The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-01-08
THE GOUNoD SOCIETY.
Announcement for the second Concert Interesting Features of the Performance To ba Given in the Armory.

Interesting Features of the Performance
 To be- Given in the Armory. The officers of the Gounod society have been busily engaged ever since the performance of The Redemption" in considering and developing plans for
 in April The task of selecting the work to be taken up was rendered par t!cularly difficult this year because the
 society has already exhausted what might be called the stock repertoire of oratorios. Moreover, just as there seemed to be a popular demand for 8 repetition Of "The Redemption" for the first concert, there seems now an equal ly great desire to heal a secular work. Many have expressed wish to hear Saint-Saens' Samson and Delilah" and Berlzo's Romeo and Juliet" and the | "Damnation of Faust have also been suggested. There were many points in
 favor of each, but none of them seemed to meet all the present requirements. The samson" has very little chorus work and demands an enormous orches- tra, while the "Damnation' is bristling with difficulties in all parts chorus, or chestra and solo, and also needs spe- cial chorus of at least one hundred and fifty male voices in order to do justice to it,
 The society is now capable of attack | ing almost anything, especially with Agramonte for their NapoNon, but 1t
 is not possible at present to make all the other conditions ideal, Therefore the selection of Max Btuch's "Armini- us'' seems the very happiest choice from every point Of view It is Bruchs best choral work and its performance will be notable event It will be given i with an increased chorus, q larger or chestra than We have ever had, and no expense will be spared in the matter of soloists.
 MT. Parker Brown. the president of
 the Handel and Haydn" of Boston, has congratulated our society on their choice, He says that whenever the
 work has been done in Boston it has been most pronouncea success and that the only reason that they have not performed il ottenel Is because their 1 concerts commonly come on Sunday nights, when their Puritan training for | D!tts SSCufd- WOlk.
 The announcement that the perform
 ance will he held in the Second regi- rnent armory will probably be the great est surprise Of all. The Hyperion is not large enough for so large chorus as the Gounod's have grown to be. The acoustic properties of the armory have been examined by experts and have
 been pronounced thoroughly satisfac- tory. MT. Stewart, the well known manager of the Worcester and other big musical festivals, has told the off, cers of the Gounod that with the excep- tion of Mechanics hall in Worcester
 there Is not another auditorium in New England which can compare with it for
 acoustic excellence. An enormous plat form for the chorus and orchestra will
 be built at one end of the building It is estimated that there will be seating capacity for three thousand people, without counting the gallery. Some of
 the rehearsals will be held at the arm
 ogy So that the acoustics can be care fully tested, and if necessary addition
 al draperies be hung. It may be found
 necessary to use a temporary ceiling. as at the junior prom.
 As for soloists, the best artists to be
 secured will be engaged. "Arminius"
 cells for a meZZo-soprano a. tenor and
 a baritone The role of the Prophet
 less" is intensely dramatic and will re-
 quire a very great singer. Marie Bre-
 ma, who is one of the greatest living
 dramatic singers, has been suggested
 as eminently fitted for the part Ben
 Davies will probably be the tenor, and
 for the other part Heinrich, Campanari
 and Fraugscon-Dav have all been
 spoken of It is thought that the pro-
 duction of this work in such a manner
 will interest all the singers of the city.
 More good voices are wanted and the
 chorus will be considerably increased for this performance. All who wish to
 try for admission must present them selves at Harmonic hall at o'clock on
 next Monday evening. Those who are
 already members are requested to be
 present promptly at s o'clock. It is
 hoped that all the choir singers in
 town will come into the society for this
 special occasion.
 Those who have not applied for ad-
 mission should send in their names at once to the secretary, Professor J. c. Schwab, Post Office Drawer No. 70.
 Rossinis "Stabat Mater is also going to be given by the Gounod society with a splendid list of soloists. These an- nouncements will probably cause con- siderable excitement in the local musi- cal world. Every one will be delighted that these two works have been chosen and that such brilliant features are in
 I,T0Snprt