GRAND OPERA

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 447, 31 August 1928, Page 13

GRAND OPERA

FULLER-GONSALEZ SEASON Opening on Monday week with “LI Trovatore,” Verdi’s magnificent opera, the Fuller-Gonsalez Company have announced 16 performances, covering nine different operas, and seven new operas will be added before the completion of the Auckland season. The repertoire includes tne greatest of the operas of the Italian school, and they will be sung by Italians. In principals the company is rich, and new stars will appear in each opera. The bookings are reported to be exceptionally heavy for the whole season, which must be gratifying to the management. The Southern tour proved a great success, the theatres being completely booked out nightly, and hundreds have had to be turned away on many occasions. “The prize is to the brave,” applies as well to theatrical production as in any other instance. Courage was required in no mean degree by the theatrical organisation controlled by Sir Benjamin and Mr. John Fuller when the decision was made to bring grand opera to New Zealand. But the company gathered and selected from the promising talent of Continental opera was one to inspire confidence, and those responsible for the enterprise will, from its auspicious opening, it appears certain, be doubly rewarded not only by material success, but by the satisfaction of knowing that they have brought to thousands the opportunity of knowing and appreciating the greatness of an aspect of musical art previously beyond their reach. No matter what centre had been chosen for the opening of the New Zealand tour of the Fuller-Gonsalez Grand Opera Company, the reception that, greeted the first performance could not have been excelled in enthusiasm. Every new opera was similarly received. and now that the box plans are opened at Auckland the difficulty that presses most opera lovers is which ones to choose for hearing. The best solution is to attend the early operas, and get a taste of the banquet which is to follow. One of the early operas (the second on the list of dates) is “La Traviata,” which, though not so well known to the public, is by Verdi, the composer of “Trovatore,” and is a much finer opera than the lastnamed, both musically and dramatically. It is the story of “Camille,” so familiar to everybody, and Verdi has wedded to the sad human story of Violetta’s love and self-sacrifice some of his tenderest musical inspirations. The dramatic climaxes of this opera are truly wonderful, and the orchestral preludes to the first and third acts are things of exquisite beauty, played on the muted strings only.