19
MUSICAL COURIER
March 15, 1923
GANNA WALSKA
MUSICAL SENSATION SUPREME
CREATED BY GANNA WALSKA
IN FIRST AMERICAN CONCERT
Noted Polish Lyric Soprano Makes Her Initial Appearance in United States—Voice Is Full of Expression—Her First Glimpse Causes Much Comment—Is Attired in the Extreme of Fashion—Accompanying Artists Well Received
composition of trills and Intricate scale work. Madame Walska sang it with ease.
“Air de Blondine,” Mozart! “Porgi Amor” from “Nozzi di Figaro,” Mozart; “Vocl de Primavera,” Strauss, and a duet from Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” which she sang with Mr. Kaplick, were her other numbers.
Madame Walska, as a vocal artist, sang under great difficulties, just as she probably will upon all of her first appearances in the United States.
The curiosity of the great American public has been aroused concerning her.
GRACEFUL APPEARANCE
Madame Walska possesses a great deal of very graceful stage appearance. She is unaffected and has a charmingly gracious manner. This was exampled pleasingly when at the close of their program and the audience was applauding enthusiastically the soprano and Mr. Kaplick, Madame with a little, quick smile turned swiftly and brought forward the accompanist, Mme. Jeanne Krieger, who had retired that the two artists might receive all of the honors.
Ganna Walska was beautiful. She was gowned In the most extreme of fashion.
Elmira never will forget such a musical evening as the Carters made possible. It was a sensation that set all circles of society agog.
The American debut of Ganna Walska and the more than pleasing recital of Max Kaplick now may go down In musical records of the city as something of which to be proud. It placed the city prominently in the eyes of the musically artistic world, and all by the secret “pulling of the wires” by one man. Elmira should be grateful for one George Carter.—Elmira Star-Gazette, Tuesday, February 20, 1923.
Madame Ganna Walska singing five difficult numbers in French and Italian made her initial bow to America In Elmira Monday evening —the debut being made possible in the city through the influence of George B. Carter and Mrs. Carter who for the past few weeks have worked untiringly that Elmlrans might be given the musical sensation supreme.
Madame stepped before her audience at shortly after 8 o’clock. Before 9:30 o’clock the program Including superbly interesting numbers by Max Kaplick, baritone, was finished and the party left a little later for Detroit where they are to appear this evening.
CLASH OF OPINION
Elmira glimpsed the far famed Polish beauty—and the glimpse created a clash of opinion, as naturally It would, for the members of the audience felt a responsibility. Theirs was to express opinions on the voice and on the personal attractiveness of the lovely woman who Is determined to shine triumphantly as a great singer and to reach the height of triumph by hard work.
Ganna Walska sang to the great pleasure of nearly all who heard her. A few cynics there were who declared that her voice was not that of a song bird, although they admitted the evidence of a long and careful, unceasing and untiring training.
LYRIC SOPRANO
She has a lyric soprano voice that very closely resembles the type of Galli-Curci. It probably yet has not reached the full power and range of which it has possibilities, but It was full of expression and very clear. Her numbers tried her voice to Its utmost. The “Aria of Constance” from “L'enlevement au Serail,” Mozart, with which she opened her program, is a
GANNA’S VOICE STRIKES
CRITIC AS WELL TRAINED
Never before has the curiosity of local musical lovers been so whetted as It has xifer _®׳nc® Mps■ L. C. Nass announced that Mme. Ganna Walska would sing here. Only a few American cities have been so favored since her return from Paris. Mme Walska’s appearance was treated with applause, and her gorgeous dress and jewels was the cause of much excitement.
she has a very light and high soprano, very flexible, and trained to a remarkable perfection of coloratura. Her legato singing was very beautiful and her voice had a quality of sweetness that made her last group of songs of appealing loveliness. Mozart s air De Blondine״ and ״Porgi Amor״ from Figaro’s wedding was sunq with a remarkable smoothness and purity of tone. Delibes’ ״Dans le foret” was equally enchanting. After Strauss’ ״Voices of Spring” she was obliged to give an en-core. Her brilliant coloratura and high staccati had full play in the excessively fl׳iicJJ,t״arla Constance from Mozart’s ‘ Abduction from the Seraglio,” and In the ‘Rigoletto״ duet which she sanq in fine style with Max Kaplick.—The Nashville Tennessean, March 2, 1923.
WALSKA PLEASES AUDIENCE
MAX KAPLICK, BARITONE, ALSO PROVES HIS WORTH AS AN ARTIST
Although all the selections rendered last night by Mme. Ganna Walska in her fifth concert In the United States were in foreign tongues, and were demonstrative, by their quality, of the depth into the study of music by the artist, she completely captivated the small though ap-preclative audience. At least this was shown by the number of times she was called back to the stage by enthusiastic applause. Of course the soprano was most warmly received last night. The selection which most delighted those pres-ent was a duet from “Rigoletto” sung by Mme. Walska and Mr. Kaplick. This was the last number on the program and amid storms of applause the two singers left ¡jbe^stage.—Greenville News, February 28,
Reveals a Voice of Much Natural Beauty Singer Wins Great Applause.
a woman consumed with ambition to make a success. Without doubt she would have fared better with purely lyric selections, for her best singing was done In the sweet and relatively simple “Porgi Amor” song from Mozart’s ״Marriage of Figaro.” She also had fair success in the third-act duet from “Rigoletto” with Max Kaplick. It was an extraordinary matinee unique in Symphony Hall annals.—Boston Advertiser, February 26, 1923.
