Hall of song: The 'Met,' 1883-1966; 1925 Through 1926

The following program was produced for national educational radio under a grant from the National Home Library Foundation by W. B U R Boston. Boston University radio presents Hall of song the story of the Metropolitan Opera from 1893 to 1966 was. The long war. Work for. Your posts are miles past indie music critic in the New York World Journal Tribune. And noton cross.

On our program last week. You heard the first part of loud smells go as recollections of his long and distinguished metropolitan career. Although the new held in tennis sang relatively few performances during the nine hundred twenty five season in which he made his debut he soon proved that he was able to carry out a really staggering assignments. As the years went on the company's German wing became the mainstay of the Metropolitan and they were frequently as many as 40 performances of Wagner operas in a season. This meant that Melky often had to sing three or four times a week you know wanted to maintain a strenuous schedule like that. A singer must be in top condition at all times and catching a cold is just out of the question. It wasn't long though until a lot of smell ya discovered a peculiarity of the old opera house that made things very difficult for him. Let's listen now as he explains the situation to Richard Calhoun the producer of these programs. Metropolitan stage you know that they take the

fern and the different sigs from the opera did take out back stage and took added to the magazines and then a very big big big doors open out to the stage you know if you will stand for nearly an hour on here and to deice Dawson did it draw off. Come in here and you could score because you must not move. So I said to the Metropolitan if you keep these doors open when I sing positive I'm going to get a heart I've been CEO and I have only a little short on all the wife's naked and naked legs and so on. So I said if you keep them open every time I feel that they open I leave the stage because I don't want if someone is to say that I can sing and I

don't lay in the hospital or in my bed. Soul every time they open the store and drop it it is window unit cold I go yeah ok I can share that but it was cold so they didn't. Then I live day and lived into the way back of a curtain I could then I went in back of the court and told to take the draft away. You can't blame anybody for that because that is absolutely not right. Oh now and then you don't see the head of the doors. They will hold a party if I can be standing on their way. Dave plays old time. When shore gave his last performance as the Wanderer. It was a funny experience there with the spear breaking even before you when he struck it with your sword.

Where the scene happened sometime. Even the potion in she freed her fall apart even before I ever touched it. And one was once on the stage an image when it fell apart. Remember who played the part. He tried to push his hitch back up the back of it and end with his back coated and he coasted. But he's close. So from there I mean if you could. He couldn't keep it there all night until I tried it again but it was it was all for me as he squeezed it in and then his clothes were in between and then he couldn't get away anymore. It's all yours of course and a lot of scenes like that

to happen like that in the interest and when I came down from the show the cure be cured in the first doctor with salted and I my suspender. I have very heavy. Mid to lakes your city and most of us spend up. So then I feared the leg coming dull way to slove So I just stopped middle of the state and squeezed my legs together and then I said to reflect that in the region no you don't have to work that old guy can wager with my pad. So so that I want to stay in the U.S. have to do everything. Never seen a more wooden long as I was on that you know inch in Europe when I pulled the sword I was like I jumped down from the table but the table was very old and there was a sort of of car on it but don't call or was

it tong and I had sandals on. So when I want to jump my standard since I came in on to the call. So there one leg stayed up there on a window but I had a soft in my hand but I I then I know if I have lifted it will gone down of the or somebody but I kept it in and out I sang the whole time I fared on my knee I broke the toll and Les needs were bloody and so on but I sang the rest of the problems. Dr. Craven we put Damon to to walk with that program go up and down these mountains and that was something. Then I have a cause I want to say something about the work I had was blacked out. We had a very good team together and I have had great

great show and artistic pleasure of our work and sharing with of course. She was not a warm person she was a very cool lady. Not nearly as warm or LIDAR or harbor and many of us have sung with but Walsh was magnificent and she looked beautiful and she was. She changed during the year. Because of her success. The funny thing was that she could not take so much excess. It is very dangerous saying you know America when you put somebody up on a pedestal and everybody boast Donde and then they

themselves really stink that I've got and it's not such a scene. So she really did just like to be connected with me. He's done and he sewed it on there in the critics than in the show. She said to me one day I'm I'm I'm sick I'm tired of always be connected with you and your name and so on. I can do it myself. Good to hear. You are a little wrong because the opera is not called to done or you solve have been quote done and you saw it. You don't have anything to do with her leaving them at all no not at all she lived because of the hospital she was there last Christmas you didn't before she lived she spent in my home and we try to talk her

out of going back to Norway but when a woman says that my duty is with my husband when he called me will you have nothing to say anymore. So that was what happened and it was so funny that I liked him very very much. But there was one thing for him that did it and it was like rage. Close to a port in Spain he hated He hated the English and I think that is why he went into the Quisling thing and it's very funny that the greatest admirer and their greatest success was in England where she was loved most of anything as a loss and

