NEW YORK, THURSDAY, April 27, 1922.
|V\usical(6urier
VOL. LXXXIV—No. 17 Whole No. 2194.
MARY GARDEN RESIGNS AS GENERAL DIRECTOR
OF THE CHICAGO OPERA ASSOCIATION
Musical Courier Prediction of Several Months Ago Comes True—Famous Singer-Impresaria, However, Will Continue as
One of the New Organization’s Stars—Her Official Statement
followed by eight divertissements including “The Swan’׳ and “Bacchanale.”
The Pavlowa engagement at the Metroplitan Opera House extends through the current week and some of the scheduled numbers on the programs for this period are “Giselle.’’ “Gavotte Pavlowa,” “Little Russian Dance,” “The Ma°Ic Flute,” “A Polish Wedding,” “The Fairy Doll,” “Dragon Fly,” “Les Ondines,” “Fairy Tales,” “Autumn Leaves,” the suite of Mexican dances introduced two years ago, “The California Poppy,” “Snowflakes,” “Rondino” and the “Dance of the Hours” from “La Gioconda.”
Minneapolis Engages Verbrugghen
The post of conductor of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, made vacant by the resignation of Emil Ober-hoffer after seventeen consecutive years of service, has heen filled for part of the coming season by the engagement of Henri Verbrugghen. Mr. Verbrugghen, who is to spend a long vacation in Europe this summer, will be passing through America on his way back to his work in Australia in the fall and will direct the first twelve weeks of the Minneapolis season. For the balance ot the season it is expected that guest conductors will officiate, among those already engaged for a pair of concerts being Albert Coates, Bruno Walter, Ossip Gabri-lowitsch and Walter Damrosch.
Henri Verbrugghen was born in Brussels in 1873. He was destined for the law, but on the advice of Wieniawski and of Gavaert, director of the Brussels Conservatoire, entered that institution when he was thirteen, studied violin with Hubay, later with Ysaye, and graduated in 1889 with the first prize. He played first with the Brussels Conservatoire Orchestra and became concertmaster of the Scottish Orchestra of Glasgow when it was founded in 1893 with George Hen-schel as conductor. Later he played under Lamoureux in Paris and took up quartet playing there with Prof. Delsart. After experience both as concertmaster and conductor at Llandudno, and at Col-wyn Bay, he returned to the Scottish Orchestra and in 1892 became its assistant conductor. Next he went as concertmaster with the Queen’s Hall Orchestra, Lon-done, but his chief interests still lay in Scotland, where he established a flourishing school of music in connection with the Glasgow Athenaeum, also directed opera and was conductor of the Glasgow Choral Union.
Goes to Australia.
In addition to his appearances as a conductor in England and Scottish centers, Mr. Verbrugghen directed concerts with brilliant success in many of the continental cities, including Brussels, Berlin, Munich and Petrograd. He conducted the entire Beethoven Festival in London,
1914,	and its original and inspiring performances established his position as a conductor of exceptional ability and a profound musical scholar. Next he conducted the three B’s Festival in April,
1915,	and still further confirmed this impression. At the time of leaving for New South Wales, Mr. Verbrugghen had engagements for upwards of eighty orchestral concerts in London and the Provinces during the next season. His selection as director of the New South Wales State Conservatorium was made before the war, from world-wide applications by^ a London committee, composed of the chief musicians of Great Britain, and also by the Conservatorium Council in Sydney, acting independently.
Besides directing the many activities of the Conservatorium he founded and has conducted most successfully ever since the State Orchestra, which plays the entire year round giving regular series at Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, as well as in Sydney and paying an annual visit to New Zealand. This means that the orchestra has give from 130 to 150 concerts under Mr. Verbrugghen’s direction each season. His work as conductor is not unknown in New York, where he directed a Beethoven orchestral program with notable success.
Bispham Will Contested
Caroline Russell Bispham, widow of the late David Bispham, is contesting his will, by which three-quarters of a trust estate descended to him from his father was left to Mrs. Bispham and their daughter, Leonie A. S. C. Bispham, and Henrietta M. Ten Eyck, a friend, made the residuary legatee. The contest is made on the grounds that the late singer lacked testamentary capacity when he made the will in August, 1918. The trialbegan Monday of this week in New York before Surrogate Foley and a jury. The first witnesses, Andrew C. Knoeller and Gwin Walker, also witnesses to the will, testified that Mr. Bispham was sane when he signed the will.
of the rumor that an American opera or two is to be included in next season’s Chicago repertory, since Mrs. McCormick is actively backing the Opera in Our Language Foundation.
