DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL

Free Lance, Volume XVIII, Issue 988, 11 June 1919, Page 10

DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL

By Footlight.

ANEW Zealand soldier, who takes a keen interest in music and is a decent hand on the fiddle, writes me from London by the last mail a. propos of opera: — Dear Footlight, —On Wednesday last (March 21) Sir Thomas Beecham s cn-ind Opera season —which, untortun Self is to last only three »eeks before 'a tour of the United Kmgiomat Drury Lane. M. and I in yesterday to' see "La Bolieme and "Aida " We got good places in the mtitaee queue for ."La Boheme " and enjoyed the opera. lla S often been emotionally aitectea y paretic fframa, or sad music tat I h-.i ve never had such a throat, nor been so near to turning the waterworks, as at the close of the last act. The part of Mum was taken "by Jeanne Brola, who was in an company, in Australia some y < • "J?..' and that of Rudolph by Vebsifcei MillTr a fine tenor. The mu§ic supplied hv the orchestra of about 00, who wei in a huge well, was fine. In the evening we stood in the queue for over an hour, and when we were six trom thc -ticket-box the house was and we were turned away with thousands of others. I was very disappointed as I had heard much of ''Aida ' but we shall give the queue•stand an extra half-hour next time to make sure of getting m. -* . * * * * .* A week later he writes again undei date Sunday, March 30 : —' 'During the week ? have been grand operamg again—■''Louise'' on Monday, evening, a Sd "Tannhauser" on Saturday atteinoon. I had hoped to get m to alleria Rusticana," and "Pagliacci onSaturday night, but as soon as emerged from the doorway after the afternoon performance we could see -that it was a forlorn hope. Theie wire queues to all the unreserved parts of the house then, and thedoois -would not be open for another two iiours. This season is the first in which Sir Thomas Beecham s grand opera has been within the Poc*etxeach of the average theatre-goer Previously it had been patronised only b\ those who could afford to pay high -prices for their but this year, as an experiment, the fees have been reduced to a more popular level, and the crowded houses and thousands of disappointments every night can be taken as an indication of the success of the experiment. " 'Louise,' on Monday night, I "thought a very pretty little opera, lhe music is comewhat light, and throughout the performance I could not help noticing how frequently a certain little musical phrase occurred. Upon inquiry I find that it is based upon the Apache whistle. The staging was very good, aa also was the cast, which again included Webster Millar in the principal role. One scene represented a distant view of Paris, just at sunset. As the act progresses, the dusk draws on, -the buildings) away in the distance gradually light up as the darkness approaches, and eventually the -battel, outlined in electric globes, springs into lio-ht and rockets commence to go up from the surrounding grounds. Meanwhile a pretty love scene is being enacted in the foreground. The part of Louise was taken by Miriam Licette, who looked her part, as well as played it. This can hardly be said of Rosina Buckman, New Zealand's own Rosina. "Last week she appeared as the bo'sun's wife in <( The Boatswain's ]Ma"be, and I believe the audience had quite a lot •of amusement out of Rosina when she had to trip her dainty little 19 stone -up a flight of about twenty steps. How is it that all tbcse prima donnas run to flesh? "I had always been anxious to see "Tannhauser," for I am ao fond of the music in it, especially the overture, which is a favourite of mine. The performance was splendid, and although I had a standing neck-craning seat, I enjoyed it more than either 'Louise' or 'La Boheme.' The solos were excellent, especially 'Stai* of Eve,' the prayer at the shrine of Elizabeth, and the •competition songs in the Hall of Song. I think I appreciate Wagner's peculiarities in music more than those of any other composer, for certainly, whenever any of stuff is_ on a programme I am thoroughly satisfied. Frank Mullings, who took the part of Tannhauser, has a splendid tenor voice, and is the only performer who is paid a permanent annual salary by Beecham. It is said he gets £2000 ,a year. Norman Allin (bass) was also very fine.

