THE MISSISSIPPI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WITH THE JACKSON CHORAL SOCIETY AND
THE JONES COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE AT MARA HALL, APRIL 15, 1997.

   The program, entitled "Mozart and His Friends", was in two parts.
The first included works by Mozart (Overture to the "Marriage of Figaro",
"Soave Sia Il Vento" from 'Cosi fan Tutte', "Ave Verum Corpus", and
Six German Dances), his friend Salieri (Sinfonia in D and "Kleine 
Hariekinade" from 'Axur, re d'Ormus'), and Michael Haydn (Overture to
"Andromeda ed Perses"). Vocal parts were provided by Gena Everitt,
Elizabeth Neill, James Longmire, and Philip Hill. The single choral
work in this part was the "Ave Verum Corpus", with the Jackson Choral
Society and the Jones Co. Community College Choir. The music was very
well done, but the overall effect was somewhat choppy because these
were all relatively short pieces with little continuity, and were
interspersed with comments by Conductor Colman Pearce. 

   The second part of the program, the Franz Joseph Haydn Mass in
B-flat ("Harmony Mass"), by contrast, was a powerful work by a
master at choral composition. We tend to remember Haydn for his
symphonic writing, but such familiar works as "The Creation" show
his great understanding of the human voice as well as of instruments.
So it was also with the "Harmony Mass". It is of some interest that
Haydn began working on this mass when he was more than 70 years old. 
The choirs - 150 voices strong - were able to fill the hall with sound,
and, together with the MSO, were clearly up to the occasion, giving an
outstanding performance of a memorable work.

                                             - Glenn A. Gentry