WALSKA IN FIRST BOSTON CONCERT
Ganna Walska’s first Boston concert yesterday afternoon at Symphony Hall proved that whatever her errors of vocal technique may be, she has the first essential for a singer, a voice naturally of unusual power and beauty. One must add that at present by attempts at singing in the coloratura style, best known to Americans through the performances of Galli-Curci, Mme. Walska manages to conceal most of her vocal resources from the casual listener. Her programs announced Mme. Walska as a lyric soprano, yet all her numbers yesterday were from the repertoire of the florid coloratura soprano. Almost no living singer could safely begin a recital without a chance to warm up and overcome nervousness, with a number so difficult as Constance’s air from Mozart’s “Abduction from the Seraglio.” Mozart’s “Porgi Amor” in her second group gave ample opportunity for simple lyric singing, and showed that Mme. Walska’s voice is naturally beautiful. She sang this music with real feeling. In the duet from “Rigoletto” Mme. Walska showed schooling in operatic routine. For such a voice as hers a concert career and an operatic career in non-coloratura roles that do not demand heroic singing, is possible. Her beauty, her personal charm, her taste and her apparently sound musical intelligence supplement Mme. Walska’s voice. Yesterday’s audience recalled Mme. Walska after each group of numbers more than once. She added but a single encore, and that after repeated recalls.—Boston Globe, February 26, 1923.
song, she achieved immediate success. Her interpretation, her well sustained tones, her thorough understanding of her art, her coloring of the entire song with her charming self, added to her delightful dramatic interpretation of the theme, completed the appeal which she made to her listeners.
REGAINED COMPOSURE
Madame Walska in her group of songs which followed had gained her self possession, and sang with the assurance of the artist that she is. The numbers were ,“Air de Blondine” and “Porgi Amor” from “Nozze de Figaro,” both by Mozart; and “Voci di Primavera” by Strauss. The demanded encore was ״The Laughing Song” from Manon. As a triumphant closing number, Ganna Walska and Max Kaplick sang a duet from “Rigoletto,” very beautifully. They were recalled countless times, and as many times acknowledged the ovation accorded them by appearing upon the platform, bowing in deference to the extremely clever accompanist, Madame Jeanne Krieger.
HER SUCCESS ASSURED
If her appearance in Elmira is any criterion for her reception throughout the country, the famous beauty and artist, will attain success wherever she appears, for the charm of herself, of that something within her, plus her wonderful personal beauty, plus her natural, finely attuned and trained voice, certainly make her one of the most fascinating personages on the concert stage today. Her voice cannot be compared to some of the great singers of the stage in power and range, but she has sufficient depth and color, and purity to her voice to carry her onward; splendid control, and not a tendency to falseness in any tone. Even the great and justly renowned Galli-Curci has been known to “flat” outrageously at times, but such a fault was not even faintly discernible in Walska’s voice. As an artist, she may not reach the zenith, and may not rank among the greatest planets, but her place as a star in the musical firmament will be well established, and she will shed her light gently in all directions.—The Elmira Advertiser, February 20, 1923.
WALSKA MAKES BOSTON DEBUT
Mme. Ganna Walska sang in Boston for the first time in Symphony Hall yesterday afternoon. She was given a friendly greeting, and there was generous applause for her efforts. Mme. Walska was billed as a lyric soprano, but most of her selections were of the florid order. She seemed timid and nervous but, nevertheless, her manner on the whole was that of
Ganna Walska Scores Great
Triumph and Wins Elmirans
Pure Rich Voice and Rare Beauty Highly Appealing
IN TRAILING GOWN OF LAVENDER VELVET SHE TAKES AUDIENCE BY STORM
WEARS BUT FEW JEWELS
OVERCOMING NERVOUSNESS SHE SINGS WITH ASSURANCE OF MATURE ARTIST
It was a tense moment last evening in The Park church auditorium just prior to the first official appearance of the world-famed and much-heralded Ganna Walska, lyric soprano, and that first appearance before an audience in Elmira. Many people had gone only to see the famous Polish beauty, but left the church shortly after 9 o’clock submitting unreservedly to her utter charm and grace, and completely delighted with her supple, sweet voice through which she breathed her personality.
Her beauty was of the ravishing type that dazzled. In her smile, perhaps, is the secret of her fascination, for in singing and in repose, it was endearingly friendly, coaxing her audience each time she sang just a little closer into her confidence, and finally completely conquering.
WINS FIRST SUCCESS
Really, it is not quite fair to go into detail of appearance the very first thing, when it is Madame Walska’s art in which Elmira was primarily interested last night.
She was a trifle nervous, that was evident last evening, when she was greeted by the welcoming applause of Elmirans, for what imoression she made here was to be the test of her success or failure upon her tour through the United States. The audience was keyed up to her appearance by hearing Max Kaplick sing magnificently the ״Aria From ‘II Templario׳,” by Nicolai, as an opening number of the recital. Mr. Kaplick possesses a baritone voice of power. His tones were deep, full, and well rounded, and he sang with perfect ease and sympathetic understanding. His work was thoroughly appreciated.
Madame Walska’s first number was “Aria of Constance” from “L’ enlevement au Serail” by Mozart. In this beautiful
Aeolian Hall, New York City
KNABE PIANO
JULES DA I BER
(Exclusive Management)