April 12, 1923
MUSICAL COURIER
40
tonal purity; her intonation is infallible, her technic masterly.— Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Delightful singing combined with the charm of youth and beauty won a distinct personal success for Josephine Lucchese in La Traviata. The young singer seemed in perfect voice and her Violetta was distinguished by lovely tone and admirable acting.—Seattle Daily Times.
The major role of Violetta played by Josephine Lucchese received masterly treatment in the hands of the pretty singer. She was equal to her tasks in all points, and the changes of vocal color, by which she expressed Violetta’s emotions during her rapid fall from radiant joy to deep despair were extremely striking. She sang with ease, great breadth of style and wonderful virtuosity.—Portland News.
She is a beautiful woman and deserves great credit because she does not attempt to get by on beauty alone.—Portland Telegram.
But the joy of the whole good-humoredly cynical opera was Josephine Lucchese’s vocalization and characterization of the mechanical and all-too-fragile Olympia. Her voice is delightful in timbre, and of good carrying quality, her phrasing pretty and graceful.—Morning Oregonian.
Miss Lucchese has a clear, strong and pleasing voice, which seems never to interfere in the least with her acting. One might almost imagine that she had two sets of nerves of control at work.—Oregon Daily Journal.
Miss Lucchese sang with much purity and bringing to herself rousing applause after the Mad Scene, part of which she was compelled to repeat.—San Francisco Journal.
Lucchese makes an ideal Gilda and she sang the difficult role with the greatest ease, sustaining^ the long, high notes with firmness and clarity to perfection.—San Francisco Call and Post.
Josephine I^ucchese as Gilda sang with crystal clarity her Caro Nome aria, drawing vehement applause.—Los Angeles Record.
Josephine Lucchese was the Gilda and her fragile beauty and delicate voice made her ideal for the role.—Los Angeles Evening Express.
Josephine Lucchese makes an ideal Gilda. She sang the part most exceptionally. Her lyric placement is beautiful in a kind of purity which is almost lost in the modern habit of pressing for heavy effect by singers in general, and it is decidedly refreshing to hear such liquid overtones as some of those which she shot over the orchestra last night. She is a good actress withal and can appreciate an effective situation in the ensemble of sounds.—Los Angeles Evening Herald.
Josephine Lucchese was a Gilda lovable in voice, appearance and acting. Her coloratura soprano kept the audience literally breathless in the difficult Caro Nome aria, setting a standard to which she adhered admirably during the entire evening.—Los Angeles Examiner.
Josephine Lucchese, who is remembered for her splendid work here other seasons, sang the important part of Gilda. This is one of the most famous of all operatic roles, and Miss Lucchese gave a rendition that was outstanding in its general effect.—Los Angeles Daily Times.
Eye-Catching Headlines for Middleton
“Middleton Concert Biggest Musical Event in Indian-ola.” Such was the headline that appeared in the Indian-ola Advocate-Times after. Arthur Middleton had appeared recently in that city in recital, and the headlines in the Herald, Simpsonian and Record were just as eye-catching.
Mr. Middleton has 1been engaged to sing the bass roles in Elgar’s King Olaf at the Worcester, Mass., Music Festival on May 10.
Heifetz at Metropolitan Opera Concert
Jascha Heifetz will be the guest artist at the Metropolitan Opera House on Sunday evening, April 15. He will play several times on the program.
largely of well known artists, was present. For the final program of April 10, Mr. Schnabel will play five Beethoven sonatas, op. 26, 27, No. 2, 101, 13 and 81a.
Lucchese Conquers Pacific Coast
The triumphs of Josephine Lucchese in her opera tour in the East, Middle West and South have been echoed everywhere she has appeared all along the Pacific Coast. Her success has been nothing short of phenomenal during the entire
JOSEPHINE LUCCHESE as Gilda in Rigoletto.
1922-23 season and once more the critics seem to be at a loss for sufficient commendatory adjectives to do justice to the art of this brilliant, gifted and beautiful diva. Appended are a few of the many enthusiastic critiques of Lucchese’s appearances in opera in the West:
This charm was heightened, in last night’s performance of Traviata at the Metropolitan, by the truly exquisite singing of Josephine Lucchese. Her voice, a finely-trained coloratura, vies with the flute in
HER HOME CITY ROYALLY
WELCOMES RETURN OF
MME. CHARLES CAHIER
Contralto Guest of Honor at Many Social Functions i n Indianapolis in Addition to a Most Successful Appearance with the Cincinnati Orchestra
One of the most joyous and spectacular of homecomings ever witnessed was the return of Mme. Charles Cahier to her native Indianapolis as soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner conducting, on Easter Monday evening.
