A Review of MOSC and Dvorak

The final performance of the Midland-Odessa Symphony Chorale's season was the short but stirring Mass in D by Dvorak. The audience was sparse and appeared to consist mainly of family members of those singing. At the beginning, the outgoing president of MOSC reminded the audience that the chorale is made up of amateur volunteers rather than -- and this was an unspoken contrast -- the professional musicians in the symphony. Gently apologizing for a performance before it has occurred, or, as it is known in politics, lowering expectations, is not particularly inspiring.

Before the Mass began, the conductor, Bert Bostic, gave a brief lecture on Dvorak. Unfortunately, as he is obviously not a public speaker, the audience's attention started to drift at this point. The lecture gave further evidence that the tendency in Midland for extended introductions to concerts, plays and performances of all kinds should perhaps be curtailed. If you need to explain the show that is about to occur then it probably isn't a very good one. It is the artistic equivalent of the romantic faux-pas of asking someone whether they love you. If you need to ask . . .

Bostic stated that the score for the Mass had lain on his book-shelf for 20 years, raising unintended, lingering question as to whether it should have stayed there.

But once the Mass actually started, the church soon echoed with lovely and poignant sounds. Dvorak is most well-known for "The New World Symphony," but this Mass showed he was more than the classical version of a one-hit wonder. Surprisingly complex at times, the Mass varied from the rousing optimism of the Gloria through to the delicate stillness of the Agnus Dei, with the last word "pacem" (peace) almost a hushed whisper.

Bostic did a reasonable job of keeping the four choir sections both synchronized and yet distinct. The precision timing needed by the singers failed occasionally and some sections became rather dirge-like rather than heavenly because of it. Also, as is perhaps inevitable in a volunteer choir, a distinct range of ability was prevalent. Despite the fact that this work has no soloists written into it, Richard and Melissa Orta have such superb voices that they were clearly audible above the rest of the choir. At the opposite end, one soprano barely opened her mouth throughout the entire performance and was either not singing at all or merely murmuring the words.

Another suspect aspect of this performance was the piano and organ accompaniment. Occasionally the organ sounded as if it were about to introduce clowns at a circus or the players at a local baseball game. The piano often seemed spurious. These weaknesses were a fault of the score rather than the musicians. However, while the piano is officially a percussion instrument, Shari Santorelli often plays it as if it were literally a set of drums. Feeling the keys rather than simply banging them would make for a better sound. A piano should be touched as a lover rather than attacked as an enemy.

Forty minutes after it started, the Mass ended. As with the Winds earlier in the season, this concert was simply too short to be regarded as a full evening of music. Perhaps next season the MOSC should take as much care in planning the smaller concerts as they do with the often superb full-symphony performances. Combining orchestral ensembles with chorales would produce a genuine concert rather than the fleeting glimpse that was found here. In the end, Bostic made the right choice in dusting off that long-neglected score, but it was a shame that a couple more had not caught his attention at the same time.