The Press Democrat  'Child' collaboration a heartfelt success SRS, choirs soloists combine to beat heat in chilling oratorio April 15, 2002 By DIANE PETERSON Despite a heat wave inside the Burbank Center for the Arts, the Santa Rosa Symphony delivered a crisp performance of Sir Michael Tippett's chilling "A Child of Our Time" on Saturday in collaboration with two local choirs and four guest soloists.  The 73-minute oratorio, written by the British composer between 1939 and 1941, is as sharp and angular as the broken glass upon which it is based.  Tippett built the work around a real-life incident - the terrifying Kristallnacht attack by the Nazis, who smashed the windows of Jewish shops and synagogues in retaliation for a young Jewish boy's murder of a German diplomat. The title was derived from a novel by anti-Nazi writer Odon von Horvath.  The oratorio's tortuous vocal lines are softened somewhat by Tippett's use of African-American spirituals in place of the German chorales that normally punctuate a baroque oratorio.  The spirituals, which lift the work out of its time and place, underscore the underlying theme of hardship and oppression while sharing a rhythmic bond with the rest of the piece.  Under Jeffrey Kahane's leadership, the combined forces of Bob Worth's Sonoma County Bach Choir and Dan Earl's Santa Rosa High School Choir - some 140 voices strong - brought impressive energy and dynamic shape to the work, especially during the complex fugal passages and heartrending spirituals.  While the young voices in the choir occasionally had trouble reaching the high notes and cut-offs were not always synchronized with the soloists, the choir held its own with the professionals.  Although "A Child of Our Time" can feel a bit choppy at times, the transition into the first spiritual - "Steal Away" - is a moment of pure, crystaline beauty.  Thanks to the artistry of soprano Janice Chandler and tenor Richard Clement, "Steal Away" handily stole the show, along with the fervent "Go Down, Moses" spiritual and the plaintive "Deep River" finale.  As the narrator of the work, bass soloist Derrick Parker sang his lines with dramatic gravitas and crisp diction, but mezzo soprano Milagro Vargas' marbly voice was often overpowered.  Squeezed in tightly between the choirs and the soloists, the orchestra played with fierce rhythmic intensity, from the brilliant opening chord in the brass to the hushed accompaniment of the finale.  Principal violist Linda Ghidossi-DeLuca executed a particularly mournful solo in Part I, and the woodwinds lent stellar support throughout.  Under the sauna-like conditions - apparently caused by technical problems with the air-conditioning system - it's a miracle no one on stage fainted, or at the very least, lost their concentration.  Those attending the sold-out performance tonight should enjoy cooler conditions. Arrive early to watch dance and drama performances and take in the inspiring art and photography displayed in the lobby, created by students at Santa Rosa High School in collaboration with the symphony.  It's a fitting tribute for - and by - the children of our own time.