Bruno Walter to Visit America
Bruno Walter, who has been musical director at the Munich Opera ever since the death of Felix Mottl some dozen years ago, has resigned that post, as already an-
nounced in the Musical Courier, and will visit this country for the first time next fall. He has been invited by Ossip Gabrilowitsch to conduct a pair of concerts of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and it is understood that he has also been invited to conduct as guest with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and the New York Symphony Orchestra.
The long expected resignation of Mary Garden as General Director of the Chicago Opera Association is now an actual fact. That she would take this action was first predicted by the Musical Courier several months ago, and, m the face of repeated denials that she had no intentions ot getting out, this paper has maintained its prediction that she would resign at the end of the season. The prediction is justified by the facts. Miss Garden went back to Chicago a little ahead of her organization and immediately sat m on a long conference with Samuel Insull, president’ and some of the directors of the Chicago Civic Opera, which is to succeed the Chicago Opera Association. In making her resignation Miss Garden issued the following statement:
Miss Garden’s Statement.
“When Harold McCormick bestowed the honor on me, naming me Director General of the Chicago Opera Company, it was understood that I would hold that position for a year, which meant the end of the reign of grand opera in Chicago under Mr. a״d Mrs. McCormick. The new civic organization, through its president, Samuel Insull, elected me again General Director, which honor I now decline. My fighting spirit tells me to stay, but my reason tells me to go.
“I have a great, deep love for the Chicago organization, and the only thing I am working for or have ever worked for is its future growth in greatness. I am an artist, and I have decided that my place is with the artists, not over them.
“This tower of artistic strength which is the Chicago Opera Company is beginning its new life under the guidance of a very worthy man, Samuel Insull. and, thank God, no one will be able to ‘put ‘anything over’ on him. His thoughts are American, his decisions are American, and that is what we, the organization, have never had. Mr. Insull and the Chicago Opera Company have in me a loyal soldier, ready to serve them in whatever capacity they see fit.
“Here’s to the new Chicago Opera Company, and may its future life be a long and healthy one. This is my authorized statement and the only one.”
Will Stay as Singer.
It was announced, however, that although she has given up the directorship, she will continue, as for many years past, to be one of the stars of the organization next season.
The news of Miss Garden’s resignation was given out on Monday morning of this week and on Tuesday, President Samuel Insull told Chicago newspaper men that unless the present plans are changed the management hereafter will be vested in a committee upon which the business, musical, technical and financial branches will all be represented, with Mr. Insull himself at the head. This is also in line with what the Musical Courier has consistently predicted.
Ornaments.
A whole sheaf of side stories was turned loose by the dailies as a garniture for the main tale of Miss Garden’s resignation.
The season is said to have wound up with another grand row between the ex-director and Lucien Muratore. The tenor is quoted as saying that when they sang together she had a playful habit of hissing “Pretty boy!” to him on the stage (although how one can hiss a phrase without a. single S in it is a puzzle). He is also quoted as having accused her of talking to other members of the company behind his back when he was on the stage and even of calling him “pig,” presumably in French, in which language the word “cochon” is the deadliest insult of all. Muratore, however, expressed his entire willingness to continue with the company now that she is out as director.
Just after resigning, Miss Garden had a long conference with Edith Rockefeller McCormick, which led to a revival
PAVLOWA OPENS NEW YORK ENGAGEMENT
on.e. the regular professional bids for public favor, no criticism of Pavlowa would be possible, for her art is of the same exceptional kind that has been revealed to New York on previous occasions with such wonderful results. The great dancer retains all her former grace, poetic imagination, and terpsichorean technic. She is a delight to the eye. and to the imagination, and may be said still to stand unrivaled among her colleagues. The Monday night program consisted of “Amarilla,” and the ballet, “Dionysus,”
Owing to the exigencies of press limitations it is not possible to say more than a few words regarding the opening of Mme. Anna Pavlowa’s engagement at the Metropolitan Opera House last Monday evening. Under any circumstances a critical discussion is not in order, as the entertainment was for the benefit of the Hope Farm Cottage Community for Children and the Musical Courier does not publish reviews of performances which are not purely professional.
Be it said, however, that even if the occasion had been
© Mishkin
FRANCES PERALTA,	1
j	soprano of the Metropolitan Opera Company, whose work at that institution this	M
|§	season has icon for her favorable regard. Mme. Peralta's most recent success	M
j¡	was in Mozart's i(Cosi fan Tutte,” although	she has been heard in a number of	₪
g	other prominent roles during the season just	finished. Following her appearance	₪
¡¡!	in Atlanta with the company she will join the Scotti Opera Company for some	H
|	performances. This summer she will again	sing at Ravinia Park, at the close	₪
H	of the season, then going to Germany to prepare her roles for next season at	M
H	the Metropolitan. In addition to her opera work Mme. Peralta will fill several	g
m	spring festival dates and in the fall will also be heard in some important concerts,	§|
^