Word: basse
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...well-balanced orchestral tone; although occasionally rough, at its best it was rich and exciting. The symphony is an outstanding American work. The three movements follow the story of Joan of Arc as Maid, Warrior, and Saint. The dramatic intent of the music is emphasized by an instrumentation including bass drum, kettle drums, snare drum, cymbals, and bells. The Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra gave it a reading that clearly showed the group's improvement. We can thank Attilio Poto for the new vitality in the orchestra...
...Enfant et les Sortileges (soloists, chorus and Suisse Romande Orchestra conducted by Ernest Ansermet; London). Collette's enchanting ballet-opera about an enchanted child, which Ravel reluctantly finished in 1925 after years of procrastination. The child is throwing a tantrum when the magic begins: the armchair (bass), clock (baritone), teapot (tenor), fire (coloratura soprano) come to life to terrify him into better behavior. Despite its size, the orchestra twiddles and tweaks lightly, and the tunes are often as naive as The King and I. Performance: a knockout. Von Weber: Four-Hand Piano Pieces (Arthur Gold, Robert Fizdale; Columbia...
Sunday's concert opened with a new work, Victor Yellin's Passacaglia for String Orchestra. Over a repeated bass passage, Yellin has devised an extended development that builds to unusually powerful climaxes; even his use of dissonance seemed subordinate to the overall dramatic pattern. The rhythms had a tendency to excessive four-squareness, at least on first hearing, but sincerity and intense emotion kept the Passacaglia nearly always exciting...
...gifted insight into the music as a whole. But her singing and a few instrumental solos were the only high spots. The chorus sang with colorless tone and indifferent diction most of the time. Furthermore, Greenebaum made the texture bottom-heavy with a basso continue of four cellos, double bass, and bassoon. As a result, big ensembles plodded badly and the duet for soprano and bass seemed interminable until it finally expired...
Herbie Mann (Bethlehem LP). A good cool flute is rare, but Flutist Mann plays one with a light, swinging accompaniment (drums, bass, guitar...