Greater Than Ever

The third annaal May Festival, the greatest event in the musical world of Aun Albor, and for that matter in Michigan, has come and gone and caried with it the proud name of beiug the finest and best of all. The series contained one more concert this year than that of last and in musical interest it surpassed that of 1895. Everything in oonnection with the festival was better arranged than it ever bas been before. There was none of the crushing and crowding tbat characterized last year's entertainments and this was aue to the care exeruised iu disposing of only as many tickets as they coulü accommodate bolders. Uuiversity hall, however, was at all the coacerts comfortably fllled, the interest seeming to intensify as each concert wa,s passed and the crowds at the Satnrday concerts were larger than at any of the three which preceded them. The first entertainment of the Festival was known as a "Wagner evening" and all the music rendered was from the great Germán composer's works. It was heavy music but Frau Lobse Klafsky, ably assisted by Barron Berthald, Max Heinrich, Miss Gertrude May Stein and Garduer Lamson, rendered the selectlons from "Lohengrin" in a manner that brought out the enthusiastio applause of the largo audieuce. At the close of the first part of the program Frau Klafsky and Mr. Lamson were presented with beautiful boquets of flowers. In the secoud part Frau Klafsky agaiu carried the house by storm with her rendition of Isolde's "Liebestod" aud she was recaüed again and again as she left the stage to take the train. Barron Berthald's fine tenor voice in his character of Lohengrin and in Siegmund's love song from "Die Walkuere" came iu for its share of the. public applause and Max Heinrich, Miss Stein and Mr. Lamson also received the acknowledgment due to their efforts. The singing of the chorus and the playing of the orchestra was grand. In the chorus there are 300 voices, less than half of them men's, and owing to the oareful training of Prof. A. A. Stanley, who conducted the "Lohengrin" part of the program, there are few that are on a par with it. Friday afternoon brought with it the symphony program in which the burden of the work was thrown on the or chestra the soloists being Max Heinrich and Prof. Alherto Jonas, pianist, of the üniversity School of Mnsic. The especial feature of the afternoon was the rendition by the Boston Festival Orchestra of Prof. Albert A. Stanley's latest composition, a symphony in F major. The piece Prof. Stanlev had dedicated to James Bnrrill Angelí, president of the üniversity of Michigan, and he himself took the baton and guided the orchestra through it. The symphony is entitied "The Awakening of the Soul, " and in its four movements represents four stages iu tbe soui's existence. The first movemeut indicates the soul just waking to life and looking out on the world, the springtime of life, with its conflicting impulses. The seoond and third movements represent the transition of the soul from love-life to joy-life, and in tbe fourth movenent, allegro deciso, there is the grand finale of resolute determinatiou. At the end of each inovement Piof. Stanley had to bow his acknowledgeruents again and again to the applause, and when he had concluded he was greeted with round after round of I handclapping. The climax was reached ! wheu a high grade bicycle completely enshrouded in flowors was brought forward and Prof. L. D. Wines on behalf of the Choral ünion and other friends and admirers of Prof. A. A. Stanley, presented it to him with the words "A Victor to the victor. " It was a complete surprise to the worthy and enthusiastic instigator of the May Festivals and in accepting it and replying to Prof. Wines' words and the applaus) which accompanied it he disulaimed the applause saying that whatever success the symphouy had achieved was due entirely to the orchestra. In the second part Max Heinrich 's bailad "Lochinvar" ñas encored and he then sang "Gypsy John" to his own acconipaniment. Prof. Alberto Jonas' playing of a piano concerto in F flat fr jin Beethoven with orchestral accomp.tniment, was the most difficult piece he has ever atteinpted before a home audience. It is in three movements aud was particularly pleasing to the many friends of Mr. Jonas who heard it. The last number on the program, Mozart's overture "Magie Flute," by the Boston Festival Orchestra, conducted by Mr. Mollenhauer, was oue of the finest i pieces of orchestral work ever heard in Ann Arbor. The evening couoert was enjoyed by a great inauy eveu more thau the Wag ner evening. The first number was a snite with three movements from Moszcowski by the orebestra. It was followed by Evan Williams, the