The late George Bragg
taught his choristers, “When you perform, the audience must never see the
struggle. Only the love must show.”
Showing nothing but love
in choral performance is such a high bar that few organizations can achieve it with
consistency. Choral perfection is also marked by an absence of ego in which the
performer calls attention to him/herself, thereby distracting the audience from
noticing musical or technical errors.
The ideal choral
collective must love to sing, to create sound together, and willingly and joyfully to give
themselves over to their director. They must have overcome vocal technical
difficulties, and they must know their music and its style so that when given
the downbeat, they can produce creative chords in ensemble. So in the end, it
is love that brings a choir to that exalted place in which perfection may be accomplished.
Choral perfection was
offered to an excited audience moved by wondrous music of composers from this
country at Walt Disney Concert Hall by the Los Angeles Master Chorale and its
veteran, iconic conductor of twelve seasons, Grant Gershon.
“American Songs &
Spirituals” encompassed “Sure on this Shining Night” of Samuel Barber; “Songs
of Smaller Creatures,” a clever work featuring bees, spiders/Souls and
butterflies to lyrics by Walter de la Mare, Walt Whitman and Charles Swinburne,
respectively, by Abbie Betinis; and “General William Booth Enters Into Heaven,”
a satirical accounting of the founder of the Salvation Army’s arrival at the
gates of Heaven by the inimitable insurance salesman, Charles Ives.
And then came a world
premiere performance of a work not quite completed in time for this first
hearing by the Chorale’s own Swan Family Composer in Residence, Shawn Kirchner,
who took on the daunting challenges of poetry by the late Sylvia Plath.
 |
| Shawn Kirchner, center |
The entire seven movements
(six of which were performed) are wide-ranging in subject matter: “Morning
Song,” containing such language as “All night your moth-breath Flickers among
the flat pink roses;” “Mirror,” that gives a realistic and humorous account of
“the eye of the little god, four-cornered” but which takes a sudden dark turn
in the form of a lake, into which a woman peers as she seeks to find
forgiveness for having drowned a young girl; “Lady Lazarus,” a horrific account
by a deceased Jewish woman in the wake of Nazi concentration camp
dehumanization and murder, in which she says, “Dying is an art, like everything
else. I do it exceptionally well;” “Poppies in October” contains a sentiment
that triggered Mr. Kirchner’s interest in Ms. Plath’s writings: “Oh my God,
what am I (t)hat these late mouths should cry open In a forest of frost, in a
dawn of cornflowers;” “Child” that begins, “Your clear eye is the one
absolutely beautiful thing;” and “Blackberrying” that depicts a stroll across
grassy hills, finding an occasional bee-occupied blackberry bush, and
continuing on toward the sea and its infinite view and crashing surf. (The
yet-to-be completed “Tulips” will be included in future performances.) Mr.
Kirchner’s exceptional arranging skills have been displayed frequently over the
past 12 seasons of his association with the Chorale as a member of the tenor
section. Most popular everywhere is his “Wana Baraka,” a Kenyan folksong. In
the performance of “Plath Songs” Mr. Kirchner accompanied at the piano, with
the excellent Theresa Dimond assisting on percussion.
After intermission, the 46
gentlemen of the Master Chorale took the stage to perform Elliott Carter’s
“Tarantella” with sizzling tone in this paean of praise to the “Mother of
Flowers” and bacchanal joys of Spring, accompanied by Mr. Kirchner and the
wonderful Lisa Edwards. At a polar mood opposite, the Master Chorale performed
Samuel Barber’s own choral version (“Agnus Dei”) of his well-known Adagio for
Strings, over-conducted by associate conductor Lesley Leighton, with Karen
Hogle Brown providing the stratospherics.
Arguably the most
impressionable work of the evening was Eric Whitacre’s “Three Songs of Faith.”
The three movements with lyrics by e.e. cummings, “i will wade out,” “hope,
faith, life, love …” and “i thank you God for most this amazing day” are
incredible choral works. The most magical moment comes on the last word of the
first movement, “moon” in which the composer conjures a choral web of sound
that both astounds and delights in kaleidoscopic wonder, brilliantly performed
by the Master Chorale. It is no wonder that Mr. Whitacre’s compositions are
widely performed and loved.
The concluding portion of
the concert featured “Ain-a That Good News” arranged by William Dawson, “Hold
On!” by Jester Hairston, “Keep Your Lamps!” arranged by André Thomas, and “The
Battle of Jericho” arranged by Moses Hogan. This quartet of Spirituals got the
audience really rocking with infectious rhythms and joyful singing that openly
displayed the love that was reflected throughout Walt Disney Concert Hall.
“Shenandoah” in the familiar beautiful arrangement by James Erb was the encore
to the concert and the season.
*********
An annual rite of passage for the Chorale at the
end of every season is the farewell “thank you” to departing choristers. In
descending order of service, this year’s “good-byes and best wishes” are
showered upon Holly Shaw Price for her outstanding 27 years of Master Chorale
performances; Steven Fraider and Dominic MacAller for their 18 years; Mary
Bailey for her 17; Susan Mills for her 15; Carrie Dike, 6 years; Drew Holt, 5
years; Ed Nepomuceno, 4 years; and Duke Rausavljevich, one year.
Photo credits: petersmusinews.com,
Lee Salem
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