Mozart at Midnight

SATURDAY'S BACH Society all-Mozart midnight concert was a good concert. Not great, and certainly not flawless, but with such a well-chosen program no orchestra could go too far wrong. By choosing such old chestnuts as "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" and the Haffner Symphony, Robert Hart Baker '74, the Bach Society's conductor, might well be accused of beating a dead warhorse, but his conducting style is so refreshing that it revitalizes even overly familiar works.

The opening Overture from "The Marriage of Figaro" was brilliant. The piece is supposed to be exceptionally quick, and Baker certainly conducted it that way. But the orchestra was capable not only of playing up to tempo but playing smoothly up to tempo. It's just a shame that the highlight of the concert came so soon.

The serenade "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" was not as well-performed. Baker used a 6-6-4-4-1 string configuration (that's first and second violins, violas, cellos, and bass), opting for an 18th century rendition of the piece. Unfortunately with such a small ensemble, mistakes are all too clear. I could hear all six first violins, but they didn't sound like an ensemble. Poor dynamics and sluggish stickwork led to a serenade that started well but ended weakly. The last movement was ragged. The first violins showed a remarkable lack of attention to their conductor, which was too bad because Baker was definitely worth watching. Conducting the concert from memory, he displayed firstclass musicianship. His style is understated but strong, and though he is an extremely appealing conductor, he never overplays to his audience. If the overture was the highpoint, the serenade's rondo was the definite low.

The third piece owes its success to Stephen Hammer, the oboe soloist. Originally written for flute in D major, this piece is now the Oboe Concerto In C. As such it provides an opportunity for a mellower and richer sound, which Hammer certainly provided.

His breath control was excellent, and his technique polished--unfortunately the orchestra did not always match his standard, though the blend between them was good. The cadenza, exciting and wellplayed, was marred by a lack of communication between the soloist and the orchestra, which came in either too late or too soon, creating about five seconds of confusion before soloist-conductor-orchestra communication was reestablished.

The final piece, The Haffner Symphony is marked by terrific energy--which is just as well considering that it was past 1 a.m. when the piece began. Thanks to Hammer, the audience was still wide-awake, but the orchestra was beginning to tire. Still the outer movements were particularly enjoyable and the evening ended with a fine flourish.

Perhaps it's putting the cart before the warhorse, but Saturday's concert was good not just because it was Mozart, but because of the Bach Society.