, VOL. —————————— XLIV—NO. 15 ARDMORE and BRYN MAWR, PA., WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 1961 *) Trustees of Bryn Mawr College, 1961 PRICE 20 CENTS 7 Mawr Exhibits Musical Talent At Choral, Chamber Group Concerts CHORUS CONCERT * by Kristine Gilmartin The Bryn Mawr College Chorus concert, in Goodhart, March 4, demonstrated the group’s fine mas- tery of early church music and wery modern compositions. Under Robert Suderberg’s clear and de- fined direction, the chorus and in- strumentalists ‘were welded into disciplined, performing unities, The opening motet, Alle Psallite, was marked with the precision the chorus. consistently displayed but its demands were not as strin- gent as those of later numbers. The portions of the Dufay Magn-i ficat performed revealed an amaz- ing range in the voices that often resulted in lovely contrasts. Ave Verum Corpus, besides the smooth- hess and richness of its melody was exceptional in that its very high notes were clear and ungrat- ing. Surge propera did indeed rise well with fine close echoing of parts, but here, for the one and only-‘time;~thesoprano entrance seemed a bit jerky and_hesitant. The Purcell Madrigal was utterly delightful. Its “Let’s pipe and dance” welcome .to spring was brisk and showed fine direction and attention to dynamics. Reaction Shock Symphony, Op. 21 by Anton Webern, played by a small ensem- ble of instruments must be prais- ed for its attempt to educate the audience to the mysteries of mod- ern music and for the excellent performances of all its players. However, more than one listening would seem to be required to learn to like it, The first reaction is shock, The first movement is a series of stops and starts with no _one..instrument—playing~more than a few- notes per sequence. The viola. was. especially outstanding. In the second movement the in- struments played rather more with each other, though the clarinet solo was featured and very fine. Five Village Scenes by Bartok was done with vigor and spirit by the small chorus with Elizabeth Suderberg as soloist. The songs— “Haymaking,” “At the Bride’s,” “Wedding,” “Lullaby,” and “Let’s Dance” — were full of unusual rhythms which were always strik- ingly well done. Mrs. Suderberg’s fine, clear soprano and good control helped to make this part of the program memorable. Four Choruses for High Voices, based on Russian folk texts and composed by Igor Stravinsky, dis- played the. chorus’s fine phrasing and shading. “On Saint’s Day”, “Ovsen”’, “The Pike”, and “Master Portly” were unusual and varied though employing the folk-charac- _ teristic of repetition. The Michael Haydn Missa seem- ed to me the most excellent offer- ing on the program, The Kyrie was sweet and true, and the Gloria full of life and praise. The blend- ‘ing of voices was noteworthy. The Credo was a stern and definite statement which rose triumphant- ly on the “Resurrexit”. A rever- ent rise in tone skillfully managed characterized the Sanctus. The Benedictus, especially the soprano opening was clear and good. The Agnus ‘Dei ending with “dona nobis work ‘by the altos in the “miserere” section. The “pacem”s ‘were brisk Continued jon Page 4, Col. 5 INSTRUMENTALISTS by Catharine Lucas 761 The Chamber Music Group of Bryn Mawr and Haverford was introduced by (Mme. Jambor on Sunday, when they presented their latest “labor of love”, as she char- acterized their work. The concert welcomed the pianist back from a long illness, and the quality of the performance, prepared independ- ently by the students and “present- ed in her honor”, was worthy of the occasion. Haydn Work The program opened with Haydn’s First Trio for two flutes and ’cello. Katherine Hoover and Gertrude Jefferson worked closely together, balanced by Wendy Wat- son’s neat and lively ’cello work in the opening and last movements. In the Andante, the line of imita- tion was longer, and the tones of the two flutes could be distinguish- ed. Katherine Hoover’s uniquely pure..tone twas—evident; although throughout the performance the excellent concentration and mu- sical sympathy of the performers . insured that every voice line was important primarily in its relation to the entire piece. A Beethoven Sonata for Violin and Piano (Op. 96) followed, the piano part masterfully and musi- cally rendered by Nan Walter. Barbara Dancis, on the violin, be- gan a bit nervously, but seemed to acquire more confidence in the sec- ond movement, Adagio Expressivo, which allowed her to demonstrate a full rich tone and great strength of expression. The Scherzo and Allegretto were played a bit breathlessly, as the performers were not entirely at one in tempo, but the effect was a satisfying and | pleasing presentation of a demand- ing ‘work. Shaky Sorelli Alison Baker, Virginia McShane, Marion ‘Davis, and Elizabeth Boardman next performed, rather shakily, Corelli’s Trio Sonata, No. 9. The piece was characterized by equal distribution of activity among the four instruments. Elizabeth Boardman is to be commended for her competent performance at the piano. Nan Walter offered another un- questionably good performance to- gether with Steven Flanders’ su- perior ’cello work in a difficult and continuously demanding Bach So- nata. Again the Adagio, especial- ly the latter part, seemed to free the stringed-instrumentalist from preoccupation with bare execution of the piece, and allowed greater freedom of expression and expan- sion of tone. The final number on the pro- gram, Schubert’s Quartet in A mi- nor, was perhaps the most satisfy- ing and best-performed work of the afternoon. The Allegro devel- ops around a simple melody which reappears in the first violin several times, each time with a quality of pathos or sorrow. Triplets are used to increase excitement and often break into an eight note scale mounting in ritard. in the solo vio- lin. Barbara Dancis as first violinist was superb, and her group match- ed her for attentiveness and feel- dynamics showed careful work to- gether. In the Minuetto, the dia- Continued on Page 3, Col. 1 their opponents. expressed many like opinions. tins, Abby Wootton. Self-Gov candidates Faith Halfter, Sue Johnson, Ruta Kras- Undergrad candidates Virginia Sitz, Ellen Corcoran, Judy Samuelson, Barbara Paul. iotan