GRAND OPERA FOR THE COLONIES.

Evening Star, Issue 12060, 2 March 1907, Page 10

GRAND OPERA FOR THE COLONIES.

. .. :—* :' ■" fßx Call Bosm A STRONG COMBINATION. ■\n already mentioned in the ..•' Evening Stiu,' the Musgrove Royal. .Grand Opera Company intend touring New 'Zealand at', tho clow, of their- visit to the principal Australian centred. The Dunedin aeason will extend from September 25;.t0 October 10. at His- Majesty's. I make this announcement on the "authority of ' Mr Mus"rove who a.sks mo lo contradict a statement ' published in a recent Christchurch ■weekly that there seemed no chance of the Grand Opera Company Visiting Now Zealand. In addition to German opera, Italian and French operas will be" presented, and with the exception of Wagner's works, all operas are sung in .English. The company consist of four, sopranos, two mezzo-sopranos, four tenons, and four basses and baritones. There are to be two conductors, ono of...whom is Hcit Arthur Bodanzkv, of Vienna. The r.umbsr of princip;t.l? is*rather Im-c. but Mr Mrepovo intends to produce Meyerbeer's "Iho Prophet,' which requires a very largo cast. Thus there aro '.n tho company four artiste who can sing ' Tannhauser ' or 'Lohengrin' at a moment's notice ; three ladies who can idav EWI or Ortrud; and tlirco ladies who are* now studying the part of Juliet m English. Tbo principal tenor is Herr Ka,rl Studomann from the Roval Court Theatre, Berlin. He has liad fifteen years' stag© experience, and his repertoire consists of sixty operas. Permission had to bo obtained frcan Kaiser William for Herr Studemann's Australasian engagement. This was obtained through the intercession of tho Crown Prince, who, Mr Musgrove save, wus quit© delighted to lioar that German aitists were so much appreciated by Australians. The second tenor is Herr Mafeina, * Rusetiin, who sang formerly at the Imperial Theatre, Si. Petersburg. "Bo has a repertoire of forty operas, and has appeared at nearly every important theatre in Germany, also at Covent Cardan, London. Tho third tenor is Herr Richard Oeser, who will play Lohengrin, Faust. Romeo, and Don Joee in 'Carmen.' Orig i nally Herr Oeser devoted his abilities to thodramatic stage, and joined the famous Saxe-Meiningcn Company. Sub sequcntlv he went on tho lyrio stage, and has occupied" tho position of principal tenor at the Dresden Theatre. Tho fourth tenor is Herr Karl Poller, who is an Austrian by birth, and an ex-officer in a crack cavafay regiment. His repertoire consists of twenty operas. . Kerr Hans Mobwinkel, Court sragcr of the Grand Duke of the principal baritorjo, and permission hud also to bo obtained from his princely employer for the Australian engagement. He is also Court «inger to tho Kaiser, Royal Court singer at Mannheim, and principal baritone at the Stadt Theatre, Hamburg. Ho will play the King in ' Lohengrin,' tie Landgraf in ' Tannbauser,' Wotan in the ' Walkyrie,' xnd Yenderdecken in 'Tho Flying Dutchman.' In the operas to. bo prodncod in Knglish, Herr Mohwinkel will sing tho part of tbo Friar in ' Romeo and Juliet,' Zuniga in ' Carmen,' and Zachariah in ' Tlte Prophet.' The other barkono is Herr Fritz R-upp. Ho is principal baritone at the Hof Theatre, Berlin; the Stadt Theatre, Magdeburg ; and tho Stadt Theatre, Cologne. Ho will sing Wolfram in 'Tannbauser.' His principal work will bo in tho English operas. Herr Julius Runger, basso-baritone, will play Hunding in tho ' Walkyrie,* Tolreniund in ' Tannbauser,' and Dalland in ' The Flying Dutchman.' In English ho will play Capulet in ' Romeo and Juliet,' Zuniga. in 'Carmen,' and Mathison in 'Tho Prophet.' Herr Emil Greder is a baeso and one of the best acting-singers in Germany. He has a great range of voice from low bass to high baritone. Ho was principal basso at the Dresden Theatre for three years. His specialty is stage managing of Wagnerian opera, and he will occupy the position of manager in Mr Musgrove's new company. It was Herr Greder who was specially imported by Herr Conricd to produce ' Parsifal' in New York. In Germany he occupies the positions of Royal Court singer of Prussia, Saxony, and Wurtemberg, and is generally considered a man of very high education and intelligence. Besides his vocal capacity and general knowledge of operatic literature, he is one of tlie bestknown of tragedians on the German stage. Whilst with the Saxe-Meiningen Company ho made a great reputation ae an exponent of Shakespearian characters, especially that of Julius Ca?sar. He will play in Australia Mephistopheles in ' Faust,' the Landgraf in ' Tannhanser,' Dalland in 'The Flying Dutchman,' and the Friar in ' Romeo and Juliet. -

