The Capital Area Chorale


Concert Review

By John W. Lambert
Spectator Online, December 2000

The concert presented by the Capital Area Chorale in the sanctuary of Edenton Street United Methodist Church on December 15--the first of two performances in different venues--broke new ground for the chorus, which has heretofore been known primarily for its somewhat lightweight programming. This intermissionless event, which lasted about an hour and a quarter, spanned a wide range of time and musical styles. It began with C. Winfred Douglas' 1940 arrangement of an 11th century hymn, "Of the Father's love begotten," which--as CAC Artistic Director William J. Weisser noted in his remarks--stems from the era that produced Gregorian chant. Next came a great work from the Renaissance; Victoria's "O magnum mysterium" is a superb piece of music that ends with a florid Alleluia. This was followed by contemporary composer Morten Lauridsen's breathtaking setting of the same text, sensitively realized by the 38 singers. Another ingenious pairing ensued as Bruckner's Ave Maria was performed before a version of Franz Biebl's setting in its SATB edition. Both the Lauridsen and the Biebl have been heard elsewhere this season but they are such impressive pieces that the repetitions were not unwelcome, and in both instances the performances were excellent. Hugo Distler's adaptation of "Lo! How a rose e'er blooming," from "The Christmas Story," turns up rarely, although the tune itself is a perennial favorite. Likewise, Mack Wilberg's setting of an 18th century American text, "Awake, arise and hail the morn," was an unusual and altogether refreshing bit of programming. Two carols by John Rutter, who has visited Raleigh, pointed the program back toward more customary fare, but there were still more pleasant surprises along the way. One of these was Richard Purvis' adaptation of the old Scottish carol "What strangers are these," in which soloists Ailsa Tessier and Malcolm Cass engaged the rest of the ensemble in what might be described as a somewhat militant marching tune; and another was Robert Hunter's "The Christmas Nightingale," in which flutist Ruth Brown and pianist Brenda Fernandez played a transcription of Chopin's "Berceuse" while the choir sang an attractive Christmas text. Also heard were "Fum, fum, fum" and "Away in the manger," which featured boy soprano Quinn Ferebee (and which was, alas, marred by intrusions from the church's PA system), together with Richmond-based David Schwoebel's version of "O come, O come, Emmanuel." Aside from some brief bits of stridency from the severely outnumbered tenors (there were but four of 'em), the performances were at high technical and artistic levels; this was particularly true--and particularly evident, too--in the numerous a cappella works. Weisser's selections represented a significant advance for this ensemble, and its members came through admirably.

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