SOME CELEBRITIES

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 226, 21 June 1934, Page 4

SOME CELEBRITIES

Stars of Musical World VERDI RENAISSANCE “Except in Berlin, since Hitler and the Nazis came into power and threw a political spanner into I lie wheels of art for the time being, the musical situation in Europe is encouraging, said Mr. Hugo Larsen, ibe impresario who lias brought. Mr. Horace Stevens and M. Pouishnoff to New Zealand, in tin. interview yesterday. “Now. that there has been a year of Hitler control in Germany, perhaps he will allow the arts to develop naturally once more without political interference or racial menace. There is hope in that connection when one looks back over the first stages of Mussolini's dictatorship in Italy. To-day 11 Duce is being praised for the way he is stimulating the arts, and Italy has proved that political and artistic development must go hand in hand. “■When I was in Florence I was privileged to hear a marvellous festival of music. One expects to hear Verdi and Rossini at such events, but to my surprise I found that short choral pieces by the English composers Gustav Holst and Arnold Bax were included in the programme, which also embraced some fine chamber music. Only a few years ago the very idea that an Englishman could be a composer of good music would have been laughed at there. “It may seem strange,” continued Mr. Larsen, “but there is quite a tendency, not only in Italy, but in Germany and Austria, to revive the older operas of Verdi. One reason for this may be that living Italian composers are unable to produce the goods. Jeritza and Leliar. “Two famous people I met in Vienna were Maria Jeritza, the operatic prima donna, and Franz Leliar, the composer of ‘The Merry Widow.’ Jeritza is a remarkable personality, who is still able to twist the ildoring Viennese round her little finger. She expressed a great fancy to visit Australia, but that cannot be arranged for some time. I would like to bring her out. but we must wait until there is an opera season, as it is in opera that she is supreme—a passionate and beautiful Tosca. and a lovely Elsa. “Franz Lehar I found to be a wonderfully vital personality, who radiates humanity and kindliness. It was through Jeritza I met him. Lehar’s latest opera, ‘Guilietta,’ is now being played at the Vienna State Opera House, with Jeritza and Richard Tauber in the leading roles. . “At a concert given by Tauber in Paris I'met Marlene Dietrich and Ramon Novarro. the famous, screen artists. Novarro will probably come to Australia soon, and on his popularity elsewhere I should say he would be adored on this side of the world. Chaliapin was enjoying a wonderful season when I was -n Paris. Russian operas and the Russian ballet were being performed on alternate night? at i’Opera, and. big crowds were flocking to both as in the golden days before the war. Chaliapin was singing with tremendous success in such operas as ‘Boris Godouuov.' 'Prince Igor.’ and ‘Eugen Onegin.’ Musical Life in Paris. "Let me give you an idea of the musical life of Paris at tlie moment. The number of operatic and concert performances in that city in the past twelve months was roughly 2400—that is to say, more than six performances for each night of lhe year, including Sundays. The operas presented at. the. national opera are really very poorly done. Chaliapin's season was glorious by comparison. London runs a close second Io Paris in its musical life. Don't you believe anyone who tells you that there is nothing doing musicaly in London.

“I found more people attending the concerts than at atiy time I t‘.m remember, and I can understand it. For London now possesses a' couple of orchestras to equal almost anything in the world—the British Broadcasting Corporation Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which Sir ’Thomas Bee’chain conducts.” x