Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-23

We have become so profiigate
Of our great church music in
Washington that yesterdays
music lover was faced with a
triple choice among MASTER
pieces--the Brahms Requiem
the Schultz st. Matthew Pas
sion. or the Bach st. John Pas
sion. The last, given at the
New York Avenue Presbyterian
Church. was sung by perhaps
the finest cast Of local soloists
assembled In church for many
a year and the chorus was also
unusually good,
The Passion. a long and diff
cult work. is comprised Of four
parasitic Biblical story sung
in recitative by the tenor
Evangelist; the intersections of
the mob, sung by the chorus:
icontemplative arias for solo
voices. and chorales, or hymn
tunes. which more or less make
comment on the incidents Of
the story. To integrate these
four aspects taxed even Bach's
genius, especially in the maud
lin and sometimes repellent
aria texts. and to recreate the
Passion today is rightly held to
be one OF the highest arts of
the contem porary church
musician.
Interpretation Sober
Stephen Prussing has done
a good job Of 1t. His soloists
are excellent: he has trained
his chorus superbly. and his
Interpretation Of the music is
sober and unexceptionable
Perhaps 1t is a oft too sober,
for the Passion is a drama. and
one feels that Mr.. Prussing in
striving for precision and So
lidity sometimes misses the ex-
citement Of the savage or sar-
castle Jewish choruses that
are the framework Of the en-
tire piece.
But II one can object to the
overall conception of Mr..
Prussing's Passion. almost all
the details are nevertheless a
delight. The soloists - Mary
Ann Stable. Rilla Mervine,
Mallory Walker, Tom Paul,
Richard Leavitt and George
Fortune are so nicely
matched and work together so
sympathetically that it is hard
to point TO any one as OUT
standing. although Mr.. Paul as
PLATE and Mr.. Fortune as
Jesus make a magnificent
team. (Mr. Fortune is a recent
Metropolitan Opera Award
winner.) The continue playing
Of Carolyn Walker and an un-
named cellist Is well contrived
to assist the voice In expressive
nuance. Only the orchestra is
not UP to snuff. the strings out
Of tune too frequently and the
general ensemble somewhat
Shaky.
Unfortunate Translation
The Passion, in both incen-
tive and execution. is so fine a
tribute to the New York Ave-
nune Presbyterion Church that
1t is truly lamentable that the
authorities. whoever they are.
allowed the miserable transla-
ton within such holy precincts.
! grant that many Of the texts
Of Bach's arias are nothing
much. but for his chorales he
had a wonderful body of Ger
man poetry to draw from. and
Luther's Bible Is not greatly in
ferior to the King James.
Yesterday the Bible text was
corrupted. presumably to At
Bach's meters, and the chorale
texts were as contemplate as
any verse to be found in print.
From the bondage Of my
transgresSions. but to unbind
me is my dearest Saviour
bound. From my aching
wounds and bruises, fully to
heal me He was bruised and
wounded"
Gentlemen. there is a vague
belief abroad that church doors
sanctify even bad grammar,
but it isn't really so. The one
single aspect of Christianity
that is revered by everybody.
Christian. Jew and atheist, is
the language of Scripture,
Treat it with respect.
The art-work on the cover
of the program. a combination
of wood. blood and thorn, set
off by the single phrase in
lower ease letters lit is fin
ished." will make the leaflet a
collectors item, or I miss my
guess.