May Festival

Friday
This evening we went to the opening concert of the May Festival, featuring the May Festival Chorus, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Founded in 1873, the annual May Festival is the oldest, and one of the most prestigious, choral festivals in the country, and features five concerts over two weekends. Normally the venue would be the magnificent Music Hall, but that is currently undergoing a huge renovation project, so in the meantime concerts are taking place at the Taft Theatre, which we don't think we've been to before. We had some thunderstorms pass through about 5 pm, but fortunately they had passed through by the time we were heading downtown.  The Festival opened with a May Festival premiere: the first movement of Walter Braunfels’ Te Deum, "music that powerfully articulates the German composer’s spiritual journey upon his return from the front line in the First World War" and Beethoven Symphony No 9, his Ode to Joy. I must admit to not feeling particularly joyous as we were driving down there - I hadn't had a good day - but I don't know how anyone can fail to be moved and uplifted by the wonderfully moving 4th movement.
One year ago: Sun's last rays