Word: fortissimos
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...days of Chou En-lai in Moscow ended with a fanfare fortissimo. Joseph Stalin himself gave a state dinner in the Kremlin for Red China's visiting Premier. The Chinese reciprocated with a banquet in the grand ballroom of the Metropole Hotel; their thousand guests sat at 50 tables, and Chou moved about, gaily drinking to the health of Stalin and Mao Tse-tung. Peking's press and radio hailed the Moscow communiqués of the Sino-Soviet talks as proof of an "impregnable alliance...
...those critics who call Vaughan's Williams' music austere. This is virtuoso piece with colorful orchestral effects and dramatic abandon for all concerned. The performers, supposedly the largest assemblage of musicians in Sanders Theatre's history, sounded truly jubilant. The final "Prayse ye the Lorde's name," sung fortissimo with cymbals and brass blaring in the orchestra, drew cheers even before the theatre had stopped reverberating. Richard Sogg '52, deserves special credit for his energetic playing of the exacting, and exhausting, piano part...
...chorus should have been somewhat larger. Although Mr. Munch kept the orchestra and chorus in approximately the same proportion that Berlioz envisaged, the voices were not strong enough in the triple-fortissimo passages of the "Tuba Mirum" and "Laerymosa." At these times, however, these was quite a bit else to occupy one's attention...
...string section is the best in the orchestra. They have learned that a fortissimo does not necessarily imply an ugly, strident tone, and it is a lesson they should pass on to the brasses. The latter group occasionally sacrificed everything, including the notes, for volume. This was especially noticeable in the Hindemith Violin Concerto, where the solo part sometimes was overwhelmed by the mass of orchestral noise...
When Bach performed the "Passion," he had the congregation join in the chorales heartily. The accompaniment was full orchestra, fortissimo, and this is the way it should always be, even today. The way Mr. Munch did it, a cappells, pianissimo, was very effective but not historically accurate. Some modern audiences have shown willingness to join in the chorales, but perhaps the Friday afternoon patrons would...