The Christmas Concert

The only sour note in last night's concert was the poor attendance. Performances were uniformly excellent and the music, though uneven, came through brilliantly at the end. Beginning with Schutz' not-too-impressive Magnificat in G, the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra and Chorus Pro Musica performed well enough, but the best parts of the program were still to come.

"The Childhood of Christ," by Johann Christoph Bach, featured four superb soloists backed up by a fine orchestra-chorus combination. Conductor Alfred Patterson obviously had his musicians well trained; the attacks were accurate and confident, and balance between singers and orchestra came pretty close to perfection. The outstanding soloist was tenor Oscar Henry, whose strong but subdued voice sounded good, despite the sore throat he had to combat.

But the highlight of the concert, and one of the highlights of the whole season, was luminous performance of excerpts from the Messiah. Russell Stanger, who continues to gain poise and authority on the podium, did a masterful job of keeping everyone in line. The orchestra, despite the absence of several of its best players, sounded much better than last time. Part of the success must go to concert-master Paul Revitt 1G, who worked hard and kept the whole violin section in line.

The only possible objection to an otherwise enjoyable concert lies in the programming. A program devoted entirely to Christmas music is a fine thing, but why not include a modern composition? An evening of Schutz, J. C. Bach, and Handel is just a little too much.

At any rate, the repeat concert tonight deserves a big, big crowd, if only for the sake of hearing the Messiah.