, 1873-05-07
CINCINNATI.


Week.
Special Dtspatch to The Chicago Tribune.
CINCINNATI, o., May 0.-Tho great May feBti-
wi WAS inaugurated With I'M opening concert,
this evening, at Exposition Hall, under tho
direction Of Theodore Thomas, and will continue
during tho remainder Of ths woo1s, with both
afternoon and evening concertBt closing on
Saturday with IN open mir concert md Bocial
picnio. Tic programme for tho evening was aa
follows:
Ffrst-uandc1's "Det!lngon To Doum," with Mrs.
Smith, Miss Cary, nnd b1eaarB varey aud "hnoy for
tho quartete, and solos with full chorus, organ, aud
Seeo'd- -poothovona Fifth Symphony:
4hird--Tho Mozart concert aria NO. 3, BY hr.
Fossrth-"The Hoavona aro Telling" from tho
"Orcation."
Tho audience, including pei formers: numbered
midsummer hent, and in the, balcony tho hoat
waa 90 oppressive that many had to 1oavo.
Promptly ut half-past Mr. Thomas took tho
atund, and was welcomed with applause,
Which 10 Acknowledged with h; hasty bow, and and
thon closed by bis own arrangement and nome
werH Hadmitted till tho close OF the second NUM-
bor Of tho 70 Deun. About ten minutes reBt was
then ta1en, during which time tho crowd becamo
went without interruption to it's close, tho whole
work being giyon without cutting. Tho greatest
| Buccpea In tho To Doum wa8 the third number,
ITO the ohorubim .; aud seraphln,a which San Haa
numbers n1r. Thomas tempos wero very rapid,
30 much 80 that in the closing quartotte Miss
| Cary WAS eomowhnt diaconcorted, and oven
while Tic organist was put to his Wits ends in
| some of the highly~0gured numbers. The
chorus, however, mado its attacks supeerbly,
especially in tho figured numborss, and developed
remarkable purity Of voice and unan1imity Of
| singing, the whole soprano sldo carrying ltaelf
along father than waiting to be led by fow
voices az ia usually tho ca8e Of chorusos OF thoir
| size. Tho nltoH III concerted piocos we're tho
woakoHt, but in thoir solos developed superb
| nlotn1 and steady work.
| Aftor tho Te boum, half hour wAn devoted
| to promenade and rofroshmenta in tho large
| and elogantly-docorated Hdo halls, after which,
at tho sound Of tho bell, the audience was re-
| seated, and Beothoven'a Fifth Symphony was
ly good. Tho audience made desperate effort
to got an encore, but Thomas was inf1exi-
bio. and would not yield, Mr. Varley
made q very decided hit with hts Mozart solo,
| aud the concert closed with tho Haydn chorus.
about half-paBt 10, aud in tho midst Of drencll-
Ing E., rain: +. .,..,>opaoo, 49, ~ .,a.. IN ,o =
great SUCCESS, and o very auRpiolous open-
Ing Of tho festival, although there is furf-
ous discussion going on among the Germans az
Owing to nfr. Thonas' wel-kuovn aversion to
show or noise Of any kind thero is no apparent
local Excitement horo. Tho popular epthusinsm
has not been worked up with parndos, process
eions, blowing Of trumpets, flaming announce
mcnts, be1ls anyils, or artillery. A few 1ag8 are
flying, but beyond this and tho somewhat
crowded condition Of the hotels, thoro are nc
| signs OF festival.
The festival will stand or fall purely On its
musical morits. It In intended as tho pionoor Of
annual festivals in tho future in tho great West:
ern cities, md, although there is much classical
music in tho programme Tor what ia intended e
it now, somo Of tho numbers never having
been given before in this country, it'll
nlr. Thomas has acted upon tho correct theory
TINT people can onjoy, and eSen nndotntnnd
classical music 4 it is performed aa II should +, DO
not been popularizod ia because it has been 81
mercilesHly murdered hitherto.
Tho programmes for tho weok n-e the bes
that have oyer been offered q, ,.o3a,o in IT, th
actual masterpieces Of Boethovon, Mondels
sohn, Mozart Handel, Gluck. Bchumann, sohu
bort, Haydn, Liszt, and Wagner. Tho prinoi
nal nambors for tho TeeE atars,, ore the Tf;, nHt
several scenes from Gluck's "orpho!s !" tn
Corio1anuB Overture, and Sohumann'R. Symptom
in O for Wednesday evening the ,"oss an'
Osiris" from the Magic Flute !" sohnmann, aaM
Beethoven, with tho second par
chorus, Mrs. Smith, Miss Cary, M1
in tic quartctto for Thursday evening !th
Vorspiel to Wagners !. h1eiBtoremnger"'; schu
bert's Twenty ty-third Psalm Lia2t's Taaao,
. and Mendclsschn'a "Walpurgis Night" for Fri
day evening. !, ,
programmes present worry attractive seloctio
Of oratorio solos and choruBos, and movement
, from symphonies, intorsporsod with operatl
nrinn 1na rchaA mud danrn mllHio.