Coming to the ladles, Fraulein Mary Stoller is a fine lyric soprano. She has been eight years an the German stage, and is still young. She will play Sieglinde in the ' Walkyrie,' Elizabeth in 'Tannbauser,' and Elsa in 'Lohengrin.' 123 EnpftTTsfa. she -will play Juliet in ' Itomeo and JuHet,' Marguerite in ' Fauet,' Bertha in ' The Prophet,' and Gretol in ' Hansel and Gretel.' Fxsulein Sara. Andersen, ■who has also been eight yeans on the stage, possesses a beautiful soprano voice, and is said to be very pretty. She will sing Elsa's part in ' Lohengrin,' Elizabeth in ' Tannhauser,' Sieglinde in the ' Walkyrie,' and Senta in ' The Flying Dutchman.' Fraulein Beatrice Stellion, who is only twenty-two years of age, possesses a sweet lyric soprano voice. Last season she was tho prima donna at Lortzing's Theatre, Berlin; She will only appear in English opera, and her parts will be Marguerite in 'Faust.' Jnßet in ' Borneo and Juliet,' Siobel in ' Faust,' Micaela in ' Carmen,' Gretel in ' Hansel and Gretel,' and the Page in ' Romeo.' Fraulein Mia Barckon is a. very beautiful young girl, and also a soprano. She has only been two seasons .on the stage—at the Royal Theatre in Mannheim and the Western Theatre, Berlin. She will only sing Elsa

in German, and her English parts will bo Juliet, Micaela, Marguerite, Hansel, and the Page in ' Romeo.' FrauKsin Johanna Heinze, a dramatic mezzo-scrano, is acknowledged to be the merit vivacious Carmen and the best Brunhildo in Germany. She has played at the Court theatres of Stuttgart, Carlsruhe, Colongne, Hamburg, and at fcheroyal opera in Berlin. She will plfty in Australia ' Brimhilde, Ortrud in 'Lohengrin,' Venus ■ in ' Tannhnuser,' and Elizabeth in the same opera alternately. In English she will play , Carmen, Fides in ' Tho Piophet,' and the ' witch in ' Hansel and Gretel.' Fraulein ; Waller will play Frika in.the ' Walkyrie,' j in which she niade a great success at, the ! Stadt Theatre, Leipzig. Her oth*r parts | will be Venus in ' Tannhanser' and Marie j in 'The Flying Dutchman.' In English I she will play Fides in ' The Prophet' and i the Witch in ' Hansel and Gretel.' The trreat- novelty in Mr Musgrove's I repertoire will, of course, be ' The WalI kyrie,' one of Wagner's " Ring." The j " argument" is rather peculiar. It is also a j li>ng ooera, and its performance, Mr Mnsj gove says, must begin at seven o'clock, I ill order to give people time to catch last trains. The following will be the cast of ' The Walkyrie' :—Siegmund, Herr J Karl Studcmann and Herr M. Massina; } Hunding, Herr Julius Ranger; Wotan,

Herr Hans Mohwinkel; Siegljnde, Fraulein 'Mary Stoller and Fraulein Sara. Anderson ; Bronhilde, ;. Fraulein Johanna Heinze; Frika, Fraulein -Valerie' Waller. The eifjbt Walkyries will be selected from tho University- and Melbourne Conservatorium pupils, 'Jss'.bo will also be understudies to the ladV' principals. '

The members of the company left Genoa for Melbourne by the German steamer Bulow on February 3, and the tour will begin at the~Prinoes_ son Easter Monday night with 'Lohengrin.' The buaness management will be in the hands of Mr Harry Mnsgroye, to whom I am indebted for the above particulars.