Word: bache
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...Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Bach...
SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO the Bach Society was organized to perforn chamber music primarily of the eighteenth century. Over the years their emphasis and preference have drifted to other styles. Last Sunday afternoon they showed themselves to be best at the music for which they were originally formed. The closing work of their program, the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, is often considered the finest example of concerto grosso writing. More often than not, its balance of concertino and ripieno forces is distorted to the point that the harpsichord and flute are never heard, the oboe, rarely, and the trumpet always...
NONE OF THE other pieces even approached the Bach. A Muzio Clementi Symphony in B-flat was simply poor music with exposed transitions and bridges (where they existed), trite sequences, and general harmonic and melodic poverty. Typical was an inane arpeggiated triad figure used as melody in the first movement. At least the bubbly rococo confusion of sound obscured the meagre content of the fast movements; absolutely nothing could save the andante...
Throughout this year Vigeland's programming has been the major attraction of the Bach Society. Beginning the concert with four string Fantasias and two In Nomines by Henry Purcell, Vigeland then presented seven more In Nomines by Peter Maxwell Davies, composed nearly 300 years after the Purcell. This type of juxtaposition is tremendously effective and could well be used in many more instances...
...tiny (under 50) audience in Paine Hall was not overly impressed with the program. The playing was consistently very good, but except for the Bach, the pieces were neither exciting nor moving. Perhaps it is about time; Vigeland's work with the Bach Society has been so successful this year that he was due a mistake. Whether next year's conductor Robert Baker keeps up the new trend towards innovation with excellence will be an intriguing question...