Hofmann was hated more than anything and it's funny how life peace nobody knows but I think later on she understood that it's more important to me. Good dog on the stage in a good ensemble and special you know Rocco's opera. Everybody is important from the smallest pot to the leading they're not like in the HIV and stop isness in Vaucluse all but we have no relation to score where we like in detail you know not those kind take a pro-US and so on and even die and wake up again and saying you know once again we can't do that in Iraq now because they all kind of stuff. We are part of the orchestra and continues to hold them know

that you know decor will come in and there are no cuts in that way. That's We're live on our project. Also no good for the cutbacks because there are no please go make that work. Then as you were entering your twenty fifth season with the Metropolitan Mr. Johnson announced that you know yes I know. Today this story there is also a very funny one. You see the fact is life any time every year in the Metropolitan. The young management go to the bit to pardon management in December before a coachman and get for the next season. The tie game they want you because we we have only want to fall season do you stage. No because we have to have concert work and all custom work and so on.

These. Engagement I made in January and February. So as a manager I was you know about when he has us free and he does instill that dimeter pardoned would say. That period from that date to that you didn't want and Jack Monckton didn't want we want you to keep for us. We have we cannot see what exactly but you have to keep that period for that fortnight that fortnight and then when we make the river trois you will get to know what date and if you take an engagement in there. You almost take the engagement with a call to that you are logged in when we make all repertoire. You cannot do it because of your singing at the moment so we want or wish. And my manager wrote to Mr. being and he never gave me out on so and

I I didn't even have a conference with him. I asked about the next year I did no work at an answer and then when I sang like a last performance I said Don't Rain No and I won't I won't stay here for the next year when they have not connect I was the oldest. So you know then at them it so soul he should go first to me. But he doesn't like the Lochness all Brock himself and he want to tow. I don't know what he wanted but anyhow that was my end I have been inside the Metropolitan Opera scenes and I see that it was very unfair. I'll find you call my manager out of the Metropolitan Opera tow head of the leading turnoff who

have sunk so much as 40 something off an opera in the season and we have a full house was all of it and then to split dad off and just not even give you an answer I will not sit down and we're not talked about on talk I wanted to know the kind never the only one I had was to be relieved both in the house and when he got manager. He wrote in the in there everybody up where we don't hear you. I live high off the need and then he said to me I have great pleasure I want my Oh you're wonderful Trish don't you have the day I am the new manager Most of being Joe ride I hope that you would have a high rhythm of Proudhon and so on. The only way I would talk to that man in my whole life. Well probably the most unfortunate part of your leaving

is that you have not been replaced with so many of us. I know but no one has come up with knowing your pledge while I am thing you know I am approached and creating a font called it all reach medical heroic turnoff on where we try to get donations to go to help I sing Oh who has that sort of awards I have known a born voice you know to talk and then they I gauged it all Prime did not take time off to work with awards right to make decision right. So that's why so many of them said if you're going to just take. I want a full voice like we know I was here. He was backed out and he sang the ten oh no we can't sing 10 are you counting but I don't anymore. When he saw last thing

should not happen. So we're going to get a phone together and then take over such a person and get used to schooling and the money for his wife and children and time he works and we are not using the phone. They front the front but always stay and almost be a font to create heroic tenor so that devolved office doesn't disappear from the stage. The heavy ones you have lawn greens and my dissing of and so on but the Tannoys wind and the rain that sort of thing that dish that tone of voice has to be created that as if there's some who say change them. But nothing really outstanding and that could be but it's only the question about having that person the time. And

money to work with. And that is what I am working on though. I have paid all the presentation and so on and all of the secretarial work and they're working myself and I am now trying to get donations in. We like big ones we like small ones we have them even from $1 and we have them from Germany on all of Denmark and so on but we need a good some took a little so that we can start with interest. I won't usually ladies and gentleman don't know that every amount of money small or big will create for the Metropolitan and for all our problems has the possibility to get there or you cannot. Everything is there. But there is not the

the hero you cannot show all these poor girls their widows while the day is Wagnerian Sopranos me in Mr. Melky as opinion. The widows that certainly wasn't the case for Helen travel in 1941 when she made this recording of the duet from the first deck to get a demo. The little things.

The IF.

Yes. The IF. The A Oh. Yeah. Yeah yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah yeah. Yeah a little. It it just gets.

Me. Live. A A. Bit. Yeah. Yeah. Logan.

Oh yeah. Oh yeah yeah. Oh. Yeah. 0 0 0. 0. I didn't. Look.

Good. Yes. Load. It. It.

Was. A Wagnerian team of that caliber hasn't been heard at the Metropolitan for 16 years. On next week's program we'll hear all about the financial troubles which plague the Metropolitan during the

Depression. Until then this is Milton Cross on behalf of miles cussed in cheek thanking you for listening. The athlete. On the. Boston University Radio has presented Hall of song the story of the Metropolitan Opera from eighteen eighty three thousand nine hundred sixty six. The series is created and produced by Richard Calhoun a grant from the National Home Library Foundation has made possible the production of these programs for national educational radio. This is the national educational radio network.