New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-17
THE CINCINNATI FESTIVAL.
NozART BEETHOvEN AND HANDEL.

NtOzAPT BEETHOVEN AND HANDEL.
49,. srAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE IkIBUNE'i
C,,c,xx,rr MAY l6.-The fifth Of the Cncinnau
,onsical festivals opens with no lack OF eHU4i
aud II seems TO me that publc interest III 'he "A'
"a even deeper and more general imam e'eI o'i'
The streets are decorated as hOera4y IL u'
There are the usual hustle and e1clteiheu'' ''--
Tonight the first appearance oI Iue PoPu'"-
sorori,os Thomas. Cary. Whitney and the new
corners. Materna and Canddus whom y ino 'iiuA'' -
once tool, u its heart, was greeted with an impos
.lo,,,o,stration. The audience. if l am not de-
ceived was larger than at the opening OF the last
-, .,-or,, mart of the Music Hall being
crowded. ,f.L
The performance was all that the best friends Of the
.rternrise have desired There were no accidents
no weaknesses and the audience broke up III inc
most cordial of humOrs. The chorus made us repu
+,,on four years ago and showed tonight that IL Is
resolved IN maintain Its wcl-earned fame. Evl-
IDENTIFY IT has been well drilled in the works asSlgheu
10 II this year 1t has all its old rmness precision
pure lntonation and boldness of attack, ana IL LAS
not lost the fine sentiment and the animation wnlch
Ibave mentioned IN former years as giving Its sing
ing peculiar power Of expression.
The selections tonight comprised Mozarts he
ouiem.r Beethoven's Eighth Symphony the
Fideho" scena and aria, sung by Materns' anu
Uaudels Dettingen TIE Deum." This was a serious
programme, but by no means heavy one IL haa
variety as well as consistency and the soiemhty Oh
The Reouiem was relieved by Its novelty. This was
nv far the most interesting feature of the evening
20 musicians. and it was so not only on
account Of the sublime beauty of the music. but
from the exquisite charm of the performance.
What majesty was there in the tremendous choruses
of the Dies Irae! How magni6cently the famous
flgues were delivered How the very soul of pathos
was breathed in the moving numbers wherein
Mozart Expresses have ever done the poetry of
religions grief and awe As for the solo quartet,
composed of Materna, Cary. Candidus and Whitney,
risk little In saving that it could not have been
suroassed. The string of four solos beginning with
Wbitnev,s .plendid Tuba Mirum" and ending
with the four voices together was as perfect
asI can hope ever to hear It and the great " lie
oordare quartet sung by all these artists with
q nobility of style and strength OF feeling, as wei
an artistic smoothness and finish, which cannot
praise too highly.
After ALL the greatest merit of the performance Of
the REQUIEM perhaps was the rare
splendor of the general Interpretation.
Ihave often had occasion to say that Mozart is a
COMPOSER with whom Thomas seems to have a
speciallv close sympathy. Certainly l never have
heard Mozart played by anybody else in manner
that even Instantly approaches his he has gone
right to the heart of this dearest Of musi-
clans, and he has learned how to express
the most sublime and most profound OF the senti-
ents we are conscious of in his pages, but so sell
dom find reelected in his interpreters But this was
an ideal Interpretation. ! had marked many little
passages some of them only of single
word, IN which Thomas taught his chorus and
his orchestra the secrets of MOzar's unique charm;
but why should trouble you with details where all
was 50 preciousi AS well try to catalogue the
charms of the sunset
The Dettii gen Ie Deum was almost equally good,
though, of course, in very different way. II
Compare it with the Jubilate had recently in
New-York you will understand the charac-
tains an effect something Ike the Amen" which
so startled Us in the Psalm, and it given IN
very much the way. J. 4. G. II.