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Article: A BIBLICAL EPIC FROM THE BARGAIN BASEMENT
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- November 6, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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"King David" (1921) secured Arthur Honegger an early fame, but
later on he didn't have much use for this biblical "symphonic
psalm." So did the Chorus Pro Musica's revival of it -- Saturday at
Old South Church -- set a listener straight?
Not quite. First of all, this "King David" was practically
shivering in its undies. Rather than the opulent 1921 or 1923
versions, you were offered instead a drab provisional thingamabob for
two pianos and percussion, and an English translation in place of
Rene Morax's French.
A sense of better-than-nothing mingled, strangely, with real
class. One plus was Jeffrey Rink's conducting. This chorus may have
been surprised to find it could sound that good. Ditto ...