CHALIAPIN WALKS OUT

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 January 1936, Page 11

CHALIAPIN WALKS OUT

OPERA ABANDONED

COPENHAGEN, December 8.

Chaliapin, the famous Russian singer, left here by air for Paris this morning, in a condition of high excitement.

The much-heralded presentation of Gounod’s “Faust,” which was to have taken place at the Opera House tonight in aid of charity, has been cancelled, and the money paid for tickets returned.

Chaliapin declared that he had had one of the most dreadful experiences of his life. He was to have played Mepliistopheles, arrived here a few days ago to rehearse, and trouble appears to have begun on Friday. Chaliapin made many criticisms of the production, the singers, and the orchestra.

He was particularly dissatisfied with the Danish modern presentation of the opera, which he declared to be quite unsuited to Gounod’s '“Faust.” He left the rehearsal three times in protest. After the third time the management decided to dispense with his services and abandon the production. TOO FAT—TOO SMALL. To one of the leading artists Chaliapin, complaining that he was singing too loudly, declared, “Save your voice for Sunday.” Of two others he said one was too fat for the part while the other was to small. Picking up the smaller one and placing him on a chair Chaliapin shouted “So big he ought to be.” He eventually walked out of the theatre in disgust but yesterday returned for another rehearsal. Similar trouble seems to have occurred, and eventually the local singers angrily declared that they would not appear with him. Chaliapin later gave the reasons for his action. “The performance which is to be given,” he said, “is not Gounod’s ‘Faust.’ It is certainly a highly .interesting performance, but, unfortunately, I do not know it.” He then described how in the first scene Margaret descended from the heavens as a sort of acrobatic turn. He also said: “In the scene where I sink before the Cross the chorus laughed.” Chaliapin’s further complaints were that the theatre chief was not present at the rehearsals, no one had met him at the station, and no arrangements had been made to convey him to the theatre. He was to have given another performance on Wednesday in aid of the Theatre Royal Artists’ Pension Fund. —Exchange.