Word: bache
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...produced a rich and seamless tone throughout the piece. Like the voice of a singer who never has to breathe, the sound never faltered. His phrasing was somewhat unelastic during the first movements, but the final Chacconne, a great test of violin virtuousity and musicianship, was a model of Bach interpretation, expressive yet tightly disciplined...
HARVARD's musicians and concert-goers are raving about Yo-Yo Ma, guest cellist with the Bach Society Saturday night. He is, no doubt, the most phenomenal soloist who has played at Harvard this year, and Janos Starker was certainly no small event. Yo-Yo's performance of the Haydn D Major Cello Concerto surpassed anyone's imagination of the piece. The best way to summarize his performance would be to say that it was Yo-Yo, and that Yo-Yo can be compared to no one in the world...
Compared to the dynamic solo performances, the orchestral playing was stagnant. Bach's Suite No.4 in D lacked the pulse of the dances it represents--the Bouree, the Gavotte, and the Menuet. Baker's conducting looked energetic but the energy seemed misdirected--he failed to set a strong beat. The 99th Symphony sounded bland and imprecise, even though Baker's tempos were well-chosen. Perhaps in an effort to compensate, Baker overconducted the second movement (Adagio), and his vigorous beating clashed with the lyrical 3/4 meter...
...intonation of the Bach Society violin section is notorious, but fortunately their accompaniment in the Concertante and the Concerto was unobtrusive, if not tame. They may have been inspired by the soloists' performances. Most disappointing in the Suite and Symphony were the solos and small ensemble passages, although the flutes and trumpets were consistently good. Less rigid conducting and freer interchange between the solo musicians in these sections would have improved the situation considerably...
...spite of these weaknesses the concert was an immense success. As long as the Bach Society continues to feature soloists like the ones Saturday evening, Sanders will be sold out, and the Bach Society concerts will be enjoyable and worthwhile...