Mme. Cahier was the guest of honor at many important social functions during the few days’ visit—the first in ten years—preceding her appearance. Besides the many affairs planned by Iter old friends, a reception was given for the singer at the Art Institute by the Matinee Musicale and a luncheon at the Country Club by the members of the Mu Phi Epsilon Sorority.
Her great triumph came, however, the evening of her concert when all Indianapolis took the famous daughter to their hearts. The program over, the ovation accorded her but increased, people refusing to leave the hall. Members of the orchestra left the stage, but still the public clamored for Cahier, nor were they satisfied until she reappeared, waving the copy of a song which Fritz Reiner, conductor, looked at, smiled, and then immediately gave orders for a piano to be moved on the stage. Then he seated himself at the piano and began playing Riley’s Don’t Cry, Little Girl, Don’t Cry, the poem-song which Mme. Cahier had sung on her last home appearance, at which time both poet and composer had sat in a box sharing honors with her. “I have often written of ovations in the past, but never have I longed to reflect in print the magnitude and the glory of the homecoming of Mme. Cahier,” wrote the correspondent of the Indianapolis Times.
The famous contralto, who has for eighteen years been the most prominent American artist in Europe, returned last November to continue her career in her native America where she is deservedly repeating her successes. Since that time she has sung with the Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit and Cincinnati orchestras, not to mention five appearances within a month with leading orchestras and choral organizations in New York, where she has won the unanimous approval of critics and public.
Hutcheson and Schnabel in Joint Recital
Artur Schnabel and Ernest Hutcheson were heard in a program of original compositions for four hands, April 3, at the David Mannes Music School. This concert was the third in the subscription series of four Tuesday evening programs being presented by Mr. Schnabel in the intimate recital hall of the school. . Schubert’s fantasia in F minor, Brahms’ waltzes (op. 39), a Mozart sonata in F major, and a final group of Schubert pieces, including the Grand Rondeau, Two Marches, Andantino Varié and Marche Militaire, made up the program. A distinguished audience,
GRAINGER
Grainger’s art attracts thru the quality of youthfulness and purity that informs it; thru strength that is wedded to tenderness; thru a clarity of line which at the same time is full of emotion. The combination of these diverse qualities in his playing exerts a bewitching and unusual power. It is akin to a walk on a sunny day of early March, when the fresh wind makes the blood course faster thru our veins and makes our cheeks to glow.—“Algemeen Hand'elsblad,” Amsterdam, Holland.
There is a greater depth of feeling and lyricism in his playing than of yore, while on the other hand, he has retained all that youthful charm and sparkling rhythm that always were so fascinating. His control of tone covers the whole gamut from the softest pianissimo to a mighty fortissimo of orchestral grandeur, with exquisite gradations between the two. It was a great treat to hear the tone of the piano beneath his hands.—“Orebladet,’’ Kristiania.
I have heard Grieg’s piano concerto many times at home and abroad, but such a rendering as that given yesterday by Percy Grainger, master pianist, I have never heard. He performed this glorious work with inspired enthusiasm and technical virtuosity and held his listeners in thrall from the first to the last note. Grainger sung forth the soulful message of the music, at times with great tenderness, at times with great intensity and breadth. Our hearts grew warm to note how unmistakably Norwegian it sounded under his hands. No wonder that the overflowing audience burst into avalanches of applause every time Grainger appeared.— “Tidende,” Bergen, Norway.
Grainger’s playing of the Grieg Concerto, revealed all his former artistry. If anything, his pianism is even more transcendental than of yore. Grieg himself would have been amazed at the mighty proportions his concerto attained under the combined hands of Grainger and Mengelberg. No wonder that they rejoiced at such a manifestation of mastery and power.—“Nieuwe Courant,” The Hague, Holland.
When he plays the piano disappears, and its place is taken at one moment by a rich and powerful orchestra, at another moment by the plucking of harp strings, or again by the wistful quality of woodwind instruments. His touch is master of the entire paint box of colors, from a whispering pianissimo to the mightiest fortissimo. Grainger’s sensitiveness of touch and his variety of tonal colors stand alone and give him a unique place in the ranks of the world’s greatest pianists.—"Oprcchte Haarlemsclte Courant,” Haarlem, Holland.
His personality is surprising, his pianistic facility is amazing and his conception of the music he plays full of an intensity of human feeling that does not fail to reach the listener. It was of the greatest interest to hear his interpretations of Bach and Brahms, to enjoy the charms of his Chopin playing and his deeply reverent rendering of Grieg’s “Ballade.”—■״.Dagblad," Rotterdam, Holland.
Next New York Recital, Carnegie Hall, December 5th
Aeolian Hall, New York City
COLUMBIA DUO-ART RECORDS
Mgt.: ANTONIA SAWYER, Inc.
STEINWAY PIANO