The New York Philharmonic, even without a star conductor or soloist, drew a huge crowd, estimated at 80,000 people, to the Great Lawn in Central Park on Wednesday evening for the first of this season's Concerts in the Parks.
The vocal soloists, drawn from the choir, ranged from adequate to good.
Gardiner used a choir of 19, with the soloists drawn from among its members.
The vocal soloists, drawn from the choir and singing in German, performed with impressive clarity and color.
The Collegium's vocal soloists, drawn from the chorus, were adequate, and more than that in the case of the tenor Thomas Hobbs, who was a fine Evangelist.
The soloists, drawn from the choir, were fine, especially Sara Murphy, who sang "Bless, the Lord, O My Soul" in a gorgeous deep, dark mezzo-soprano.
In a related event, the Trinity choir performed Bach's St. Matthew Passion with a first-rate Baroque band and soloists drawn mostly from the choir's ranks, all under the direction of Julian Wachner, the head of music at Trinity.
At the request of the admirable Collegiate Chorale and its music director, James Bagwell, Mr. Gordon and Mr. Korie have fashioned a concert version of "The Grapes of Wrath" that had its premiere on Monday night at Carnegie Hall, with Ted Sperling conducting the chorale, the American Symphony Orchestra and a roster of excellent soloists drawn from the opera and musical theater worlds.
Platt left the company in 1942, having risen to the rank of soloist and drawn praise for his "superb character work".
She is a strong soloist and composer, drawing from both mainstream and free-jazz sources.
