Connecticut western news., 1919-05-22
CONCERTS DESIGNATED A
 FESTIVAL OF THE ALLIES
Music Taken From American, English, French and Italian
 Composers

Choral union will be held at the Mu- sic shed, Norfolk, on the evenings Of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday June 3, 4 and 5. The meetings this year have been aptly designated as a 'sfestival of the allies", inasmuch as all the music to be performed IS taken from American, English, French and Italian composers, giving an ensemble of such works as have never been attemepted before at any similar affairs in America.
 The first concrt will be opened by the singing of the Festival Chor- ale", composed by Robbins Battell, in whose honor the union was founded more than 20 years ago. America will be represented by new lyric suite, composed for this occa- sion by Victor Kolar, assistant con- ductor of the New York Symphony orchestra and one of the most tal- ented of the younger group of the American composers. Mir. Kolar's work is in three movements-pas- torale, Cortege and Finale. It is ly- ric music and contains no program as the composers prefers that the listeners should use their own imag- ination in the interpretation of his work. The second movement is un- doubtedly funeral in character, and may be taken to represent the feel ings of the composer in connection with the awful slaughter of the re- cent war. Great Britain will occupy the second part of the program in the work of it's distinguished son, the lamented Samuel Colegridge Taylor, well remembered in Norfolk where in 1910 he directed the same compositions, having come expressly from England for this purpose. 'sHiawatha's Wedding Feast" and "The Death of Minnehaha" have been the two most popular choral compositions written in the last 50 years.A They have been sung from St. Petersburg in the north to Cape town in South Africa from the land of the Dacotahs in our own west to to Constantinople in the east. In the rendition of this work the union will have the assistance of Madame .Hnlda L.ashanska- asss Minne ehaila., Many good judges have proclaimed Lashanska as second Alma Gluck. Lambert Murphy, unquestionabiy the finest American lyric tenor on the stage, will sing the tenor solos, and that prince of barytones, Emilio Di Gogorzo, will sing the music written for his voice. This part was sung by MT. Di Gogorza at the first performance of Coleridge Taylor's works at Winsted many years ago and those who were so fortunate as to hear him at that time will not soon forget his moving and dramatic representation. An orchestra of 75 players, the cream of orchestral musicians in America today, and none finer are to be found anywhere, has been selected by Henry P. Schmitt and will play the accompaniments for the various choral works to be given. But all such adjuncts as soloists and orchestra will sink into comparative insignifcance compared to the work of the chorus, which will again be, as it always in the past has been, the great star of the concerts. Directed by that unrivaled conduc- tor of choral and orchestral forces. Arthur Mees, we may expect su- perb performance of the great choral works to be given.
 At the opening of the second con- cert on Wednesday evening "The Star Spangled Banner" will be sung by the chorus and audience, with full orchestral accompaniment, to be followed by a composition by one of the honorary members of the union
 Camille St. Saens. The greatest cl living composers, no one could more worthily represent his native France
 Samson and Delilah" has long been a favorite, whether given as an ora torio or as an opera. In it's rendi- tion the union will have the assist ance of Louise Homer, the great American contralto, who has been the principal representative of the part of Delilah in the opera houses of France and America. Orville liar rold, who was discovered by Oscar Hammerstein and has just signed an engagement for three years with the Metropolitan opera company cf New York, will undertake the heroic part of Samson. Emilio Di Gogo-za will again sing on the second evening in the part of the high priest and Leon Rothier, that wonderful voice color ist who embodies in his vocal tones the physical characteristics of the part he is singing, will appear as an aged Hebrew and Abimelech. MT. Mees will again conduct his choral forces, accompanied by the usual orchestra. Of all the countries in the recent war, none has made greater sacrifices than France. What could be more fitting than to close the concert in her honor by the singing of the "Prayer of Thanks giving, set to noble music by Krem- ser and especially arranged for