Music

This year, the choral concert was split from the band and strings concerts, as they were getting too large.  This makes for a short and more pleasant experience.  And this concert was no exception.

The opening songs by the HHS Chorus were fun, followed by a Mozart solo by Catherine Han.  She sang beautifully, although it seemed a bit formal for the venue.  The Soarthroats did a nice version of Brown Eyed Girl.  The Footnotes did some rousing song and dance excerpts from Footloose.  There was a violin solo after that, a Bach partita, but I’m not sure why this was part of the concert.

The final piece was a medley from Les Miserables – some great songs and the solos were mostly quite strong.

2017 Fall Choral Concert program

The concert was starting, and we were puzzled by the several rows of empty seats behind us.  This was unusual for the Handel Society.  Then the singers came on the stage, and there were a number of high school students, mostly in white (as a contrast to the Handel Society singers in black).  They sat down for the first movements, but stood and joined in for the rest.

The first part was Lux Aeterna by Morten Lauridsen.  A nice piece, beautiful voices, done well.

For the second part, the high school singers sat in the audience, and we then understood why the seats were empty beforehand.  Then the chorus started Mozart’s Requiem.  It is such a beautiful piece, both for the choir and the soloists.  Even in Mozart didn’t write it all, it is so moving, you don’t want it to end.  You could tell how much the musicans and singers enjoyed the piece too. I am glad that the Handel Society does this one every 3 years or so.

Dartmouth chorus and local high school students offer luminous choral program

Handel Society Program Notes

I sat in the front row, as I usually do for piano solos, but I forgot that this included clarinet.  I should have been much further back.  I’m afraid I didn’t enjoy this concert very much – too modern, too much of an effort.  I left after the first half, missing the Brahms Sonata that I probably would have enjoyed, but I didn’t think I could stand the Berg.

Program notes

This concert was in Rollins Chapel with the choir around the organ.  The first piece was Elijah by Mendelssohn, and the interesting start had the choir in two lines along the side of the chapel, moving into position on the stage as they sang.  I really enjoyed that feature, and it reminded me of the Hanover High Baccalaureate.  The three soloists were recent Dartmouth graduates, including James Ragan who I remembered from Dartmouth Idol.

The second half was Brahms, and the two selections from Ein Deutsches Requiem were lovely.

After the concert, as people file out, the group broke out into an informal gospel song, which was a lot of fun, and a great way to tag the end of the show.

Program notes

The first half of this concert was relatively short, starting with a Flute Concerto by Mercadante.  I hadn’t heard of this composer before, but it was a nice piece.  The second piece was Oblivion by Piazzolla, not in the program.

The second half was what I came to hear: Mahler’s first symphony.  This was with a very crowded stage, and many performers beyond the student code.  And what a great symphony it is, especially the moody “Frère Jacques” movement.

Program