Cambridge Society for Early Music

The Cambridge Society for Early Music concluded its highly successful series of three concerts last Monday with a program devoted to instrumental works by Corelli and Handel. One again, the series filled Sanders Theatre, plainly showing this area's enthusiasm for the music of Handel, Bach, and their predecessors. In fact, this is the sixth Cambridge concert in about as many weeks wholly devoted to music composed before 1759. I sometimes wonder if some daring artist could be found to venture a local program including Schubert, Franck, or Dvorak.

However, the work of the Society and its musical director, Erwin Bodky, has been outstanding in the choice of the music, the authenticity of the performance style, and the general excellence of the performances. Monday's program consisted chiefly of four concertigrossi...two by Corelli, the composer who crystallized the concerto grosso form near the end of the 17 century, and two by Handel who with Bach brought the form to its highest development before it continued its evolution toward the concerto as we know it today.

Of Handel's Opus 8 we heard concerto No. 3, with its remarkable Andante jugato. In addition. Mr. Bodky introduced a little known work, "Concerto interpolated into the Oratorio Alexander's Feast." The theme of its first movement bears a close resemblance to the "Hallelujah" theme of the Messiah. Especially noteworthy is the concerto's delicate and subdued final movement. It brought the evening to a quiet close but, needless to say, in no way restrained the enthusiastic applause which followed.

The corelli concerti were only slightly less unpressive than the Handel, largely because they were eclipsed by the vutnese pertormance ruth Posselt gave to Corelli's A major violin sonata. Her flawless rendition of a breath taking perpetua mobile-type movement as well as her scrupulously clean articulation all evening again marked her as a technician of the highest order and her interpretations were colorful and exciting though never lacking in taste.