Word: sopranoes
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...Stravinsky's Russian Peasant Songs, the women, singing alone, gave the best performance of the evening. Every note and word was crisp and clear in these pulsating, rhythmic songs. In the third, the chorus and an excellent solo trio gleefully tossed the song back and forth. Dorothy Oeste's soprano in the fourth was flawless...
...heart of the cantata is an amorous dialogue between Jesus and a Soul, portrayed in two soprano-bass duets and a bass recitative. On the whole, the long and intricate duets received the meticulous dovetailing of voices that they demand. Unfortunately, Hester often overpowered soprano Marsha Vleck; at times she was almost inaudible. In the recitative Hester provided the most moving moment of the evening, molding the angular phrases into a lyrical declaration of love...
Ache in G Major. Little wonder, then, that Messiaen's compositions defy pigeonholing. Trois Petites Liturgies de la Presence Divine (1944), scored for soprano chorus, strings and a clattering assortment of percussion, celebrates God's omnipresence by mixing swatches of Gregorian chant with Hindu rhythms and the unearthly quavering of the Ondes Martenot (an electronic wave generator). The 77-minute Turangalila Symphony (1948), a thick layer cake of orchestral textures, is part of Messiaen's treatment of the Tristan legend, which he considers "the greatest myth of human love." Chrono-chromie (1960) echoes the sounds of nature...
Clever Chatter. With Collier cast as the mother, Composer Levy had to alter the role from mezzo to soprano; he also changed the role of her son from tenor to baritone. That was regrettable. Though John Reardon as the son and Sherill Milnes as the lover both performed superbly, the pairing of two baritones and two sopranos robbed the vocal writing of contrast. More damaging was the fact that Levy's mildly modern score, conducted by Zubin Mehta, did not meet the challenge of the theme, too often resorted to clever percussive chattering that seemed to say "crisis coming...
...level of performance Friday night was generally high. The pick-up orchestra had its tentative moments but was otherwise enthusiastic and attentive. Soprano Dorothy Crawford and pianist Daniel Hathaway gave an excellent rendition of six Ives songs, and there were outstanding performances by David Archibald, clarinet, and D. Allan Shewmon, piano. The height of the evening was the massive Piano Trio (1904-1911), whose second movement bears the indication "TSIAJ" ("This Scherzo is a Joke"). This is one of those pieces that has to be heard live to be appreciated. The sight and sound of Shewmon and 'cellist Fran Uitti...