princess Turandot in Puccini’s . new opera of that name); Lina Siavizzi and Aurora Rettore (who were with the last grand opera company in Australia). The tenors arc exceptional and include Francesco Atari; (from “La Scala’* ' and Covent Garden), Angelo Minghetti (an adorable lyric tenor), Ettore Cesabianc.hi (a famous Wagnerian tenor). Do Muro Lamonto, Luigi Cilla, and Luigi Pa rod i. Mezzos— Minghini-Catlaneo and Acre de Cristoff. Baritones—Augnsfo Beni (in New Zenland with Toll dal Monte), Tpollq Granforte (wlin toured New Zealand in concert), and Rossi Morelli (a. Wagnerian baritone). Bassos —Umberto do Balin, Guetano Azzolini, and Oresto Carozzi. Maestros—Antonio Fuggazoln and either Signors Bavagnoli or Ghione (probably the latter). Tho chorus master will be Roberto Zucchi; tho stage director, Carlo Farinetfi: tho ballet mistress, Tnes Acari; and the prompter Amlelo .Tornari. Mr. Tait considers that when built up by tile addition of some half a dozen "subsidiary artists—some of whom he hopes will be Australian—the company will bo tho strongest operatic coinbination that has ever visited Australia. Tho male chorus will be almost wholly Italian, but tho female chorus will be largely selected in Australia, owing to the wonderful success which was achieved in that important department three years ago. Air. Tait is now arranging the scenery and dresses for the repertoire. no light task in view of its Catholic character and wide scope. He considers it will cost’over .£lOOO to stage each performance throughout tho season. but has small doubt that the public will respond as generously as they did in 1924-25.