tenor, who sang the aria from Haydn's "Creation," entitled "In nature'a wortb." His sweet though not strong notes pleased the audience and they coinpelled hün to respoud to an eucore, wbich was a love song. Miss Eose Stewart's soprano voice is a great favorite of Ann Arbor May Festival goers and she was warmly welcotnud when she appeared. She sang "With verdure ciad,' also from the "Creation," and had to respoud to an encoré. Camparari carried off the honors of the evening and held the rapt attention of the audience and from the first note that issued from his throat to the end of his second encoré he uever lost it. His unmber was the prologue frorn Lenu Cavallo's "I Paghacei." For an encoré he gave aria No. 2 frorn the"Barberof Seville," for tne secoud encoré he sang the "Bauzone del torreador" from "Carinen." The fifth nnmber was a fantasie for the orehestra, from Svendsen's "Romeo and Juliet. " Then Gertrnde May Stein, who like Miss Stewart, is an old luvorite here, sang au aria from Bemborg's "Jeanue D'Arc. " Her rioh coutralto voice gaiuecl for her au encoré and she sang a soug from "Carmen." The four soloists of the eveuing, Campauari, Williams, and the Miases Stein aud Stewart, gave the next number, a quartet from Verdi's "Rigoletto, " Miss Stewart and Evau Williams takiug the solo parts. Once wasn't enongh for the euthusiastic crowd, aud the unwilling favoritas had to siug it over agaiu. The closiug number, an overfcnre, "Sakuntula," from Goldraark, by the orehestra, aroused great enthusiasm for Mr. Molleuhauer and the virtuoso of the organization uuder him. Saturday afternoon's program was a popular oue aud inolnded soina of the minor works of well kuown composers. The first number was an overture by the orehestra, Meudelssohn's "Ruy Blas," and thiswas followed by a harp solo, Parish Alvars' "Moroeau caractoristique, " by Mr. Van Veachton Rogers. He was oompelled to encoré it. Then the litle eoprano, Rose Stewart, appeared and saug au air aud variations from "Rode." When recalled she brought back tho memories of last yeai's festival by singiug Rubinstein's "Thou art like a flower," with harp accompaniment The ladies' chorus then sang Marchetti's "Ave Maria," a number repeated by request from one of the i'ormer Choral Uniou concerts, when its reudition bronght Prof. Stauley au ovation. Mr. Hermaun A. Zeitz, violinist of the University Sohool of Music, played the "Rondo Capriccioso" of Saint Saeus and was loudly encored and presented with flowers by his admirers. His first piece was oue that called for great technical skill, and the way iu which he interpreted it brought him the praise of all the critical musiciaus. In his encoré he caught the whole audience more completely and quite carried them away. At its close Mr. Molleubauer predicted a future for him as a soloist. Miss Stewart then sang two more songs, ''O, that we two were Mayiug, " by Nevin, aud "The daughters of Cadiz," by Thome. The flrst she sang with orebestra and the second witb piano accompaniment. The coucert carne to a close with the lendering of the "Thanks be to God" chorus from Meudelssobn's "Elijah," by the Choral Union, orohestra and organ, Prof. Stanley conducting. The concluding concert Saturday nigbt was the production for the first time in Michigan of Camille Saint Saens three act biblical opera "Samson and Delilah. " The solo parts were sungas follows: Delilah, Mrs. Katherine Bloodgood; Samson, Mr. Evan Williams; High Priest of Dagon, Sig. Guiseppe Campanari ; Abimelech, Mr. Garduer S. Lamson. The work cf the chorus in the productiou of this work was simply immense aud showed to a great deal better advautage than it did iu the production of "Lobeugrin" on Tbursday uight. It was Mrs. Bloodgood's first appearance here and she made an excellent impression on her andieuce. The orehestra work was particularly good aud in this counection it is proper to rem ark that to Ann Arbor is due the first instanoe ou record of a kettle drummer in an orehestra beug houored with an ovatiou and a bonquet of flowers. In the soene where the thuuder storm gathers about Samson there is a particularly large share of work for the kettle drum. The drummer played his part in the orehestra with such a vira and heartiness tbat he was enthusiastically cheered and presented with a fine boquet by the Choral Uniou. In every way the Festival bas been a success and the management will feel justified in making equal efforts for as good a Festival next year as was that just passed. A social was giveu ou the lawu of Juuius E. Beal's resideuce on S. Fifth ave., Tnesday evening, for the benefit of the Young Women's Christian Associatiou which was a very pret tv and enjoyable event.