Connecticut western news., 1917-06-07
THE NORFOLK CONCERTS
Opening Concert Marked Success, First Performance New Symphony.

This week is Norfolk concert week and all this part of the country gives itself over to the festivities and to the endowment of the finest music to be heard in America. The Norfolk festival has come to be regarded as the most interesting and one of the greatest ex. pressions of community music in America. The setting of it all is the beautiful town of Norfolk in the charming ground of "Whitehouse", the home of the generous patrons, MT. and Mrs. Carl Stoeckel, the bringing together of the finest orchestra in the world with some of the worlds most famous singers. and with also Gas Ill Norfolk this is no secondary matter) the great chorus of over 400 voices, a chorus which some of the best musical critics in the country do not hesitate tC rank as the best on this continent. 1 All this makes this one of the really great events of the year in the whole musical world.
 Each year, also new compositions are produced which are awaited with keen interest by music lovers, many of which have taken their places among the eminently successful examples of modern music. On Tuesday evening there was produced a symphony by John Alden Carpenter, young busi' ness man of Chicago, whose real voca- tion so far as the world is concerned is music This will undoubtedly be ranked as one of the finest compositions of the year, and as one of the best, if not the best. yet produced at Norfolk. It is not description or fantastic but is pure music of high order, interesting and vital from start to finish. The rendi- l tion was splendidly accomplished by the orchestra under the direction of Eugene Stock, close personal friend of the composer, who was present and received an ovation from the audience, chorus and orchestra. Other new works to be produced at this festival are an Irish Rhaprody (No. D by Sir Charles | Villiers Stanford, dedicated to Earl Roberts and his old regiment of Irish Guards; an orchestral suite, "The Warriors by Percy Grainger; and symphonic production by Nicola Ian celia, young futist in the orchestra. This is called t'Symphonlc Impres sions, Whitehouse" and is built upon the theme of the chimes ill the Norfolk church. This composition is program music and delineates impressions of the Norfolk festivals, some introducing a thunder shower as characteristic feature of the week, and certainly | h1r xx,;% ness to the correctness of his impress sion. The last mentioned new compost. tions will be given at the concert this evening.
 The choral works being given this year are of peculiar interest and beauty. The "King Olaf" by Edward Elgar was given by the large chorus ou Tues day with Florence Hinkle Witherspoon and MT. Witherspooh and Theodore Karle as soloists, the latter new voice at Norfolk, whose smo )th pure tenor made fine impression upon his hearers and justified his selection for the Olat part. The work is full of beautiful and dramatic effects and the chorus acquitted itself we'll under the training and con- ducting of MT. Mees. There is pecu- liar suitability in the selections being sung this year. The "King Olaf de. picts the struggle between the god Thor, the war god and Christ Among it's opening words are: "Force rules the world still Has ruled it shall rule it,
 Weakness is Weakness
 Strength is triumphant
 Over the whole earth'.
 and ends with:
 "The dawn is not distant,
 Nor is the night starless,
 Love is eternal
 God is still God, and .. His faith shall not fail us; Christ is Eternal
 The short number by Bacn Gods time is the best'' is beautiful expres. sion of the triumphart Christian faith in the presence of death, while Han. del's Blessed are they that consider the poor" is cantata in praise of charity, the aptness of which themes to present conditions is obvious. These two compositions are being sung on Wednesday as this paper goes to press; the soloists being Emma Roberts, Lam. bert Murphy and Reinald Werrenrath. At this concert one of the special features will be playing of Bach IN III IT