A new article has been added at Newspaper Abstracts > United States > District of Columbia http://www.newspaperabstracts.com/index.php?action=displaycat&catid=323 Direct link to article: http://www.newspaperabstracts.com/link.php?id=31321 Submitted by: barbara-dave Article Title: Washington Post Article Date: April 8 1912 Article Description: Orchestra Page 12 Article Text: Washington Post April 8, 1912 Orchestra Page 12 HERBERT ORCHESTRA CHARMS Five Soloists and Wolf-Ferrari Selections Features of Easter Concert. One of the largest Sunday night audiences of the year heard Victor Herbert's Orchestra give a brilliant program at the Belasco Theater last night. There were five soloists - Miss Alice EVERSMAN, the Washington operatic soprano; Evan WILLIAMS, whose voice is familiar in many households through his phonographic records, Miss Ethel TOZIER, the Washington pianiste, who will accompany the orchestra on its Southern tour, Julius HERNER, cellist, and A. CHIAFFARELLI, clarinetist. Ordinarily a multiplicity of soloists is indicative of mediocrity, but last night's concert was an extraordinary occasion, and each artist fully deserved the enthusiastic applause which a delighted audience bestowed. Mr. Herbert's arrangement of the program was in welcome contrast to those which have been given by similar organizations in Washington this season. Only one number had been played previously this year. The novelty of the evening was the first performance here of any of the compositions of the most widely discussed musician in the operatic world in America today - Ernanno Wolf-Ferrari, the young Italian composer, who won a double triumph in this country within the last six months with his two operas, "Le Donne Curiose" and "The Jewels of the Madonna." Mr. Herbert chose the intermezzi from the latter work last night, and the charming melodic quality of the barcarolle, together with the more intricate beauty of the vivace assai, were bewitching fragments of a rarely beautiful composition, an opera which has been described as "a red bird flown suddenly across an aviary of gray and brown." Miss EVERSMAN sang an aria from Gounod's "Queen of Sheba" in excellent voice and with pleasing method. A large sheaf of Easter lilies and an armful of roses from across the footlights probably influenced her in the selection of the appropriate encore, Schneider's "Flower Rain." Miss Ethel TOZIER gave a most satisfying interpretation of the first movement of a Grieg piano concerto, and played as an encore the rippling and captivating "Eccosaire" of Chopin. Mr. WILLIAMS' share of the program was large. His singing of Paul's address from "Natoma" was an inspiring number, which displayed the robust quality of his voice to admirable advantage, and his "Oh, Paradiso" (in English), from Meyerbeer's "L'Africaine," was cordially received. He chose for his encores two simple but universally popular old airs, Bartlett's "A Dream" and Metcalfe's "Absent." Messrs. HERNER and CHIAFFARELLI repeated, Massenet's "Under the Linden Trees," after insistent applause. The other numbers (orchestral) were Chabrier's decidedly Debussyesque overture "Gwendoline," the Waldleben from "Siegfried" and the festival procession from "Natoma," with the Rubinstein melodie in F, selections from Mr. Herbert's "Naughty Marietta" and MacDowell's "Wild Rose" as encores. Before playing the "Wild Rose" Mr. Herbert said, "I have been asked why MacDowell, certainly America's greatest composer, is not represented on the program. We can't have those we love with us always, but I find that we have his 'Wild Rose.' " A graceful tribute from America's greatest living composer R. G. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NewspaperAbstracts.com - Finding our ancestors in the news! TM http://www.NewspaperAbstracts.com