Evening star., 1956-11-19
NEWS OF MUSIC
BY FRANK c. CAMPBELL


washinston and Cathedral Choral
Adele Addison, soprano: Jane Hobson,
mezzo soprano; Walter Carringer,
tenor; Frederick Lechner. baritone.
Members Of the National Symphony
ist AT the Washington Hebrew Con-
greeation. Program: Sacred Service,
Bloch; Hymn Of Praise, Mendelssohn.
Last night in the Temple OF
the Washington Hebrew Congre-
cation the Washington and Ca
thedral Choral Societies sang q
concert which was. in the words
of Rabbi Norman Gerstenfeld
IAN example to a troubled world
that Judaism and Christianity
share a common horizon OF
challenge and purpose, a wit
ness of the blessings of a free
community" The Rev. Francis
B. Sayre. Dean of the Washing
ton Cathedral. gave an intro
dyctory prayer before the con-
cert. which will be repeated to.
night in the Cathedral.
The two works chosen fol
these concerts are appropriate
Expressions of interfaith brother
hood. Felix Mendelssohn was o.
Jewish birth, and his Hymn o.
Praise" written in 1910 to com.
memorate the 400th anniversar!
of the invention of printing
stresses bonds between Jewish
and Christian concepts.
Ernest Bloch's Sacred Serv,
ice." while adhering to the plar
of the Jewish Sabbath Morning
ritual, was designed to express
the composers philosophic con
ceptions of life and death anc
of Mans relation to Creation
transcending differences in reli.
gious creed.
Bloch, in seeking this univer.
salty, summed dramatic mar.
rative and selected Biblical pas.
sages Of devout meditation, ad,
grafton, supplication, and belief
Though it employs large forces
the work has the hushed in,
timacy Of true m editation
Choruses Of exultation and awe
janitorial utterances of rhapso'
die praise. instrumental inter
ludes Of tense excitement ar,
strung together in a garland O.
fervor and drama.
Mendelssohn's Hymn o
Praise" is a stunning work, will
Jail the open exuberance of /;
lfeStal occasion. The long orches
tral introduction is a brilliantl!
Iorchestrated symphony in itself
and the choruSeS and arias tina
follow are paeons in Mendels,
sohn's most ingratiating vein.
Last night possibly more
clearly than at any other time
the Choral Societies under Pau
Callaway'S direction demon.
strated their absolute mastery o.
choral tone. In every conceiv,
able gradation from a luminous
pianissimo to a radiant full
sound. the massed voices werI
miraculously beautiful. Due Il
their unavoidable but unfortu
nately awkward placement, som,
entrances were tentative anC
forte passages were yelled, a,
opposed to the unvarying CLARITY
Iof the accompanying instru.
lments.
In his exacting role as Canto
for the Sacred Service" bari
tone Frederick Lechner's singinI
was Of warm and authoritative
sound, If his words were not al
ways projected clearly and hi
tempos tended to drag. WaIteI
Carringer'E tenor solors in tn.
Mendelssohn were sung in 9
voice Of clarity and power, with
some tendency toward an edgy
hardness. Miss Addison's anc
Miss Hobson's few lines in thu
Bloch and their solos and duet
in the Mendelssohn recalled
other occasions when their su.
perb singing has been heard IL
Washington.
Paul Galloway by his brilliant
conducting last night added two
more works to q long list which
demonstrates year after year Thu
amazing breadth and depth ol
his muSicianship.