Deep Breath

Tenor Lauritz Melchior, who gets well paid for opening his mouth very wide, keeps a careful record of the occasions on which he opens his mouth. By consulting his notebook, the great Dane can point to 209 Tristans, 171 Walkueres, 143 Tannhaeusers, 125 Siegfrieds, 101 Goetterdaemmerungs and Lohengrins, say when & where he sang them and how much he got paid. Says he: "I have done a quarter of a million dollars worth of Tristans since 1930. Also 3,340 English pounds, 3,200 reichsmarks, 332,000 francs, and 4,000 Danish kroner worth." At $1,000 a performance at the Metropolitan Opera House, he has figured that his profits, after taxes, are 14-c- on the dollar.

He is probably the only person who has bothered to count how many words (6,984) there are in the role of Siegfried. This week the Met, which has also been keeping track, more roughly, of Lauritz Melchior, put on a show to mark his 20th anniversary at the Metropolitan. In a special Sunday night performance, Melchior sang the most ambitious program of his career--one act each from three Wagnerian operas. Four sopranos alternated in singing with him. The demonstration proved, to the satisfaction of all present, that Melchior is not only the most durable but also the greatest of Wagnerians.

The evening over, jovial, gargantuan (225-lb.) Tenor Melchior and his pocket-sized (110-lb.) wife, Maria ("Kleinchen") took 85 guests to the Swedish Three Crowns restaurant, drank aquavit (Scandinavian 88-proof potato liquor) and beer chasers. Said he: "Now I can take a deep breath and start life again."

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