Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-22
THE TOPICAL TALKER.
Notes Made by Philistine at the May
Festival Opening.

Notes Made by n Philistine at the May
Festival Opening.
MISS EMMA JUcR has grown stouter since
she sang here as Marguerite in Faust" with
the National Opera Company. But she never
looked handsomer than she did last night.
Without the assistance of skilled feminine eyes
l should say that she wore q dress of silk in
color like to the gray of morning, paneled iii
embroidery of small and quiet design.
She looked very happy when the great, ramb-
ling audience brought her back six times after
she had sung cavatina from Gounod's Queen
of Sheba," and the audience from its many
corners rolled up thunderous greeting to the
diva
AFTER the first nights experience, think,
it will be generally granted that all the or
chestral and choral work can be heard to rea-
sonable advantage. of course better In some
places than others, in every part of the great
hall The solos cannot be heard properly in
the rear seats of the parquet and in the most
remote part of the galleries the strongest
voices were not distinctly heard at all. The
curious conformation of the hall, a modified
eclipse, is the cause of this blemish in its
acoustics.
Hot weather, if it shall come. will not dis
commode the people who go to hear the sue
eeeding concerts of the festival. Last night
the hall would have enthused polar bear or
an Esquimau. The glory of the clawhammer
Goa was hidden in the dull shell of the light
overcoat, and some charming toilets among
the ladies were never revealed from beneath
the Jealous embrace of wrap or shawl. 1t was
desperately cold. An insinuative wind crept
along the floor of the parquette, and huffed
unbidden- through the doors of the bunting
curtained boxes.
1t was suggested by one boxholder that it
would have been a good idea to have turned
the parquet into a skating rink during the
waits. Another authority, a fair one by the
way, said it would be a merciful act if the
weather keeps arctic for someone to set the
blanket fashion of the Red Mans full dress in
tonight couple of blankets wrapped about
one would beat the low-cut vest and swallow
tail atrocity out of sight for comfort.
And the worst thing about the temperature
question is that one can't pitch into anybody
for the chllliness of the auditorium. The man
ayers of the concert did their best and the
clerk of the weather did not. Let US pray for
a warm SPELL
A MIGHTY odd bit of realism got into Bach's
fugue in G minor which the orchestra took up
second on the programme. Toward the close
of the choral, the interpolated work, which to
my Philistine ears redeemed the fugue from
being an utterly meaningless muddle of sounds
a steamboat on the Allegheny without broke in
with continuous foghorn solo. Anton Seidl
checked the orchestra for minute, and then,
as the fog whistle ceased, motioned them to
proceed. No sooner had the orchestra begun
again than the emulous whistle started up
again. The audience broke into applause hys-
terically-I am wicked enough to believe that
many of the men were glad to see that furious
old fugue upset. But the courageous musi-
clans finished the fugue with capital strength
So
WOULD it not be well for the management
of the May Festival to instruct the doorkeep-
ers and policemen to prevent anyone from
striking matches or smoking in the entrances?
Last night this rule was fagrantly disregarded
The heaps of shavings and other inf1ammable
debris near the doors of the Exposition build
ing makes this question of tremendous import
ance.
So
GENERALLY and considering all things the
May Festival itself has begun auspiciously.