The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-07-28
FINE AUDITORIUM
But SMALL CROWD
ST. PAUL PERMITS STORM TO MAR
OPENING OF BIG HALL.
First Grand Concert Of sangerfest and
Big Chorus, but the Audience Not
What Was Expected, from the Fact
that the Great Building Was First
Available.

The first grand concert Of the san
gerfest, held in the partially completed
st. Paul Auditorium, was held last eve
ming under conditions which were dis
appointing. If St. Paul is ever to have
an occasion when the people in gen.
eral might be expected to turn out en-
masse to fill that long heralded hall !, Of
enough for any event. the time should
have been last night, the occasion of
the first concert Of the Northwestern
Saengerbund. But it threatened rain,
it did rain, and it kept raining. Gould
St. Paul, particularly st: Paul's wife
and daughters, be blamed for not ven
turing out9
which did not greatly matter, for the
! walls were up and there was roof
I over the inclosure. Perhaps not more
than half Of the space which some day
will be available for big crowd has
been made available for the sanger
fest, but last night that half was not
filled. The 1000 mon in the mighty
reserved for them; and the. audience
of St. Paul and the many visitors did
not fill the plains and gentle slopes, the
foothills and uplands of the pit, par
quet, parquet circle and boxes. But
the quality was right; there's no dis
| putting LnaC. d. " - '''-.-
| Dimensions Of Event. =
| A musical event of the dimensions
Of the Northwestern Saengerbund in
| grand concert assembled can scarcely
be judged or described in the customa-
ry terms of polite entertainment. There
is limit beyond which mere bulk can
not carry praise. The excellence Of
performance, is not Increased in direct
ratio to it's expansion. A Havana cigar
is good, but the ability to make cigar
a foot long and three inches thick does
not mean a smokefest to man who
loves My Lady Nicotine. -.
Still, a company of two Thousand
men of all ages, sizes and conditions.
lifting up their voices, more or less
finely trained obedient to the baton
melody which St. Paul could well afford
to pack new AUDITORIUM to hear,
even at the expense Of Drawing a mid
summer thunderstorm. It would well
repay that much effort.
This mighty chorus sang we'll. That
statement must go unchallenged, Tor
who has standard by which he can
compare it's works And Theodor Kelbe
conducted like the consummate master
numbers which the chorus sang, perhaps
the best, certainly the most enjoyed,
were the pretty love songs "Scheiden,'
, the music composed by Herr Kelbe him
, self, and ':Du Mein Allies They were
good in that they exhibited the fine
standings such volume OF vocallzatlon
is capable of. and the melodies were the
very spirit of harmony. ..@
AS to the soloists.
Of the soloists lit lie need. be said
Any singer not equipped with steam
cal1iope attachments is at .disadvan
tage In such hail. Most singers are
trained for concert halls or the limita
lit is demanded that they! flll. space
larger by many fold, and under condi
tions in the nature Of the case difficult
criticism or comment should be tenn
pered with mercy. Herr Daniel Bed
:, doe contributed "Die Meistersinger,'
rendering it to the accompaniment, Of
: and but for the too-manifest effort t!
= rise to the occasion, to fill that big hall
$ there could be little fault found. .,~j
), FRAY Katherine Fleming sang an ari'
!. later in the program, Beethoven s O. Al
= Perfdo,' both well adapted to he
a. range. Frau Fleming might be com
a mented on adversely on the same scor
ssen to be f tqgng hard to FIJI that i
! ROOM She succeeded in measure, bu
= at the expense Of much that make
! singing enjoyable. If she did not al
- = ways have perfect control of her voice
q and did not always do with it all sh
~ ~ could have done under more advan
. tageous conditions, it must be, remen
l. bered that much was required Of he1
- She seemed to be the favorite .solcis
n The soprano Of Frau Rider Kelsey, i
- her Interpretation of List 8 "Lorelei
le was certainly pleasing to all who mad
. any fine discrimination. She did wit
4 her voice all that one could expect he
- to do, and she did it well. r.
- The Great Orchestra.
~ The orchestra, numbering about fit
~ instruments, more than half Of the
" novelty Of bulk Of the chorus, and II
+ strivings after the impossible Of tt
soloists. Two numbers on the progra
: were assigned to the orchestra, Lic]
8 tertanz' by Ber]ioz. as the openin
n number, and the ever popular and q
X ways beautiful Hungarian rhapsody n
- 2. The latter in particular was we
rendered. the preponderance Of tt
=, strings bringing out all the possibiliti
es of the marvellous harmony. The bra
ce was effective, and under the baton
to Frank DAM, Jr.. the orchestra won
he fame in this grand concert which II
ar loyal twin city people can not: fail
lst appreciate. l. ri. -
:, The Matinee Concert. g.
G: The concert of yesterday afternoe
ed attracted another large. audience. i
as many respects the program was mo
OIL enjoyable than at the opening concel
in, The soloists were all heard to bett
&C advantage and the st. Paul Choral clu