El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-05-13

ttre covering an entire block, with
LOCO rooms. 1t took about half an hour
from the breaking cut Of tie fire to
reduce the whole building to ashes.
The only people in the building at the
time were the OWE err and his family, who
escaped 10 their night clothes. Sup
pose the building had caught fire dur
ing the Fair, when it was filled with
guests! The mad craze for making
money at that time led to the erection
of buildings which were simply fire
traps. Some of them have burned up
already, others have been pulled do"p.
Many others still stan1 in melancholy
dilapidation and premature decay. The
better class of Worlds Fair hotels,
however, have been converted into
apartment houses and are still inhabit-
cd.
The season of The Chicago Orchestra
closed May Z, when the swenty-second
concert was given. The soloist was
Josef Holman, who appeared for the
second time this.winter. This wonder
full youth is pronounced by competent
critics the greatest living pianist,
though many would except Pade-
rewski. Holman is scarcely twenty
one; q rather awkward, boyish young
fellow, who seems to be much bored by
the femininea attention. that are shower
ed on him and holds the roses that are
handed to him over the fOotlights as q
| woman carries q dead mouse. But
when he touches the piano, you for
get everything but the wonderful COM
mand of ell the resources OF the in
strument, the perfection OF technique,
the splendid power of his crashing
chords, the singing tone of his melo-
dies. One of his encores at the last
concert, Q brilliant. and immensely diff
fcult arrangement OF the Tannhaeuser
overture, set the audience wild with
enthusiasm.
| Theodore Thomas's seventh season
has been highly successful. His or
chestrs improves steadily in its ensem-
Bile, and Is equal to any in the United
States. The only one to .be compared
with it 10 the Boston orchestra, which
has some finer individual players, but
does not excel ours in general finish
and power. Thomas's eastern tour
during March was in the nature OF a tri-
Iumphal proce ssion, and the New York
critics actually betrayed their jealous y
OF Chicago for having band superior
to any that they are at present able to
sustain. Mr.. Thomas's programmes are
models of artistic judgment and cath
Iolicity. While he is a warm admirer
of such highly colo:ed modern
music as that Of Tschaikowsky,
Brahms, Wagner, Richard Strauss.
letc., his Interpretation of the classic
composers is sympathetic and dlscriml'
mating. During the winter we have
heard six of Beethoven's symphonies.
lssveral of Haydn, Mozart and Schubert,
a number CT works by Bach. and q
great variety of minor works. On sew
eral occasions the orchestra has been
assisted by an efficient chorus of about
$50 voices. Two of the most delightful
concerts were those at which were
sung the music from Mendelssohn Z
midsummer Nights Dream" and
Brahms's German Requiem" The
latter is one of the sub imess compo-
sitions since Beethoven's Choral Sym
phony. A concession to the war spiri,
was the playing two weeks ago OF
PROBATIONARY "1S12 Overture" which
represents a battle between French
and Russian forces at Moscow. The
climax, where the Russian Hymn rises
taiumphant over the Marseillaise in an
overpowering tumult of sound, the for.
tissimo orchestra and full organ pune
tuated by cannon shots, is certainly q
tour de force in more senses than one
Carping critics have observed that SIT
is magnificent, but it is not music. u
But it always bring down the house
| JOHN r SLATER.