Arthur Honegger's oratorio "Le Roi David" ("King David") premiered in Switzerland in 1921 in a fully staged version that was an immediate success. Because oratorio-operas were popular at the time, Honegger wrote a concert version, and it made the rounds to Paris; Zurich, Switzerland; Rome, and New York. It became a tremendously popular work and made a name for its composer.
Saturday night at St. John's Lutheran Church, Allentown, the Camerata Singers and members of the Pennsylvania Sinfonia, all under the direction of Allan Birney, presented "King David," a work rarely heard in today's concert hall. In fact, even though it made Honeggar popular, he never returned to its conservative style, a style reminiscent of Handel's oratorios. Today, Honeggar's works are rarer still, his best known piece, "Pacific 231," a musical description of a heavy locomotive in motion, the only work to have sustained any regular hearing.
"King David" has its interesting charms, laid out in a pleasant performance by the Camerata Singers. It depicts the life of David in 28 sections, from his shepherding days through his battle with Goliath, his confrontation with King Saul, his crowning and eventual death. It uses a narrator in this performance ably read by Robert Kratz, and the orchestral and vocal parts further serve to illustrate the overall picture.
The orchestral ensemble - winds, brass, organ, piano, cello, bass and percussion - provided accompaniment that was solid, evocative and well-played throughout, especially in the "Introduction," "The Fanfare and Entry of Goliath," "Saul's Camp" and the "March of the Hebrews." Kratz used a good, loud, expressively rich voice, one amplified and easily understood in his task as storyteller. The soloists were drawn from the choir - sopranos Beverly Perry, Joan Moran and Barbara Bullock; contralto Kathleen Lord, and tenors Norman Cressman and Timothy Brown. They provided capable singing, although at times they were overpowered by the orchestra. Patricia Donchez took the spoken part of the "Witch of Endor," moaning and wailing her way through a wonderfully witchy recitation, dressed in flowing black and looking the part as well as sounding it.
The choral parts in "King David" are for the most part brief and to the point, advancing the story and the action. And because of that integral part in the storytelling, there were problems. Even though this oratorio is sung in English, English that is sung can render the language unintelligible. Even operas sung in English may as well be in Swahili. So, one had to listen very closely when the chorus was singing to understand what was happening. And too often the meaning of the chorus parts - although quite beautifully and energetically sung - was all but lost. However, the "Psalm of Penitence" had a smooth, contained power riding over a controlled, pulsing rhythm in the orchestra. And the two "Alleluia" choruses at the close of the "Dance of the Ark" and at the end of the piece were quietly exultant and subtly climactic.