"On another evening M— and myiastic opera-maniacs. ' Samson and lilah" by waiting in the queue, taking turn about in keeping the place, from 5.30 o'clock till 8 o'clock, so you will judge that we are pretty enthusiastic opera-maniacs. 'Samsan and Delilah' was very good, the music being very varied, and the opera itself very fascinating. Samson's muscle was represented by hunks of fat. I suppose that was all that was required. The cast was a very good one, the best vocalist being Edna Thornton. She also, you will remember, visited Australia some years ago, as a member of the same opera company that Jeanne Brola belonged to. "By the way I recently bought a violin solo, "Meditation," from the opera "Thais," and ti is a very prettv thing. You can safely recommend it to readers of the Free Lance." * * •35- * The movement by the Central Mission to erect a Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Hall in Cuba street on a site opposite to Te Aro House is about to receive a welcome lift forward. The Grand Opera House has been engaged for Saturday night, 21st inst. on which occasion the Misses Winifred Churchill and Maude Wliiterod are to present the pretty fairy play "Redcap in Fairyland." Sixty children have been carefully trained foj this bright spectacular pageant, which will be full of picturesque dancing, choice music and bright and glittering costumes. The Mayor and Mayoress have given their patronage. It is now up to the public to do their bit by buying tickets and crowding the Opera House. *«• » * The Wellington Caledonian Society gave a splendid concert in the Town Hall on Saturday night. The audience enjoyed themselves, but one missed the outbursts of Scottish enthusiasm he would expect from an assemblage of old Scotia's sons. Maybe, when the Caledonian Society gets properly going, and achieves its object of getting all the Scotchmen in Wellington, their wives ,sons, and daughters, banded together in one big society they will be able to put forward a Scottish concert that will stir the pulses of the Heelanders and their improved relatives, i.e., Scotchmen born in New Zealand. «• « * * I do not wish to infer that the concert was not a good one, for it was indeed a, pleasing entertainment. The various artists gave of their be6t, and every item was recalled. Mr W. W. Crawford was the star of the evening, his versatility as a character singer and an elocutionist of parts arousing a lot of enthusiasm. Others who helped to entertain were Mrs M. Green (late of Dunedin), a charming soprano; Miss Adelaide Bruce and Miss Myra Sawyers; Messrs Martin Duff and Len Barnes. The dancing of Miss Daisy Mcliellan was excellent, as also were the other Scottish dance items on the programme. * * * * Sir Harry Lauder and Charlie Chaplin many years ago appeared togethei* in vaudeville in London. Both were then comparative nobodies to what they are now. Who knows but that if Charlie had remained in England he might not have been Sir Charles now? * * » * Ben Fuller is planning a world's jaunt in search of novelties. He expects to visit America, the United Kingdom,- Europe and the East and will be accompanied by Mrs Fuller and family. -***«• Two popular little pierrettes, Elsie Langley and Madge Scott, have recently left the stage for the altar. Both were members of the English Pierrots and likewise both have wed West Australians. •» * * * Whispered that a certain Australian actress, well-known to New Zealand tHe.atre-goers, has . been seeking for months past the whereabouts of hubM who was "somewhere in France." She wished to go to America, but wanted to get a divorce first. Now that she has located her lost or strayed better half she finds that there are several hundred divorce cases before hers, so she is not delaying her trip to Dollarland any longer. * * * * No wonder Australian enterpreneurs are never keen on playing grand opera. Stated that "the Rigo Grand Opera Company has dropped £1000 on its recently-conclud-ed Melbourne season. Still, the 'flu epidemic would account for some of the losses, as the season was interrupted by the scourge soon after it was launched. * * * * The report that has been going the round that Messrs Frank Charlton and Borneo Gardiner (late of Wellington) are members of the Sir Harry Lauder Company is not correct. The members of the company referred to are Miss Muriel Window (the little peacock of vaudeville), who can sing, whistle, squeak and chirrup like a bird, and is a. wonderful imitator; Mr Eddie Montrose, the comic Broadway olown, w]io brings back memories of other 'great clowns; Laurie Kennedy

and Dorothy Mcßride, 'cello and piano: the Creightons, jugglers; Miss Heather Bell, a graceful Scotch dancer; and Mr Richard Keers, who controls a full orchestra. The company supporting Harry Lauder (it will be difficult to call him Sir Harry every time) is said to be much stronger than the one which accompanied him to New Zea.land five years ago. * •» * fiSh* Edward Elgar, the finest living British musical composer, has jus<t turned out a. violin solo which is full of metodv and is worked out so brightly that the listeners' interest never flags. * * * * M iss Amy Woodforde-Finden, composer of the familiar and delightful "Indian Love Lyrics" and other songsi. that have a great vogue here in New Zealand, died in England on March 13 last. * •* * * Another musician of repute who has just passed to the Silent Land is MiArthur Q'Leary, Professor of Music at the Royal Academy of Music, London, also examiner. He gave lessons, among others to Arthur Sullivan and Charles Stanford, both of whom attained the honour of knighthood. ■* * * Eleanora de Cisneros, whom New Zealand concert-goers will remember as a, very fine mezzo-soprano in coloratura singing, has lately been taking a hand, and a very good hand, in the antiGerman campaign which has been waged by musicians in New York, where she has been giving a seriesi or concerts. She did a lot for the Red Cross services during the* war, and was recently decorated. Madame de Cisneros. forwards me an article which she contributed lately to the "New York Times" by way of protest against- any revival of German music in Uncle Sam's Land—at any rate for a good while to come. It seems she was prompted to enter the anti-Ger-man argument by hearing the famous cry of Brangaena at a perfermance of Wagner's> "Tristan and Isolde" in New York. She herself had sung Brangaena to Lillian Nordica's Isolde, and knew what the call meant. "Suddenly," she wrote, "it seemed to me that I was on a ship—an old Viking's ship! In the distance a pale woman lay on a purple velvet couch, on a near-by table stood a golden goblet. I watched the woman, then I watched the blue sea, and again I watched the woman, whose sadness made me sad. And through it all came an insidious music that made me suffer. Music that pulsated with life and love and a longing never satisfied. tSu tide illy I no longer saw the ship. I saw the Somme! I saw a place in "No Man's; Land" that for a year had not been crossed but bv the dead ! It. was night, a moonless night and thousands of tiny lights moved over the fantastic field. Strange phosphorescent spirits rushed past me and were • lost in the impenetrable darkness beyond, and through it all came a moaning, a cry of .pitiful pleading— "Do not forget us so soon!"—and the glowworms over the slimy bed of

death flew wildly us if forced by the ever-increasing volume of un,satiated harmonies." "It was the first Wagnerian performance I had heard since 1916. The time is not yet ripe for the German music propaganda. Let our dead have time to sleep. Our wounded time to heal. Our maimed time to walk hap-' pily, even be it with one leg or with one arm! Our blind time to smile with sightless eyes ! Then, too,. may the flowers bloom over the trenches that the Germans glorified with the names of Wagner's heroes—Wotan! Siegfried! Until then, let them wait —lest we forget!" * * * * Robert MacKinnon, solo dancer with the Williamson Royal Comics, met with a painful accident at His Majesty's final performance of "The Pink Lady," In the Satyr and Nymph dance in the third act he has to leap' from a. 10ft high pedestal on to the front of the stage, and in doing so that portion of the stage on which he alighted gave Wfl Yj with the result that he was severely bruised- on the thighs. Though suffering acutely he managed to go through the dance, and was heartilv applauded at the finish.