£100,000 FOE OPERA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18459, 24 July 1923, Page 7

£100,000 FOE OPERA.

NEXT SEASON'S TOUR. .A BRILLIANT COMPANY,. MR. J. N. TAIT'S SELECTION. [FROM OUR OWN correspondent.] : ■;/ ' ' '•'■/' LONDON, Juno ! 15./ Mr. J. N. Tait, the London representative of Messrs. J. C. Williamson, Ltd., has made several trips to the Continent in search of ; talent for the grand opera company for Australia and New Zealand, and he is now satisfied that be has got together what will be the finest com. pany that has ever toured in the" {Southern Hemisphere. His.' chief difficulty seems to have been in convincing • th« European artists that Australia and tyw Zealand are civilised countries, and that the theatres are really theatres, and not huts and tents. Then their fear of a 1 month's sea : voyage is something very real. Very few have been .far from the Continental centres, before. Throughout his therefore, Mr.Tait feels that he has earned well of the two Dominion Governments, for he has been acting the part of an immigration officer,' in his efforts to help the singers to visualise the countries to which they are going. He has visited Paris, Milan, Rome, Naples, Genoa; Mont© Carlo, Nice, and Cannes, but, it is the Scala Thiatre Milan, that he .considers the chief centre of operatic art. ■■■ y \ Naturally, the inducement ; which appeals most of all to these Continental artists isi , money, and they will be ; earning • about twice as much as they . would in European' theatres. Fares alone will • amount; to £10,000. All the scenery and the.costumes' will come from Italy. Besides Dame Nellie Melba, there will, be Pali DaJmontoJ a coloratura soprano, a principal from La Scala Theatre, Milan. She is considered the greatest'- soprano •in Italy at the present time, and is engaged this . season for the Colon Theatre, Buenos Aires, y She will take parts in "Lucia di Lammermooor," . ". Barber of Seville," " Traviata," " Migiion,'" - and " Rigoletto." Lina Sciaviazzi is . a dramatic soprano,, and will sing in " La Tosca," " Madamo Butterfly," " Andrea Chonier," and " Aida. Last season , she appeared at the San Carlo Theatre, ' Napler.u Augusta Concato is another dramatic soprano who appears in the principal Italian opera houses, and sang s at Cairo , last . season. Aga Lahowska, a mezzo, will sing " Carmen," "-Tales of Hoffman," and " Samson and Delilah." She is a Pole;-who is ; well known at the Madrid and Barcelona Opera Houses, and she has also sung at Warsaw. -' •" .• <' . : Dioa Borgioli is a ' lyric tenor from La Scala Theatre, Milan, and the Constanzi Theatre, Rome. He sang before the King and Queen when they visited Rome recently. Nino Piecaluga is a dramatic tenor from La Scala Theatre. He has /• also appeared at Cairo and Buenos Aires. Antonia Marquez is a dramatic tenor from Spain. He is engaged for the present season at Buenos Aires.'' ■' Among the baritones are Apollo Gran ' forte,' from 1 Turin and Genoa opera;. Mario Basiola, who has been ; engaged, from La Scala. Theatre, and Luigi Cere sol, &• from grand opera at Nice and Monte Carlo. . . .V ' : • \ • Gustave Huberdean is the famous French basso from the Paris Opera House, Covent Garden,'■'/. and ' the . '' Metropolitan, New York. ' Umberto di Lelio is a basso from La Scala, Milan, ' and Gaitano Azzo- . lini, a' basso-comica from La Scala. Prince v Alexis Obolensky is a Russian prince who, having been deprived of his estates. by the Bolsheviks, _nas taken up singing pro- • ' fessionally. . -He has a wonderful ; bass voitifejyjindyra/chaming personality. Th©' , principal 'omauctor engaged is Franco Paolaritonio, who is'now conducting at Buenos "Aire's. ; The second con- ; ductor is ■ ■ Arnoldo Scpiovoni, ;■ and the v : •; stage manager is t Signor/ Farinetti, -■ from La Scala, and ; the other .- principal opera - | houses of Italy. .. Other : pnnoipals will ■be . / engaged to augment the company. . t Mr. Taj; has had /they >;•. assistance of:: •$' Dame Nellie Melba, ' and of Mr. H-anry y Russell, formerly a director cf * opera m ; ; England, in selecting the.company. The season will open yin Melbourne early . next • i year, and it a estimated that Ilie cost;of/ ; tha s tour' will amount to £100,000. \ :; ; ; / i