March 3 0, 1922
MUSICAL COURIER
10
ing 3,200, has been filled to capacity at every performance thus far, and seats for “Parsifal” have been fetching a guinea, more than double the box office price. Every inch of standing room is taken and many people are turned away. During the first month of the company’s career over 80,000 people have witnessed the performances. Meantime the Carl Rosa, which has closed down one of its four “sections,” is doing very good business with the other three in various parts of the Kingdom. Opera in England is looking up.	R. L.
The “Old Vic” Does “Peer Gynt.”
London, March 8.—The “Old Vic” Theater, which has been threatened with compulsory closing by the London County Council until certain building extensions have been made, is still shy £26,900 on its building fund, though the collections taken nightly in the house recently have been the largest on record. Since the theater caters chiefly to the poorer classes, these collections consist chiefly of copper, of course. Appeals are being made to wealthy philanthropists, but no one has come forward thus far to save the “home of Shakespeare and opera in English.” The “Old Vic’s” latest effort is a brand new production of Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt” with the Grieg music. It is very well criticised and draws capacity audiences nightly. C. S.
Musical R. F. D. a Success in England.
London, March 9.—According to the annual report of the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust, £27,211 (about $109,000) was spent by the Trust on music during the past year, out of a total expenditure of 131,770, the bulk of which went for physical welfare and libraries. Of the sum mentioned £18,000 went for church organs. The rest was spent in an effort to provide good music by capable performers in rural areas. With the assistance of the Village and County Town Concerts Fund experimental tours were arranged in the counties of Fife, Perth and Kirkcudbright, and the experiment proved successful. Very small out-of-the-way places were visited and it was proven that the demand for good music is practically universal. The work will be extended in the future.
VIENNA
(Continued from page 7)
of its enormously complicated structure, the work created a profound impression. At the close, some of the conservative hearers hissed, while the majority of the audience applauded fiercely. The sonata was played from the manuscript, Mary Dickenson-Auner, an English violinist, and Eduard Steuermann, Viennese pianist, from the Schonberg group, being the interpreters chosen by the composer himself. They played it with an almost miraculous command of its technical and rhythmic difficulties. In one of her former concerts, Mrs. Dickenson-Auner had reaped honors with Max Reger’s rarely heard violin concerto and with a composition of her own, entitled “Irish Fairy Tale,” for violin and orchestra, which found much favor.
Rudolph Polk Successful.
The element of internationalism which is so strongly predominant in our present concert life, was not confined to Danish, French and English artists alone, though of the latter group special mention is due to the return of Dorothy Moulton, the London singer, who again made us acquainted with some interesting compositions by her distinguished countrymen, Arthur Bliss, Eugène Goossens and Arnold Bax. Many of the other newcomers were of unequal value, and it is with all the more pleasure therefore that one records the well deserved success achieved here by your own countryman, Rudolph Polk. In two concerts he gave a fair survey of his praiseworthy qualities as a violinist, displaying them in such widely varied pieces as the Vivaldi C major concerto, Bruch’s “Scotch Fantasy” and the Brahms, Tschaikowsky and Saint-Saëns concertos. His is a refreshingly natural musicianship and a truly splendid technic which, while at all times compelling admiration, never overshadows those more subtle qualities of style and feeling which constitute the first and foremost consideration of true artistry.
Szigeti and Flesch, Too.
Joseph Szigeti, all too rare a guest in this city, has again gathered enthusiastic applause and flattering criticism on the occasion of his recent reappearance here. Carl Flesch, too, has returned after many years, again enforcing admiration by his reading of the Beethoven violin concerto, which must be counted among the purest manifestations of an art one is rarely privileged of enjoying. He preceded it by his playing of the Dohnânyi violin concerto, op. 27, which was heard here for the first time. This is an excellently orchestrated piece of work which shows the composer-pianist clearly under the influence of Johannes Brahms.
Paul Bechert.
Blanche Goode with Boston Symphony
Blanche Goode, pianist, who has been on the faculty of the music department of Smith College, Northampton, Mass., for a number of years, was to be soloist there when the Boston Symphony Orchestra gave its annual concert on March IS, playing the Schumann concerto. This will be Miss Goode’s last year in the college as she retires at the end of the term to be married and will live in Italy thereafter.
direction of Willem Mengelberg, has been engaged for three concerts at this . festival.	A. S.
