April 6, 192 2
MIKAS PETRATJSKAS,
Lithuanian composer and tenor.
try. Opening at Lithuanian Hall, South Boston, Mass., on Sunday afternoon, January 1, Mr. Perauskas thence proceeded to New Britain and Waterbury, Conn., for appearances January 3 and 4. Mr. Petrauskas was also heard in the following cities:	Binghamton, Scranton,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Kenosha, Waukegan, Rockford, Aurora, Chicago, Brooklyn and Worcester.
The operas and choral works of Mr. Petrauskas are having a great vogue both in his native land and among the musical organizations of the Lithuanian settlements in this country. Mr. Petrauskas’ merits warm commendation for his services in keeping alive and fostering among his compatriots in this country an interest in music from Lithuanian sources.
Frederick Gunster and Francis Moore in Joint Recital
The concert which took place at Radio Station W V P, Fort Wood, Bedloe’s Island, on Thursday evening, March 30, proved an interesting experience for the participating artists and an artistic event long to be remembered by the many radio enthusiasts all over the United States, who listened in on the wires. Radio Station W V P boasts— and justly so—of transmitting on a wave length of 1,450 meters. The program opened with “Babes in Toyland” (Victor Herbert), played by the ampico reproducing piano, and was followed by a group of modern songs and negro spirituals sung by Frederick Gunster, tenor, who is well known to music lovers and concertgoers in New York and elsewhere. He revealed his unusually warm, round voice of truly excellent quality. •His enunciation, which is most essential for radio recording, was perfect, and he sang with good taste and sympathetic understanding. Mr. Gunster is an artist of the first rank, and will undoubtedly prove a delightful and satisfactory assisting artist with Farrar on her spring tour, announced recently. Francis Moore provided excellent accompaniments, and later appeared as solo artist. ,Beethoven’s melodious “Country Dance,” “Impromptu,” by Schubert, and a gavotte by Bach were rendered with true poetic feeling. As the closing number Mr. Moore gave a finished and brilliant performance of the Liszt “Rigoletto” paraphrase. This artist has recently branched out from his work as accompanist into his equally fitting place as solo artist, and it is to be hoped that more will be heard from him in this capacity during the coming season.
Chicago Y. W. G. A. Organizes Department of Musical Art
According to a wire received from Chicago, a department of Musical Art has just been organized in the Chicago Young Women’s Christian Association under the chairmanship of Eleanor Everest Freer. A choral club will be formed immediately under Theodore Stearns, whose presence in Chicago is due to the endorsement of his operas by the Opera in Our Language Foundation. The department of Musical Art will include diction, under the direction of Christine Tomlins. Later a women’s orchestra will be formed under Mr. Stearns’ direction, if sufficient talent can be obtained.
Crimi, Butt and Dr. Schiller Sail
On March 25, by the S. S. Constantinople, Giulio Crimi sailed for Italy, having finished a busy opera and concert season in this country, which included his debut as a concert singer. Mr. Crimi will spend some time in Rome, after which he will devote much of the summer to recreation and preparing his concert programs for the coming season. Before sailing the Metropolitan Opera tenor signed a contract with the Southwestern Musical Bureau to fill a minimum of twenty concerts in the fall. Judging from the reports that have come to his manager from the local managers of Defroit, Memphis and Newark, where he appeared in concert prior to his departure, Mr. Crimi is a welcome addition to the .concert field.
Dame Clara Butt was the soloist at the Sunday night concert at the Metropolitan Opera House on April 2, her last appearance before she sailed for Europe on April 4.
Dr. M. Schiller sailed on April 1 for Paris.
MUSICAL COURIER
40
were very satisfactory. The festival opened on Sunday with Mr. Riesenfeld at the conductor’s stand. The overture was from “Tannhäuser.” It was very effectively rendered, even though at times the brasses completely drowned the strings.
A Post nature picture followed the overture, entitled “Raindrops.” An excellent reading of the “Rhinegold” music was synchronized perfectly with this lovely picture. Mr. Riesenfeld gave a musicianly reading to the score. It certainly rivalled the overture. The feature picture was “The Miracle Man,” a film that was shown several years ago and still remains one of the great pictures produced. The picture is of considerable length, and the remainder of the program was curtailed on this account.
