The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-04-13
OPENING CONCERT A
MAGNIFICENT SUCCESS
" ctlncS.iaA Clubs Great Spring Mn-
sic Festival Opens With large
attendance.
MNsrIRPIECE,S NRE
>pLENDIDLN RENDERED
This Afternoon and Tonight Rich
mond'~ Music Loving Public VIII
Have Opportunities to Enjo, the
Feast

Three thousand lovers al music,
and probably some others who ap-
piauded Just AS yociferously attest
ed to the fact that Richmond has
become hxeC center Of melody.
when they sat tor two hours and a
half last n.ght at the C.ty Audito-
rum. and basked in the atmosphere
surrounding tho Philadelphia or
chestra and four OF the world
greatest soloists, together with Eich-
mond's splendid Wednesday Club
chorus
The atmosphere was imp9egnated
with tuEaes melodies. Cadeuzas.
. ar.ns all forming two OF the MASTER
pieces of f'ran@ List and Giuseppe
Nerdt
The shades OF both these great
masters could but have chuckled with
pleasure had they been lowering
Ecar. Had Verdi been cast into pur-
gato>N his spirit must have been re-
heNed after The plea put forth by
the soioistS and the chorus. as his
great Requiem" resounded through
the auditorium. and the manner In
which tho Philadelphia Orchestra
handled I.iszl's Leg Preludes" could
have saased that old Hungarian to
=
Those who missed the concert last
night missed something grand.
They missed the music of their
yoUth-~the music of life as I, un-
closes Itself and carries the bearer
OF III" God-eiven spirit on toward
the final song Of the heavenly hosts.
Realm OF Melody.
Conductor Leopold Stokowski with
wave of his left hand and slight
/ of hfa RIGHT xfa "a
vast auditorium into az earthly realm
+ Of melody, Birds sane IN the weep
Z ing willow trees. As the little strea m
flowed over the pebbles on toward the
! brook. where the song was taken mp
ny the sweet splash IF the waters
over the rocks. on the way 70 the
pasture with Its sweet-scentcd wild
As ne waved his arms the music
changed from the tweet of the cat 70
bird, TO the notes of the lark In the
i Fast ~mpyrean while the 1nocktn2
bird TITLED Its day. and the gold Ash
spread melody as II lespt from its
summers bed. and the waters still
sang on their way TO the ocean, wher
I tant roll of thunder, which came from
the clouds split In twain by the set
/ ting sun.
+ Ana. in III" meantime. tho nifty yio-
/ linists. the brass men. the reed IN
struments, the hassos and the harp
were very busy They sounded like
one vast fiddle with thousand bows.
One could almost see the notes as
they leaped INTO the atmosphere. And
Stok owski Just waved his hand and
smiled. His smile proved magic. for
/ when he smiled upon the chorus they
arose TO the heights and pfished
much toward making the carnival OF
music a success.
Delighted With Orchestra.
Director Henry Baker had charge
of .he singing. and incidentally he
directed the orchestra, too. after
Stokowslsi hai retired with laurels all
over him. ANA with half a dozen bows
to his credit. The audience did not
I like to let him go. He responded TO
their applause, and made the whole
ninety men with him respond. I!
there had not have been so much 10
do. he would have given an encore.
! And right here II might be said that
+, Richmond audiences, as rule, ask
too much. The average Richmond au-
dience knows a good thing when II
sees It, and IL wants to take a big
bite 1t would sometimes destroy the
effect of splendid performance by
Insisting upon an encore or repe-
titon. We have seen a Richmond au-
dience demand second death from
| Richmond Mansfield in Hamlet" be-
cause he died the first time so grace
fully.
Opens With Lies Prcludes."
Les Preludes,' one of Liszts favo-
rites, was the opening of the concert
last nisht. II started in softly and
sweetly. Just like the gentle breeze
blowing through the pine trees before
the storm. Then it chased itself along
to the accompaniment of thunder and
lightning. and passed through the
whole evolution OF storm. during a
battle, or rather skirmish, for the
trumpets sound. and the cymbals clash
and then after the battle and the storm,
1.-THE nymphs chased each other Through
the wood with merry laugter
That is about the only way to de.
scribe LES Preludes" without COINS
into technicalities. Those who missed
the concert do not care to hear abou,
technicalities. They may hear the
Philadelphia Orchestra this afternoon
and again tonight.
But they will not hear the great
soloists---the best In the oratorio work
In the worldwide took part in the
concert rast night. For they are
through. They took the house b,
storm last night, and impressed the
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