Having decided to mark the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus, Bermuda Philharmonic director Graham Garton did his musical homework on this fateful event and came up with a programme that was fascinating in its inter-relation of content and composers.

Anton Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, from the New World, and written while the composer was enjoying huge success in America as a conductor, has an obvious connection with Columbus; if the decision to follow this with Hiawatha's Wedding Feast might be viewed with a certain amount of irony, there is a redeeming -- and intriguing -- link in that Dvorak was apparently inspired by Longfellow's poem in composing his American symphony and, in turn, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, who set Hiawatha to music, was a fervent admirer of Dvorak.

Then there was Graham Garton's own composition, a short and bright choral Fanfare, entitled Quo Fata Ferunt, the motto on Bermuda's coat of arms which, with the depiction of the Sea Venture, pays tribute to the providential discovery of yet another island in the New World.

As always seems to be the case with these Cathedral choral concerts, there was the sensation (for those at the back, at least) of listening to a radio whose volume had been turned down. For this reason, and until remedial work on the Cathedral's acoustics is carried out, it is almost impossible to form any relevant opinion about any of the works performed.

I was certainly not the only one to feel that the brass section tended to drown the rest of the orchestra, but again, this could have been a distortion of sound.

Symphony No. 9 in E minor (From the New World), written in 1893 by the Czech butcher's boy who went on to become one of the world's most popular composers, was an ambitious work for the Philharmonic to tackle. The importation of several key instrumentalists from abroad helped make up the shortfall in local talent and contributed to a sound that, overall, was impressive. There were, however, some some rather worrying moments, especially from the strings sections, which suggests that the orchestra, improved beyond measure, is still not quite ready for these musical blockbusters.

The intensely atmospheric music of Dvorak is more than matched by his gift for melody, the plaintive folk tunes of Bohemia merging with the sprightlier rhythms of the New World. These were exquisitely developed by the solo flute (presumably Sheilagh Robertson) and the French horn in the first movement, culminating in the memorable cor anglais solo theme of the slow movement, played with great beauty by Gaynor Beaumont.

This symphony moves through a magnificent, yet frolicsome Finale, and Mr.

Garton kept up a sparkling and climactic pace, right up to the low-key ending which, after the succession of musical fireworks, provides a disconcertingly quiet close.

The other major work, devoted to Hiawatha's Wedding Feast provided the main choral fare of the evening.

Just why the English composer felt moved to set Longfellow's glorious narrative poem to music is, in itself, something of a mystery -- and having listened to the end result, becomes more so. The incantatory metre provides, surely, melody enough and Coleridge-Taylor's low-key setting became ultimately repetitious, erasing almost entirely, the dramatic and eminently danceable rhythms of the original verse. And despite the fine diction and well-rehearsed approach of the Philharmonic Choir, the mind almost boggles at the thought of any choral society singing its way through a love story that crackles (or should) with sensuality and passion.

The highlight, when this narrative piece finally came alive, was provided by the ardent singing of tenor Franz Wohlmuth, who sang the only solo, the exquisite `Onaway! Awake, beloved!'. His voice improving technically with each performance, Wohlmuth now seems to be reaching his prime, where he can, and does, concentrate to great effect, on delivery and expression.

PATRICIA CALNAN.