EVEN WITHOUT a Christmas tree in the lobby, there was lots of holiday spirit at the Hult Center on Saturday night. The Eugene Concert Choir and the Eugene Vocal Arts Ensemble, led by Diane Retallack, presented their annual Christmas program in Silva Concert Hall, assisted by the Oregon Mozart Players, four vocal soloists and some extra brass and handbell players.

The Vocal Arts Ensemble, a chamber choir of 25 singers, took the stage for the first half of the program, which featured carols from France, Germany, England and Wales in tasteful choral arrangements, along with some Renaissance motets. In addition, the audience was invited to sing along on some familiar traditional carols.

A small group of instruments accompanied the singers on stage. As the program progressed they were joined by two brass ensembles and members of the concert choir in the balconies. The antiphonal effects between the stage and the two balconies were striking and effective, even though coordination over such large distances was difficult and occasionally less than perfect.

The Vocal Arts Ensemble sang with enthusiasm and precision under Retallack's direction. They were in Renaissance costumes, which they had worn for the madrigal dinner that preceded the concert. The costumes and the period backdrop added to the festive air, and the audience joined in whole heartedly for the singalongs.

The carol arrangements were charming, and the motets were performed well. The last piece before intermission was Giovanni Gabrieli's big polychoral motet, "In ecclesiis," one of the earliest compositions for soloists, chorus and independent instrumental groups. It was written for St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, which has separate choir lofts on each side of the nave, and the balconies at the Hult Center provided a good approximation of the Venetian sound world. This is a gorgeous piece that Retallack no doubt is very fond of (so am I), but its text has nothing to do with Christmas. The music is somewhat austere, and a more exuberant piece might have been a good choice. Still, it was good to hear "In ecclesiis" in such a committed performance.

The Oregon Mozart Players joined the choirs for the second half, which began with J. S. Bach's Cantata No. 191, "Gloria in excelsis Deo." Bach drew the three movements of this cantata from the "Gloria" of the B-minor Mass, which he had composed several years earlier. The first movements of both works are identical, while Bach fit the text of the doxology ("Glory to the Father and to the Son ...") to a duet and the concluding chorus of the "Gloria."

Choir and orchestra gave a fine account of the two choruses. Tempos were suitably brisk, the choir sang its difficult coloraturas clearly and the orchestra - notably the trumpets, led by David Chartrey - played its important parts very well.

The main thing I wanted more of was dynamic contrast; frequently the music rolled along at a steady level, and it didn't always build convincingly to a point of arrival.

In the duet, soprano Judith Pannill and tenor Stephen Robinson were the accomplished soloists. Pannill sang with great beauty of tone and flexibility, which Robinson matched very well. The flute obbligato of Alice Burke Kammerer enhanced the duet greatly.

Mozart's "Coronation" Mass, one of the finest of his early Mass settings, was the next and largest item on the program. In this work, Pannill and Robinson were joined in the solo quartet by alto Janet Carlsen Campbell and bass Neil Wilson. The soloists had little opportunity to shine in this piece, because most of the time they sang as a quartet, contrasting with the full chorus. The only extended solo was in the closing "Agnus Dei," which Pannill sang beautifully. She has a big, rich voice, very even through its full range, and marvelously well controlled.

The chorus and orchestra were in fine form throughout the Mozart, and Retallack led a spirited and well-shaped performance.

The program concluded with a singalong of "Joy to the World," after which the audience was invited to join the performers on stage to sing Handel's "Hallelujah" chorus from "Messiah," for which scores were provided. Quite a few people accepted the invitation, and many others just sang along in the audience. It was a jubilant conclusion to a festive evening, made all the more festive by including the audience in the fun.

Peter Bergquist is a professor emeritus at the University of Oregon.