New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-17
THE MUSICAL FESTIVAL.
ANOTHER DAY OF TRIUMPHs.

| AN USFQ JAILED CoScERT ~ The EVENING
SELECTIONS FROM THE "GoTrERDAMMERuNG"
FOLLOWED BY BEEIHovES's MAsTERwonK.
| IBr TELEGRAPH TO TIE TnIBUsE.i
| CINCINNATI, May 16.-A cold and misty rain
made perceptlbe difference In the attend
ance at the morning concert to-day. The seats
were all occupied, and the standing room, such
| as 1t promptly taken up The
programme. though light aud varied stronger than
that OF yesterday. IL contained schubers Unfinished
| symphony. some Of the Lohengrin" selections, the
! beautiful Arrangement by Berlioz OF We ers IN
yitation to the Dance" and less imper-
tant pieces; and 1t brought forward several
| OF the yoealists, including Miss CRY aud hT.
whitney. for whom there Ia always rousinC demonsra
ton Of welcome. Mr.. FIitseh made his mark by
cXcelen delivery Of the "Cuu Amman" and ain
glad to record distinct for intelligent aud
careful artist. His work all through the week has done
HIM great credit
Musical circles nave been aEated all day over the
phenomenal performance Of the Messiah" last even
ng. ami when the public to the hall tonight 1t
was with expectations at the highest pitch aud en-
tiusiasm all aaame This the climax Of the Festl-
| ea aud this was the stately programme;
PART I.
Chorus "Waeh aui" from the "Meistersns'rn Wagner
overture, COriOlauus Beethoven
selections from the GGieTdRmmeTnng Wagner
PART H.
symphony In minor, No. Beethoven
This was consistent programme, much more carefully
composed than might think at the first glance. Wag
ners friends right when they represent him as the
legitimate offspring In arc OF Beethoven, and we all know
from frequent experiences that the two composers mix
well In Neither the effect Of the other,
| by contrasts any than by imperfect resem-
bl9nces. The chorus from the "Mestersingcr" is
bright ind imposing selection for the opening Of
concert-maiesc In character, that It dispOses the
listener TO lofty emOliOns festive, that 1t brnes
cheerful thoughts. II Is the well-knOwn song OF
the multitude In the third act ACCOMMODATING the en-
trance of the Mastersngers Of Nuremburg before the
assembled guilds for the contest OF aud in the
rngeneut to night introduced by few bars from
| the VOrspiel, giving that ponderOus passage which
Wagner often in the course Of the Guerra as the
"Masterslug er-motye." 1t performed with great
effect both by chorus and orchestra The COuOanus"
overture well placed after it-there are few OF
Beethovens OyeruTes which would have fitted here
well. When We came To the GGtter,am merung selec
tons Qhe that have been gwen in NewYorlO, and
the began the impressive Funeral March, IL
not difficult to fancy that the preceding numbers
had only been leading up To this. have said 80 Ducn
about this music at other times that shall probably
please the readers of THE TRIBUNE by saying little
about It now. Every time hear It find II more won
derful more eloquent crowded with memories and
suggestions. Was II much better done tonight than
it " Winter In New-York. Is it only that my
capacity for enjoying it Ia continually expandlngi
| Madame Pappenheim sang her share In the
| finale with n lofty dignity and stormy
passion such as I have never known her to dis
play before. As for the orchestra praise can do
justice have hesitation in saying thar the great
| orchestra at Bayreuth did not equal II. l am
sure that such astonishing performance OF the
Funeral March and Finale cannot hope 20 hear
| more than once or twice I'm a lifetime. There
are times when orchesras II on fire and eonduc-
tors seem To be transngured and there such an
perience tonight Nobody could resist the inlu-
enco OF such performance. The coldest listener
could protect himself AGAINST snch blaze Of excite
ment heard that Funeral March In NewYork," said
distinguished musician this evening, and could not
understand Il; but this Il revelation" II was with
perfect grace and propriety that Theodore Thomas.
turning toward Madame PappeDhem and the orchestra,
Ioiued IN the COMPOSITIONS applause which hailed
tho singer and the band at the end OF
this great effort But In reality was
his triumph more than II theirs. He
has been in n state OF mental eXaltatiOn all the
week those OF who only know him as
the ouet aud self-contained director. leading the
SYMPHONIES al stenwdy Hall. with such comfortable
APPEARANCE Of ease, would harry recognize Theodore
Thomas spirit whose breath Is whirlwnd
and whose touch u fire.
what can possibly say OF the performance or the
Choral symphony followed this stupendous pas
cage. Wagner loft IN the temper for Beethoyen's
mlserwork, and nothing but Beethoycns u,aster-Uork
would have been possible at such a moment The
first measure OF the allegro showed that the
orchestra was still quiyering with the divine
aGIatus aud the conductor stl under the
troll Of the inspiration which had swayed
him during the first part OF the evening. The entire
movement was played In manner which there Is no
language to describe. The scbcrzo still more extra
Ordinary: the heavenly ada deeponed the impression
Az the hour sped on the beauty OF the playing
became more aud ravshing and the general emo.
lion became more and evident. looked around
that dense assembly OF 1000 people; they sat
as silent "a death, and almost
ttonless: nearly every face was fixed
upon the stage with expression OF rapt attention
which never bched In large and mixed audience be-
fore At the intervals between the movements
Thomas was obliged TO turn and bow again ana
again IN reply 10 the universal outburst. Al last
came the great choral finale and here, in the Hymn
Joy the performance reached the heights which
beethoven must have imagined The glorious
citatlye OF the bass strings, the stirring quar-
lei the tremendous shout OF the chorus, all
the famous parts Of this bewidering movement
gwen rs | think 1 heard them given before
But nobody was surprised; the previous por
tons had boen so grand that singers. players audi
ence all alike seemed ready for anything. all
alike swept along TO the triumphant and never-to
beorgotien close. II Theodore Thomas had been
anything else thus performance Of the choral SYM
plony ought 10 make him famous all the world.
WHAT nm evening II has been. Tho " Meistersing,r"
chorus reused the high point OF excitement
every succeeding number redoub6d the effect and We
came away wondering that no such concert has
ever been anywhere gven-a declaration which /
believe 10 be not the exaggeraon OF the moment, out
sober literal truth. j. h H. H.
THE CITY STILL CROW DED WITH VISITORS.
GENERAL PRESS DIsPArcHI
Al a. a;t,,n 70