The musical scene of Kalamazoo is turned on its head these days with the Bach Festival venturing into Broadway tunes and now the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presenting works of the early 18th century, a period preceding the symphony orchestra as we know it today.

Friday night at Western Michigan University's Miller Auditorium the KSO presented a program titled "Zadok vs. Vader."  Featured were three of Georg Frideric Handel's "Coronation Anthems" and two symphonies of William Boyce, one of Handel's much lighter weight English contemporaries.  These selections were juxtaposed with two popular-idiom, American works of the past generation:  Aaron Jay Kernis' "New Era Dance" and John Williams' "Star Wars Suite."

The program title suggests a contest that transcends the differences in the music of the two eras.  Zadok the Priest, the bliblical figure who had the foresight to make Solomon king over his older brother Adonijah (the text of Handel's first Coronation Anthem) is herein pitted against Darth Vader; lord of the dark force of the futuristic myth "Star Wars."  Is this a metaphor for music history?  The "old" vs. the "new"?  Are musicologists ready to put Williams in the same class as Handel?

Despite the relatively small instrumental contingent that appeared on stage at the beginning of the concert, the program listed several additional string players.  The reason became apparent when a second orchestra appeared via the pit elevator following the performance of the first Coronation Anthem ("No. 2").  This smaller second ensemble played the Boyce symphonies ("No. 2 in A Major" and "No. 5 in D Major").

Serving as the chorus in the "Coronation Anthems" was the 73-member Kalamazoo Singers, prepared by their director Thomas Kasdorf.

Conducting the massed ensemble, KSO Musical Director Raymond Harvey seemed to have an excellent concept of the tempos and phrasing of the baroque works.  The orchestra repsonded well, as did the chorus, in most instances, though at times the chorus failed to match Harvey's speed and buoyancy.

The Handel and Boyce works did present a dilemma:  How can the tastes of 21st century audiences be reconciled with 18th century works which are dependent on certain arcane practices?  The Handel works were designed for the voluminous acoustics of a cathedral.  Therefore, the KSO's small orchestra with a tiny chamber organ (rather than the cathedral variety) were at a disadvantage from the start.  However, the brilliant playing of piccolo trumpets by Scott Thornburg and the KSO trumpet section was definitely a crowd pleaser.

Kernis' "New Era Dance" is a lively, postmodern collage, a veritable patchwork of near borrowings from Leonard Bernstein's stageworks, Edgard Varese and the mid-20th-century avant-garde.  In spite of an energetic performance by Harvey and the orchestra, especially Judy Moonert and the percussion section, the piece did not seem to be equal to the sum of its many parts.

Williams' "Star Wars Suite" stands on its own musicality, even without the visual images of the now-classic movies.  However, hearing it in concert makes it even more evident that Williams borrowed copiously from other composers, especially Gustav Holst ("The Planets"), Edward Elgar (listen to "The Throne Room" movement), Richard Strauss and others.  Of course, this takes nothing away from the wonderful performance of the KSO.

Kudos go to flutist Christine Smith and hornist Michael Wood for outstanding work in the "Princess Leia's Theme" movement.