MUSIC BOX

Mozart's "Symphony in D Major" and Beethoven's "Concerto No. 1 in C Major" were the featured selections of a highly satisfactory concert presented by the combined Harvard Radcliffe Wellesley Symphony Orchestra in Sanders Theatre last Sunday evening. Bruce Simonds, Dean of the School of Music of Yale University, was soloist in the Beethoven concerto.

Mozart's Haffner Symphony, which opened the program, was performed with superb spirit and interpretation, although the strings at times (especially in the second Andante movement) seemed a trifle muddy, a fault that often occurs even in the largest symphony orchestras.

That Mr. Simonds not only is a remarkably able pianist but also possesses a thorough knowledge of Beethoven's Concerto was evidenced by the facility and technique of his performance. His cadenza in the First Movement presented the theme powerfully, yet simply, and throughout the second (Largo) and third (Rondo Allegro) movements his interpretation continued to be spirited and full. It was regrettable that the attack of the orchestra seemed slightly rusty in the first movement, but this fault decreased as the work progressed.