Unsuccessful Artist Attempts Suicide.
Milan, February 26.—A Czech violinist, Norbert Kubat, who was to give a recital here, attempted suicide by hanging in a public place here when he found that only seven tickets had been sold for his concert. The rope broke, however, and he was found unconscious where he had dropped. His life was saved.	K.
Reger’s Bequest to Munich Library.
Berlin, February 22.—The entire musical, property left by the late Max Reger has been donated by the composer’s wife to the music section at the Munich State Library. The library is to receive also the entire contents of his study, which will be kept at the Nymphenburg Castle until a proper room at the library is assigned for this purpose.
K. L.
An Experiment by Werner Wolff.
Hamburg, February 21.—An “Ave Maria” for women’s chorus, string quartet and organ, by Werner Wolff, the young Berlin conductor and composer, has recently had its première in Hamburg. The work presents a not wholly successful effort to apply the medieval church modes to modern music.	A. S.
Fragments from Original “Fidelio” in Concert.
Vienna, February 26.—The Orchesterverein der Gesell-schaft der Musikfreunde at last night’s concert performed fragments from Beethoven’s opera “Leonore,” which was the original version of “Fidelio.”	P. B.
Hamburg Good at Hissing.
Hamburg, February 21.—The double performance of Igor^ Stravinsky’s “Petruschka” in Hamburg caused a scandal in spite of its excellent rendition under the baton of
MAY	PETERSON
SOPRANO METROPOLITAN OPERA CO.	
	,‘Her voice is very beautiful, her
	musicianship excellent and her technical skill
fit	flawless. She
1 j|Sjt !''	won her audience
!Pif'	completely
© Ira L. Hill	—Minneapolis, Minn., Journal
Concert Direction: MUSIC LEAGUE OF AMERICA	
8 East 34th St., New York	Mason & Hamlin Piano Used
Gustav Brecher. With a small exception the public had no understanding for this witty music and fled during the performance. At the end the whistling crowd got into a fight with a small minority which showed enthusiastic appreciation. The “Kammersymphonie” by Franz Schreker, brought out by Werner Wolff, also failed to meet with understanding on the part of the audience, so the conductor repeated its performance at the next concert.
A. S.
A Polish Memorial Concert.
Warsaw, February 20.—A very interesting concert was given by the Filharmonja on February 8, in memory of Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, who disappeared on that date twenty-one years ago while climbing in the Tatra Mountains. The program consisted of Karlowicz”s symphonic poems, “Oswiecimowie,” “The Returning Waves,” “A Lithuanian Tale”; his violin concerto, and songs. Wlodzimierz Kenig conducted, and the soloists were Michal Wilkomir-ski, violinist, and Mme. Trampczynska, of the Warsaw Opera.	S. P.
New English Works.
London, March 9.—Vaughan Williams, whose “Pastoral” symphony recently achieved an outspoken success here, has just had a new string quartet performed under the auspices of the British Music Society. It was originally composed in 1908, but revised in 1920. The work made an agreeable impression, and one movement, the “Romance,” earned very high praise. The program also included a piece by Arthur Bliss called “Conversations,” for string quartet, flute and oboe, described as being by turn witty and strangely moving; also Stanley Wilson’s “Phantasy of Spring” and two quintet movements by Maurice Jacobsons.
G. C.
Opera Goes Well in England.
Liverpool, March 10.—The triumphant march of the British National Opera Company through the English provinces is fairly under way. The success in Liverpool smashed all precedents. The huge Olympia Theater, seat-
FOREIGN NEWS IN BRIEF
Cortot Postpones Opening of American Tour.
Paris, March 1.—Alfred Cortot, the famous pianist, who has lately concluded a brilliant tour of Spain and the south of France, has been prevailed upon to defer the beginning of his next American tour until November 1, thus enabling him to accept a pressing invitation to play at the great Leeds Festival in October. In addition to the “Emperor” concerto, he will play several other solos there. It is authoritatively stated that he will receive the largest fee ever paid to an instrumentalist in England. In connection with his English visit he will play for the first time in a number of towns in Wales, including the capital, Cardiff.
