Word: philharmonia
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SANDERS THEATRE was less than half filled for the Boston Philharmonia concert Sunday night. Not a profitable situation for the orchestra, but the real losers were the people who didn't bother to come. The kind of program, and the kind of playing, which was heard in Sanders last Sunday was of a quality that doesn't reach Harvard very often...
...Philharmonia offered an intriguing contrast of styles, periods, and pieces. In the opening work, The Concerto Grosso, Op. 6 No. 1 of Corelli, Alexander Schneider, who conducted, doubled as principal violin in the concertino. The work went along smoothly, indeed brilliantly, but the wisdom of Mr. Schneider's decision to combine roles is dubious. Unfortunately, the orchestra had a tendency, especially in the first movement, to enter just a fraction of a beat behind him, a problem which would not have cropped up if he were not playing. Nonetheless, it was a fine performance, with especially good work by cellist...
There are drawbacks, of course, to this approach. For one thing, some Philharmonia concerts have consisted of music which is not only unusual but somewhat uninteresting. Others have been performances of less than the highest quality. Naturally, performers who do not take part in orchestral concerts every week tend to be less sharp than those who do. The Philharmonia's emphasis on rehearsal is, in part, an attempt to correct for this weakness...
...existence of the BSO has not worked entirely against the Philharmonia. BSO players have occasionally filled in for Philharmonia musicians, and the BSO's professional problems may have helped increase the Philharmonia's gate receipts. The BSO is in a rebuilding phase, bringing in new men like Harold Wright to replace aging and decrepit performers...
...moment, the Philharmonia goes on. Orchestra spokesmen are careful to emphasize that the group is not on the verge of folding, that it will be able to meet its budget. The orchestra's creditors are being generous, not pressing it to pay its bills. Nevertheless, this may be a crucial season for the orchestra. If its subscribers and ticket sales continue to increase, as they have for the past few years, it may be over the hump. If they do not, if Philharmonia audiences decrease as Symphony audiences have, the Philharmonia may be just a pleasant memory of music, dying...