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.