The Handel Society of Dartmouth College performed "A Concert of Choral-Orchestral Works from the 19th Century" with the Hanover Chamber Orchestra on Saturday night in Spaulding Auditorium.
Melinda O'Neal conducted both groups in concert, skillfully directing and leading the sheer power of over 130 voices along with the orchestral accompaniment.
The program consisted of a diverse repetoire of songs of varying styles and moods. During the first half, four pieces by Mendelssohn were performed first, with a powerful and soulful solo by tenor Michael Hogan.
Then the women of the chorus left the stage, and David Klement conducted the "Alto Rhapsody" composed by Brahms, which featured soloist Jennifer Hansen. The piece had a mournful, dark quality about it, and Hansen was extremely effective in conveying the mood to the audience.
The women of the Handel Society then assembled on stage while the men left, and performed "La Belle Voyageuse," a Berlioz piece with a lilting, energetic sound, which struck a dramatic contrast with "Alto Rhapsody".
The music was profoundly evocative of the text, and one could almost picture the confident, unwary, "happy traveller" for whom the piece is named.
Before the intermission, the male voices joined the women once more, their voices weaving together masterfully in the ballad "Sara la Baigneuse," another piece by Berlioz.
In this piece, O'Neal was the driving force behind the choral sound. Her conducting was replete with momentum and energy, as she guided chorus and orchestra through the piece.
The Handel Society began the second half with a final Berlioz composition, "Le Cinq Mai," which focussed on the death of Napoleon. The song featured soloist David-Ripley, a bass-baritone with a deep, resonant voice that suited the piece perfectly.
Perhaps the most moving performance of the evening, "Le Cinq Mai," featured an orchestral accompaniment that had a sound of dark triumph mingled with suspense. Towards the end, the chorus sustained a low note that reverberated throughout the auditorium, producing a spine-chilling, suspenseful effect.
"Nanie," a lament by Brahms, featured a wonderful oboe theme in the melody, played by Andrea Bonsignore. The sweet, sad tone of the piece was resplendent with beautiful harmony and the layering of choral parts.
The Handel Society closed the evening of song with a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of World War II. They sang a short hymn Mendelssohn composed for the text of a prayer for peace called "Verlieh uns Frieden Gnadiglich".
This special touch was a meaningful way to end an evening of engaging musical entertainment.
