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CHRISTMAS FOR THE EARS DELIVERS MUSICAL GIFTSBy Marty Sewald/SPECIAL TO THE COMMERCIAL

Monday, December 15, 2008 10:07 AM CST

The Pine Bluff Symphony, under the baton of music director Charles Evans, presented the second of four concerts of the 2008-09 concert season, “The American Experience — A Musical Celebration.” The music chosen for this concert, “Home for the Holidays: A Gospel Christmas,” featured the works of American composers.

The Pine Bluff Sympony Orchestra presents “Home For the Holidays” at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. The performance featured the New Arts Six with Glenda Cole Clay, Gale Washington Tyler, Dorthy Regina Powell, Linda Hall Searight, Cynthia Dorna Navarette and (not pictured) Monya Davis Logan. Pine Bluff Commercial/Mike Adam

The program began with Leroy Anderson’s Christmas Festival, a delightful arrangement of many familiar Christmas carols, including “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “Jingle Bells” and “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” The second selection was a setting of three excerpts from Gian-Carlo Menotti’s opera, “Amahl,” and the “Night Visitor,” “Introduction,” “March” and “Shepherd’s Dance.”

The guest artists, New Arts Six, making a repeat performance with PBSO, followed next on the program. This Dallas-based ensemble of African-American women delighted the audience with arrangements of spirituals, “Glory Hallelujah to the Newborn King,” “Keep your Lamps Trimmed and Burning,” and “Ring dem Bells,” accompanied by the orchestra. Maestro Evans orchestrated two of the selections.

“No‘l” from “Symphonic Sketches,” by American composer George Whitefield Chadwick, provided a pastoral (while not always interesting) diversion from the traditional seasonal music of the evening.

To close out the first part of the program, New Arts Six returned to the stage to perform “Baby Bethlehem” and “Go Tell It on the Mountain.”

The second part of the program began with Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington’s, “The King of the Magi” from Three Black Kings. This was Ellington’s last serious orchestral work and was written as a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. The work began with an incessant, driving rhythm initiated by the percussion section, which was juxtaposed by somewhat more legato and melodic sections throughout.

The familiar Clement Clarke Moore poem written in 1823, “The Night Before Christmas,” was narrated by Cynthia Dorn Navarette, a member of New Arts Six, and accompanied by the orchestra.

The vocal ensemble returned to sing arrangements of “Sweet Little Jesus Boy” and “Let’s Have a Union.” The rich mature voices of the four singers filled the Convention Center Auditorium and delighted the audience with their artistic and expressive interpretations.

The final group included Chip Davis (of Manheim Steamroller fame) and his arrangement of “Stille Nacht,” Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” and Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” and an audience sing-along of “The Twelve days of Christmas.”

The concert provided a festive spirit for the holiday season with both familiar and not-so-familiar music. The added feature of New Arts Six was well received by the audience. Pine Bluff has a fine jewel in the PBSO, which can be enjoyed by the entire community throughout the concert season. The next concert is Feb. 8 and will feature music of Rogers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin and George Gershwin.

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