University of Virginia Library

Music

Singers Offer Spring Pistache

By FRANK WILLIAMS

Friday night, the University
Singers, under the direction of
Donald Loach, again sang a
splendid concert. The Singers
have always been a favorite
group to me because of the
variety of their programs. Last
spring for example, Sweet Briar
Dance Theater joined them in a
production of Carl Orff's
"Carmina Burana," (drinking
songs) and last winter the
University and Community
Orchestra accompanied them
on the very moving "Mass in
G-Minor" by Vaughan
Williams, as well as Schutz
"Christmas Story" at the same
concert.

This time, though, the
Singers were all alone except
for pianos, harps and
percussion, and one dog that
came in with the audience and
decided to hit the stage,
causing a roar of laughter. The
program began with
Dallapiccola's "Songs of
Imprisonment," which was in
three parts: a very delicate
prayer of Mary Stuart, which
built up to a great crescendo
when she implored that she be
freed, a more jolly,
freewheeling invocation of
Boethius, in which pianists ran
over the keyboards as the
group sang about fortune
seeing the "clear fountain of
good," dissolving the "heavy
bonds of the earth"; and
finally, Savonarola's dismissal,
which seemed to me more like
the first part, a little more
staccato than the second.

Further in the program
were quick-moving songs by
Britten and Ravel, all of which
were without the musical
accompaniment of pianos,
harps and percussion of the
Dallapiccola, but which
featured Lous Burkot, tenor;
Sara Fishback, contralto; and
Donald Woodman, baritone;
all of whom soloed in the winter
concert, and two sopranos,
Sheila Thompson and Mary
Beth Parrotta.

The Ravel piece was an
interesting flirtatious
arrangement of three songs,
with most amazing vocabulary
of woodland creatures, while
the Britten work was set to a
poem by Auden, an "Anthem
for St. Cecilia's Day:" 'O bless
the freedom that you never
chose,...Oh wear your
tribulation like a rose.'

Finally there were two
familiar American folk songs
about marriage and falseness,
which were beautifully
harmonized and smoothly
ended.

Overall, the Singers
presented a pleasingly rounded
concert. Although the
fast-moving lyrics were often
lost, the second and
counterpoint revealed much
dedication and practice. I
know that the Singers will
continue to give more inspiring
concerts in the future.