Connecticut western news., 1909-06-10
AN APPRECIATION
 OF THE CONCERTS
GIVEN AT NORFOLK LAST WEEK

Tenth Season of the LitchfieId County
 Choral Union an EminentIy Success
 ful One-Canaan Chorus Sings at the Music Shed Tomorrow.
 With the complimentary concert given to the University Club tomorrow night will end the tenth season of the Lltch- field County Choral Union. It has been an eminently successful season and many things have cOnspired to make 1t unique ill the musical history of the county. The initial production of a work in large form composed for the chorus, the presence of the most eminent woman yiolinist ill this country and of the woman who occupies the same rank among pianists and above all the super lative work of the chorus and finally the extra concert yet to be given, concert unique in many ways all combine to make the tenth season one to hold in pleasant memory. It will be many a day before we forget it or before the strains of music cease to haunt the mem- ory in that vague and inarticulate and delightfully."- exasperating manner. The congratulations of all are rendered con amo,-e to MT StOeckel, who plans every detail of these concerts, to MT. Paine whose indefatigable labors and inspiring leadership insures such conspicuous success and to the chorus to which was given the difficult task of following a conductor with whose manner they were unfamiliar.
 We cannot speak i'll detail of the con- certs as we would like but would espec- ially commend the singing Ofthe beauti- ful Latin chorus by the women, and the final chorus of the Noel and the difficult final chorus of the Stabat Mater which is not often given by choruses In this case it was sung with precision and power, the chorus not once losing itself ill the difficult maze. It was a triumphant finale of the chorus work,
 The soloists were splendidly qualified for their difficult tasks. Their singing of the quartet ill The Noel, which Mir. Paine regards as one of the most difficult ever written in a work of this character and of the unaccompanied quartet in the Stabat Mater, at the end of which they were found to be exactly on the key, was quartet work of the very highest order. Mime. RappOld's high notes were clear and beautiful and she performed the difficult feat of singing the "Inhammatus" without a book. Mime. Homer is always splendid but she was more enjoyed the second night than the first. Her voice is peculiarly suited to the solo for second soprano in the Stabat Mater "Fac ut Portem" and her singing of it was superb. MT. Hamlin sang the always popular "Cujus Ami mann" in fine voice and with great power. We shall hope to hear him again. To MT. Witherspoon was ac- corded the honor of being the only vocalist in the miscellaneous program each night. The first night he sang appropriately beautiful ballad written by MT. Chadwick, "Lochinvar" reveal ing the composer as an art song writer of high rank The second evening he sang as we have never heard it sung be. fore that song which has been so often sung and so well sung, Schumann' $ ''The Two Grenadiers."
 This season we were accorded the privilege of hearingSt the two greatest women virtuosi ill the world, Mime Maud Powell, the violinist and Mime Fanny Bloomfeld-Zei the pianist, both Americans It is out of the ques. tion to attempt to describe the pleasure each gave, but perhaps the playing of the latter gave the greater pleasure as it was probably the first opportunity most Ot us had had of hearing a great pianist with great orchestra to accompany. Ii was a revelation.
 The orchestra which we are accus. toned to hear at Norfolk is a unique affair. It is made up of picked men the best of the several Orchestras of New York, in several cases the best in their parts of the world. There are no less than six concert masters and Xavier Reuter- whose appearance reminds one of the pictures of Anton Lang who plays the part of Christ in the Oberammergau Passion Play, is the greatest French horn player in the world. The orches tra's work throughout was great, but the great feature was their playing o1 Tchaikowsky's fifth symphony. It took nearly an hOur to play and held the audience throughout. It is an evidence of the growing musical appreciation o1 the people who attend the concerts.
 Space does not permit us to say more though there is much to be said. The one common acclaim was "the concerts were great" E. c. G.