The second night of the Rialto special week saw the revival of that splendid picture, “Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde,” with John Barrymore in the title part. The musical feature was Tschaikowsky’s “Romeo and jfuliet” fantasy, conducted by Josiah Zuro. The splendid special orchestra which Hugo Riesenfeld had assembled proved it was quite equal to the performance of this intricate work, generally reserved exclusively for the repertory of symphony orchestras much longer before the public.
Tuesday night Mary Pickford and Marshall Neilan were starred in “Madame Butterfly,” which was cleverly synchronized. The film (Paramount) is based on the play, “Madame Butterfly,” and an original musical score was well arranged by Hugo Riesenfeld and his staff.׳ As an overture Liszt’s second Hungarian rhapsody was played with spirit and brilliancy by the Rialto Symphony Orchestra, Joseph Littau conducting. Cecil B. De Mille’s production of “Old Wives for New,” with a Lasky all-star cast, and a Mack Sennett comedy were also shown.
For the specially edited revival of the Jesse L. Lasky film, “Carmen,” with Geraldine Farrar and Wallace Reid in the principal parts, Hugo Riesenfeld provided a musical setting based upon Bizet’s famous score. As far as possible, the various themes corresponded with the appearance of •the different characters on the screen, reminding one of the opera more than once. To some people who are not familiar with Bizet’s opera viewing the picturized version must have had an “eye opened.” On the whole the bill was interesting and well presented. May Murray, in “On with the Dance,” was the second feature, while the comedy came with Earl Hurd’s “The Chicken Fancier.” For these minor features Mr. Baer provided agreeable tunes that added to the general attractiveness of the Wednesday bill.
Thursday night’s program was likewise interesting. It opened with Liszt’s “Les Preludes” overture, conducted by Josiah Zuro and Emanuel Baer, capitally done. Then came another of those delightful “opera pictures” so popular with movie fans—Pauline Frederick in “Tosca”—during which one could not but recall the famous operatic stars of the Metropolitan who have thrilled New Yorkers in the operatic version of this great production. Pauline was fine, as was also the rest of the cast. “Don’t Change Your Husband” was indeed comical and brought lots of laughter. “Room 23,” a Mack Sennett comedy, completed the evening’s menu, one full of good things from beginning to end.
The orchestra seemed to be in especially fine fettle on Friday, for it was a dignified and effective reading which was given to the Wagner “Rienzi” overture, with Joseph Littau conducting. Mr. Littau and his men worked up to a splendid climax at the conclusion of the work, and the ־ audience showed its appreciation in no uncertain terms. The feature picture was a revival of George Melford’s production of “Behold My Wife!” and to judge by the apparent interest on the part of those who attended the performances the reshowing of this film met with approval. A Mack Sennett comedy, “East Lynne with Variations,” called forth the usual amount of spontaneous laughter and applause.
Saturday saw the Cecil B. De Mille production, Male and Female,” founded on J. M. Barrie’s play, “The Admir-(Continued on page 64)
Mikas Petrauskas Closes Tour
Mikas Petrauskas, the distinguished Lithuanian composer and tenor, has just closed the most successful tour
that he has had since beginning to concertize in this coun-
Music Festival Draws Big Crowds.
As was announced in this column last week, the Rialto Theater had a musical festival in conjunction with Paramount week, which showed a feature picture and an elaborate musical program, changing the numbers each day. From every point of view it appears to have met with the expectation of the management.
Huga Riesenfeld, director general, and his two assistants, Josiah Zuro and Joseph Littau, are the ones who are re-
Apeda Photo
Campbell Photo
HUGO RIESENFELD AND JOSEPH LITTAU Mr Riesenfeld is managing director of the Rivoli, Rialto and Criterion theaters, and Mr. Littau ts the conductor of the Rialto Orchestra.
sponsible for the entire elaborate musical program. The Rialto Orchestra was enlarged to three ׳ times its normal size, and despite the fact that the conductors were working with new musicians on the whole, the orchestral numbeis
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SHERMAN K. SMITH
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