OCR Text |
Show Frltzl Scheff on Operas. "Really, comic opera Is grand!" and Frltzl Scheff laughed merrily at the urbane ur-bane Mr. Edwards, her manager. "There, I've made a comical American Ameri-can pun, isn't that grand? Oh, there, that's a worse one," and tho former "pet of grand opera" assumed a look of horror that would charm an Idol. "Comic opera." continued the Scheff, impetuously, "I love It, I adore Itl I could not do my best work In grand opera, although I have studied it all my life. Americans treat grand opera much differently than Europeans. Why, in Munich, for Instance, the companies which sing 'Faust,' 'Lohengrin,' and 'Tnnnhauser,' nlso sing 'Fra DIavolo,' 'Mlgnon,' 'La Bohemc,' 'The Daughter of tho Regiment' and other operas which j'ou call 'light' hero In America. "There Is much moro opportunity to accomplish something in a comic opera of high clnis. You may be a singer, nn actor, a speaker all three to the fullest extent In comic opera. In grand opera you need to be only a singer. So x icei iree. l reei as it i nau room wnen I am making tho most of a role In opera comique. There is more scope, tho field Is broader, and tho work Is better suited to my personality, and my lovo for It naturally results In my singing and acting better." |