“If it weren’t for a stormy night and a tin roof, would Cincinnati have Music Hall?” writes Jeff Suess in Friday’s (10/27) Cincinnati Enquirer (Ohio). “For the finale of the five-weekend celebration of the $143 million restoration of the building, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is turning to the venerable hall’s genesis. The CSO and May Festival Chorus, under the direction of Louis Langrée, will perform the concert program ‘The Storm that Built Music Hall’ next weekend (Nov. 4 and 5) in honor of the fateful tempest that inspired philanthropist Reuben R. Springer to propose building a permanent hall…. The first May Festival was held in May 1873 at Saengerfest Halle on the current site of Music Hall…. The inadequacy of the venue was exposed during the 1875 May Festival. ‘There were a series of bad weather events during the May Festival that year, frequent disruptions, so when rain or even hail hit the tin roof, that would drown out anything musical happening,’ [CSO Vice President of Communications Chris] Pinelo says…. This weekend’s CSO program will feature two works, Bach’s Magnificat and Brahms’ ‘Triumphlied,’ that had their American premieres during the 1875 May Festival. A third work, ‘Equinox’ for chorus by Julia Adolphe, is a world premiere.”
Posted October 30, 2017
