May Festival Program

The announcements already made with reference to the tenth annual May Festival have .aroused unusual interest and it is with great satisfaction that we furnish additional particulars.

The prominence which that most brilliant of English composers, Edward Elgar, has. attained within the last five years Is sufficient justification for the selection of one of his great works as a leading feature of the Festival. "Caractacus" is a fine dramatic setting of an episode in the Roman conquest of Britain, full of stirring choral passages .and beautiful lyrical moments which furnish a fine contrast to the prevailing intensity of the work. No less a musician than Theodore Thomas pronounces Elger to be one of the greatest masters of the orchestra who ever lived, and - which means more - gives his works very frequently.  This work will be a noble introduction to the Festival and will be of peculiar significance as an indication of the new spirit which is manifesting itself in English music.

For the symphony concert on Friday afternoon Schumann's B flat Symphony ("The Spring Symphony") has been chosen. Miss Anita Rio, whose magnificent performance of Marguerite in Gound's "Faust" al the last Festival will long be remembered here, will sing Liszt's "Lorelei" with orchestra, and a symphonic poem "Attis," by A. A. Stanley, will be given.

The Wagner program on Friday evening will introduce to Ann Arbor Herr Andreas Dippel, of the Metropolitan Opera company, one of the world's greatest Wagnerian singers.  Herr Dippel, who is now al the height. of his power, will sing. in addition to some Wagner aria, the part of Walter von Stolzing in the finale to the third set act of "Die Meistersinger," which will close the concert. The choral effects in this number are most thrilling and will show the power and the training of the Choral Union ' most favorably.

The Saturday afternoon program will introduce several important novelties, among them a brilliant work for organ and orchestra, the D-minor symphony by Guilmant, played by Llewellyn Renwick.

But the grand climax of the Festival will be the production of Verdi's "Aida," in many respects the greatest work of the Italian school. A superb caste has been arranged: Misa Anita Rio as Aida; Mme. Homer as Amneris - she is said to be the greatest Amneris who has appeared in America since Annie Louise Cary; Herr Dippel as Radames, Sig. Gorgorza .as Asmonacro and Mrs. Frederick Martin as Ramphis. The stupendous dramatic effects in this opera, its wealth of melody and masterly instrumentation, unite in making this one of the greatest operas of the nineteenth century. With the performance of this opera the scheme of last year's Festival is completed,

It may be of interest in this connection to state that the Choral Union has been officially invited to perform some great work as one of the musical features of the St. Louis Exposition. Such a compliment to the reputation of Ann Arbor and its musical interests Is certainly of interest to all music lovers and a source of pride to its citizens.

The complete list of artists, which we append, will hardly be equalley by those offered in the largest cities, and it is worthy of note that the Ann Arbor Festival presents many times stronger combination of talent than Worcester, or even Cincinnati.

Sopranos - Miss Anita Rio and Miss Shannah Cumming.

Contraltos Madame Louise Homer, Metropolitan Opera Co., Miss Isabelle Bouton.

Tenors - Herr Andreas Dippel. Metropolitan Opera Co., and another to be announced.

Baritone - Signor Emilio de Gorgorza.

Bass - Mr. Frederic Martin.

Pianist - Madame Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler.

Violóncellist - Mr. Carl Webster.

Organist - Mr. Liewellvn L.Renwick.

The Boston Festival Orchestra and the Choral Union - Emil Mollenhauer and Albert  A. Stanley, conductors.