Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-14
DIVINE ARTS TRIBUTE.
Thousands Again Drink in the De-
lights Of the May Festival.
ANTON sEIDL IS CROWNED A KING.
Magnificent Selections From Old Masters
Offered To-Day.
FEWER PEOPLE BUT MORE ENTHUSIASM


Festival drew to Mechanical Hall last
evening another brilliant audience,
| which, while it contained somewhat
| fewer members contained also much
less paper" In fact the 5000 people pres
ent last night turned in more cash than the
$500 frst-nighters; this is q substantial
growth in patronage that augurs we'll
for the financial success that every
| one hopes will crown this we'll
directed enterprise of Messrs. Retter and
jerks. The empty seats, outside of the rear
rows of the parquet, were mostly in that ex-
ceedingly cheap and yet desirable section of
the deep balcony where full thousand more
persons, of the class not often offered such a
chance, might have been enjoying the musical
| feast for half or a quarter of q
dollar. This circumstance was unfortunate
for the absentees, but it did not materially
affect the cheerful effect of the auditorium
with its fashionably filled boxes and bril-
liantly occupied parquet and dress circle.
The overture of Cherubinis long-buried
opera, "Anacreon," opened the programme.
| 1t is work that we'll exemplifies the COM
poser's position as a link between the classic
| and romantic schools while it presents
| the best traits that one would expect to find
in musician born and trained in Italy, domi-
ciled in Paris (for which city's famous Grand
y
by nature and choice inclined toward the
more serious dramatic ideals of the German
| masters. Conductor Seidl gave the overture
an altogeth er admirable and most effective
| Interpretation, the climax at the close being
brought out with especial power.
The Music of Delight.
Mr.. Andreas Dippel improved the good i'm
preston of his first appearance by the emo
tlonal warmth and tonal beauty that dis
tinguished his singing of the lovely
romance from Weber's "Euryanthe." And
what delightful music it is, with
its lightly scored, but so appropriate,
accompaniment and its characteristic
flow of melodyI Mrs. Antonia Mielke
was evidently in her native ele-
ment in the wondrously forceful
scene from Beethoven's only opera,
'Fidelio." She is, before all, a dramatic So
prano, possessing voice of exceptional
power, richness and compass and a broad,
fervid style. There was tragic strength in the
recitatiye in which the Mortified wife cries
out against her husbands malignant enemy;
yet the sublimely beautiful expression of
hope and trust in the following aria was
given with a noble repose and tender ex-
pressiveneSs.
Beauties of an Unfinished Symphony.
Schubert's ineffably lovely unfinished
Symphony formed the high place of the
evening. 1t was treated by Mr.. SeidI and
his players with an affectionate solici-
tude for the minutest detail. All de-
partments of the orchestra were
kept in equilibrium; the quality
of tone was pure, its balance unexception-
able, The beauteous, touching themes with
which the Symphony so richly abounds were
delineated with all eXpressiveness against
an ever rich, but fifty subdued, background.
While the sweetly sad emotions evoked by
this delicious work properly prevented any
great outburst of applause, more than one
auditor was heard to say that it gave the
choicest delight of the whole evenings pro-
gramme-
The Festival chorus certainly could not
ask more grateful assignment than Schu-
mann's simply written but very, characteris-
tic ballad, "Gipsy Life" The striking
as picturing the wild Romany people,
tend also to make it exceedingly singable
and with the other qualities of the spirited
Nevertheless, the chorus singing was
tame, sluggish and ragged to degree.
There is no reason for mincing
words here; the music was easy
evidently learned it well enough. What
they needed was energy and life. Though
Mr. Retter's rather cold conducting failed to
awaken this life, it is barely possible that
stinging public rebuke may tend toward
betterment for the remaining concerts.
A Noble Tenor Voice.
Mr.. Theodoc Reichmann also had CRATE
full task in the two numbers from "Tann-
haeuser"-indeed this programme was
throughout remarkably well chosen
and distributed. He displayed
baTytone .,t9f.o, Of a,,o noble, sonorous
he handled with the utmost refinement of |
vocal skill. He is one of the not too numer- |
GUS German singers that can sing as |
Added to this was the Teutonic quality |
of intense dramatic power and musical sin |
cerity, beside H notable distinctness of
was, fortunately, altogether accurate last |
evening He lent fervor and feeling to both |
of HOltram's noble, tender songs-as well |
the broadly written rhsapsody in praise of |
love sung in the song tournament on the |
Wartburg, as the more lyric and bet |
ter known strains addressed to the evening |
star and his own sad. musing heart.
ture of MazeTpa's soul-stirrfng ride,
bound fast to the wild Tartar |
steed, was presented by Mr.. seidl with the |
imposing work had right to claim, it re, |
ceived at the hands of its Interpreters last |
night. The great dramatic duo from Wagners |
Reichmann full opportunity for displaying
their vocal powers and emotional intensity. |
The opportunity was worthily realized, and !
their joint efforts gained similar need of |
saint-saens' Biblical oantata, "The
Deluge"-the nrSt two parts Only-closed |
the programme. Its production at |
the last Festival and the COM |
ments printed this morning render
superf1uous any further description here. |
The predominancc of the orchestra in the |
composers score was largely accentuated in |
the performance, the chorus being for the |
most part inaudible and at times utterly |
lost in the literal flood of Instrument
ton, to which their rehearsals could not |
have accustomed them. Mr.. Seidl and his |
players deserve high credit for their excel |
lent work in this difficult score, though the |
solo violin did not betray any great ability. |
G. W. S.