O. P.
Liverpool Acclaims British National Opera.
Liverpool, March 1.—The British National Opera Company made its initial bow here on February 24 with “Parsifal.” The immense Olympia Theater was filled to overflowing and the occasion was a memorable success. Percy Pitt was the conductor, and the orchestra was pronounced to be the best ever heard in a theater here. Gladys Acrum, as Kundry; Walter Hyde, as Parsifal; Herbert Heyner, as Amfortas; Norman Allin, as Gurnemanz, and Frederic Collier, as Klingsor, all came in for an equal share of praise. Enthusiasm ran very high indeed.	W. R.
Pizzetti’s New Opera Ready.
Milan, February 17.—Ildebrando Pizzetti, one of the most prominent contemporary composers in Italy, has just completed his opera, entitled “Debora and Jaële.” The work will have its première on April 5 at the Scala under Toscanini.	S.
Mikorey Gets an Order.
Helsingfors, February 17.—The President of the Finnish Republic has awarded to Franz Mikorey, conductor of the Helsingfors Opera, the knight’s cross of the Order of the White Rose.	K.
Vienna Opera Cost Four Millions a Night.
Vienna, February 20.—Dr. Vetter, president of the two Austrian State Theaters (Staatsoper and Burgtheater), officially announces that this year’s outlay for the two houses, which had been figured at 600,000,000 crowns, would run up to well over 2,000,000,000. According to that official, this year’s deficit for the two theaters would figure at 300,000,000 crowns at the least, which is 15 per cent, of the total outlay. The cost for one performance at the Staatsoper is 4,000,000 crowns.	P. B.
Vienna to Have Brahms Memorial Festivals.
Vienna, February 14.—In commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Johannes Brahms’ death, there will be three individual Brahms Festivals held here the end of March and beginning of April. The Philharmonic Orchestra will be led by Furtwängler for the first time in his career. Preceding the concert there will be a celebration when a laurel wreath will be laid on the Brahms monument on the Resselplatz, near the house where the composer died.	P. B.
' Sapellnikoff Going to England.
London, March 1.—It is reported that Sapellnikoff, the Russian pianist, has recently come out of Russia, and stopped a while in Berlin. He is expected to come to England in the autumn. It is recalled by the press that Sapellnikoff was the first to play Tschaikowsky’s B flat piano concerto and Rachmaninoff’s C minor concerto in London. He has long been an honorary member of the Royal Philharmonic Society and was once a familiar figure in English musical life.	C.	S.
Vienna Philharmonic South American Tour Assured.
Vienna, February 25.—Owing to diplomatic intervention from the Argentine and Brazilian ministers at Vienna, the Austrian Government has finally granted permission for the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to make its proposed three months’ tour of South America this summer. Contracts will be signed within the next few days. The place of the famous orchestra at the Salzburg Festival will be taken either by the Dresden or the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.	P.	B.
Latest Mascagni Opera for Vienna.
Vienna, February 24.—Felix Weingartner has accepted Pietro Mascagni’s “II piccolo Marat” for performance at the Vienna Volksoper the end of March. Mascagni will come to Vienna to attend the première.	P.	B.
Blind Composer’s Tribute to Princess Mary.
London, March 3.—Twenty pieces of music by blind British composers was the wedding present to Princess Mary by the National Institute for the Blind. The composers of the pieces include William Wolstenholme, Llewellyn Williams, Alfred Wrigley and Sinclair Logan, and the collection was handsomely bound in the workshops of the institute.	C.	S.
Dutch Festival in Hamburg.
Hamburg, February 24.—A Dutch Music Festival is going to take place in Hamburg in October, 1922. The orchestra of the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, under the
AT THE COMING SPARTANBURG FESTIVAL, MAY 4th
Baritone
SIMMONS
William
has been engaged to sing “Pagliacci” and “Cavalleria Rusticana”
SOLOIST 1921׳ ASHEVILLE FESTIVAL, NEW YORK ORATORIO SOCIETY FESTIVAL Available Spring Festivals and Recitals	Direction: M. L. Fullerton, 229 Fourth Avenue, New York
Underwoed fy Underwood