‘Choral Fantasy’ Feature: The Enchanting Premiere of Bach Society Orchestra’s 70th Season

On the evening of Oct. 20, Paine Hall was lit up for “Choral Fantasy,” the premiere of the Bach Society Orchestra’s 70th season. Directed by Lucas H. Amory ’24, with the assistance of Enoch Li ’26, featuring Harvard Professor of Mathematics, Noam D. Elkies, and the Harvard University Choir, the night’s performance was definitely a magical array worthy of the occasion.

The event started with a warm welcome by production manager Maycee D. Wieczorek ‘24 in celebration of Harvard Bach Society Orchestra’s anniversary, Wieczorek dedicated the concert to all who have contributed to the society for the past 70 years. Following a short speech by Amory, during which he gave thanks to those who made the concert possible, Li took center stage to conduct the first piece of the program, “Mozart’s Symphony No. 32, K. 318.” Consisting of three movements, “Allegro Spiritoso,” “Andante,” and “Tempo Primo,” the symphony gave a festive opening to the night.

“I allowed Enoch to choose the Mozarts; he has a lot of conducting experience already under his belt. And I think that he also has a very acute sense of what the orchestra can handle,” Amory said.

Amory then directed “Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C, BWV 1066,” which as expected, suited the Bach Society Orchestra beautifully: There was depth in the music and visible emotion in the physicality of the players. Through 11 movements — “Ouverture,” “Courante,” “Gavottes I & II”, “Forlane,” “Menuets I & II,” “Bourreés I & II,” and “Passepieds I & II” — the musicians showcased their talent, sharing their passion with the audience.

It was, however, the final piece of the night which stole the spotlight and took everyone’s breath away. Professor Noam D. Elkies, the youngest person ever tenured at Harvard University, and the Harvard University Choir joined the stage for “Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, Op. 80,” filling the room with excitement and expectation.

“This is something I started organizing even as long ago as six months, when I first asked the University Choir Director, Edward Jones, if I could essentially have his choir to sing for tonight, because I was planning this many, many months in advance,” Amory said. “I think it's a piece that I knew would suit the orchestra really well. I knew that Noam was a phenomenal pianist. I had the privilege to work with him during commencement last year, and I asked him then to work with us.”

The intricate combination between Elkies’ magical notes — played with amazing fluidity and skill — was perfectly accompanied with the powerful sound of the orchestra, creating loops of loud moments of tension followed by miniscule quiet instants before the piano made its entrance again.

“Just hearing all these players crammed together on that stage, really filling up every inch of Paine Hall with extremely beautiful sound. I’ve never heard this many people in Paine Hall all at one before,” said Amory. “It was a magical gathering that way.”

“I have a solo in the last piece, which was really stressing me out, but after that, I just tried to enjoy it and live in the moment. I think it's really rare that you get to play with all of these really amazing people and Noam, so I just tried to enjoy it as much as possible,” said Concertmaster Chelsea W. Xia ‘24.

“I think the collaboration at the end was really cool having the choir, the orchestra, and also Noam, he's a great pianist. I think there are not too many collabs like that across the university, so cool to see them all together,” said Serena Zhao ’24, an audience member of the performance.

The balance between soloist and orchestra mesmerized the audience, and as the choir joined in singing, all the pieces on the stage came together in a truly harmonious fantasy, giving the night a triumphant ending.