[Fehlerhafte Information!]

Aufführung der 3. Symphonie unter Theodor Thomas in Cincinnati beim Musikfest (*).

 

"               FESTIVAL

     [... allgemeine Urteile, Stellungnahmen der Organisatoren und einiger Solistinnen, finanzielle Bilanz ...].

     Theodore Thomas left early yesterday morning for his summer home in New Hampshire. His orchestra left for Michigan, where it has several music festival dates to fill under the direction of the assistant conductor, B. Stock.

     [... Stellungnahme des Festival-Geschäftsführers George W. Wilson ...]." (**).

[Die in der Titelzeile angekündigte Meinung Krehbiels zu den letzten Konzerten fehlt.]

 

Der New York Tribune Nr. 21001 bringt auf S. 7 einen Bericht vom Musikfest in Cincinnati (mit der 9. Symphonie am 14.5.1904), signiert "H. E. K." [Krehbiel]:
"                             MUSIC.
The Closing Concerts of the Cincinnati Festival.
       [BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.]

     Cincinnati, May 15.–With two notable concerts the sixteenth biennial May music festival came to an end yesterday. The programms of the concerts were such as no one except Theodore Thomas could have the strength to put before the public, [... die besonderen Umstände, das Bewusstsein der] participation in a magnificnt social affair helped a particularly amiable community to sit out five solid hours of music, most of which was of a kind that would have put a severe strain upon the experienced music lovers of New-York and Boston.

     In the afternoon the conductor excited the audience to reveal in that trifle with which Anton Bruckner happened to win a place beside Beethoven in the musical pantheon. The Symphony in D minor shares with key and number Beethoven's last symphony. Bruckner's is also a last symphony, and only three movements of it were finished. Unable to complete it, the composer suggested that his "Te Deum" be used as a last movement, thus completing the studies in imitation of Beethoven's symphonic swan song. I heard the work magnificently played by the Symphony Orchestra in Boston a few weeks ago [2.4.1904], and was interested in studying the attitude of the audience toward it. The expression of discouragement and disapproval was almost as frank and emphatic as was that of the New-York Philharmonic audience in November, 1886, when Mr. Thomas brought forward Bruckner's Seventh Symphony and drove about one-third of the seasoned music lovers out of the room before the work came to an end [12./13.11.1886].

     Yesterday thousands endured bravely, the secret attitude of the majority, to judge by the comments made in the corridors after the ordeal was over, being apparently like that of the storied Hindoo before his idol. They knew that is was ugly, but felt that it was great. Besides this symphony the programme contained [... die anderen Werke ... zuletzt Tschaikowskys Ouvertüre "1812" ...], which gave the audience a stronger whiff of Russian gunpowder than the Japanese seem to have smelled up to date in the present war. After two and a half hours of rest the music began again. The last concert was filled with Beethoven, [... vor Jahren sei berichtet worden, dass Thomas das Finale der 9. Sinfonie angeblich nach C-Dur transponiert habe - diesmal war es in D-Dur ... über die Zukunft des Festivals und des Orchesters (Thomas' Lebenswerk) ...].   H. E. K." (***).

 

The Chattanooga News Nr. 118 bringen auf S. 6 den Bericht einer Festival-Besucherin, die sich jedoch überwiegend nur zu den Gesangssolisten äußert:

"Letter From a Chattanooga Woman

     The interest of the music world has been, for the past week, centered in the Cincinnati Music Festival, which closed with its fifth performance Saturday evening.

     [... zur Geschichte und finanziellen Ausstattung ... Chor mit 450 Stimmen (davon 2/3 Frauenstimmen), zwei Jahre von Edwin W. Glover einstudiert ... Auflistung des Gesamtprogramms ...]

                FOURTH CONCERT.

          Saturday Afternoon, May 14.

     Alceste, Gluck. Overture, Aria, Divinites du Styx.

              Mme. Schumann-Heink.

    Symphony No. 9, D minor, Unfinished, Bruckner. (Feirlich [sic], Scherzo, Adagio.) Rhapsody, Opus 52 [sic], Brahms.

     [... etc. ... über die Solist*innen ...].

      Theodore Thomas, that Grand Old Man of music in America, excelled himself, and his orchestra seemed absolutely perfect; one would be obliged to compliment every single number to give his orchestra justice. There were 100 of the Thomas orchestra on the stage of the Cincinnati Music Hall during this festival, but it seems now to the writer as if there were only one, so well drilled was every man in his part.

     [... über den Star des Ganzen, Ernestine Schumann-Heink ...].

                                                 F. J. B.

     Cincinnati, O., May 15. 1904." (°).