MADAME BLANCHE ARRAL.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XV, Issue 883, 7 February 1907, Page 16

MADAME BLANCHE ARRAL.

A brilliant and famous prima donna in Madame Blanche Arra\ will appear at the Choral Hall on Monday night next, the season being limited to four performances. Madame Arral is in appearance a typical Frenchwoman—short, plump, and extremely vivacious. Her facial expression is wonderfully like that of the famous Patti, and in Be gium, where she first studied music, she was generally known as “La Petite Patti.” She is a good linguist, and speaks several of the .European tongues, but English is not as yet her most successful effort. Referring to her career she said:—“l am half French and half Belgian, my father was a Frenchman and my mother a Belgian, and, strange to say, neither of them was

musical, yet all us ch-'ldren, of whom there are 17, are fond of music. But my grandfather was a celebrated organist, and I suppose it was from him that we inherited ■ our musical abilities. As far back as I can remember I was always able to sing.” At the early age of 10 Madame Arral won the first prize both for pianoforte: and singing at the Brussels Conservatore, and continued her studies there for some years under distinguished professors. This was succeeded by a course of study at the famous Conservatoire of Paris, and for some time she jvas a favourite pupil of the celebrated Madame Marches:. At the end of a three year’s course at this institution she secured the first prize for singing and stage deportment. The opera Comique of Paris, where the lighter serious operas, such as “Mignon,” are sung, have the right to choose their stage recruits from the prize-winners each year at the Conservatoire, and after this success Madame Arral was at once engaged. She made her first appearance in the title role of Ambroise Thomas’s weh-known opera “Mignon,” and therein scored a great triumph. For three years she remained at this theatre, and sang the leading roles in “Carmen,” “Faust,” “Manon,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Herodiade,” “La Dame Blanche,” “Lakme,” and other works. During this engagement at the Opera Comique, M. Millocker secured her to create the role of Laura at Paris in his opera “The Beggar Student.” She was specially lent to the composer by the direct.on of the Opera Comique, and the work was so successful that it ran for 150 nights. At the expiration of her engagement at the Opera Comique the French prima donna went to the Gaite Theatre, where she continued her success, and she subsequently appeared at many of the leading theatres of France. She sang in nearly 30 different works and various houses, and many of the lighter ones were written especially for her. After these years of hard work, and wishing for a change of scene, Madame Arral accepted an engagement to go to Russia under the direction of the celebrated Raoul Gunsburg, the director of the opera at Monte Carlo. She scored a great success at St. Petersburg and Moscow, which culminated in her being engaged as one of the principal artists at the Imperial Theatre in the former city. This lasted for two years, and during chat period the clever French soprano sang several times by invitation at the private theatre of the Royal Family at the Krasnoe Selo Pa’ace, and was decorated by the Czar with the Order of Oldenbourg. After leaving Russia she sang at Cairo and Alexandria for a season, and was decorated by the Khedive with the Order of Medjidie, which is said to be a rare honour.- On returning to Paris she was engaged by the famous American impressario Maurice Grau for the Metropolitan Opera Company, of New York, where she appeared in many of the best known works of our time. She subsequently made a tour of the States as a member of a concert party

which included such great artists. as. Ysaye the Belgian violinist, Psignb, the French pianist, and Gerardy the ’cellist, who is well known in this city. After a ho.iday in Paris, Madame Arral did a s.x months’ engagement under the direction of the French Government at the theatre at Tonkin, where she proved immensely popular. This theatre was destroyed by a typhoon, and wishing to continue her tour around the world the dist nguished artist proceeded to Shanghai. Visiting all parts of interest, she continued her journeyings through China and India, where she was induced to change her plans and to come to these States by an Australian gentleman. She brings with her an enormous wardrobe containing costumes for all the numerous roles that she enacts, which are described as be ng both beautiful and costly.

The Box Plan for the season is now open at Wildman and Arey’s.