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Choral Sonority with a Contemporary Consciousness Chicago
Grace Lutheran Church
04/12/2008 -
Whitacre: I thank you God for most this amazing day – Sleep – Water Night
White: Lamentations of Jeremiah – Give almes of thy goods – O God be merciful – Peccavimus cum patribus
Byrd: Miserere mei – Ave verum corpus – Sing Joyfully
Ferko: O verbum Patris – O Ignis Spiritus Paracliti – Laus Trinitati – Nunc gaudeant (From the Hildegard Motets)
Bella Voce, Andrew Lewis (Conductor and Artistic Director)
For the vocal aficionado, the phrase "bella voce" inevitably recalls another Italian term - "bel canto”, a bit of musical nomenclature that may variously refer to a specific period of composition or to refinement of vocal technique in the performance of music of any era.
In considering the work of Bella Voce (formerly “His Majestie’s Clerkes), Chicago’s wonderful 24-voice a cappella choral ensemble, the association is a particularly happy one, for the application of bel canto to an eclectic repertoire encompassing choral music from its earliest rumblings to the present day is exactly what this group does best -pointedly merging the grace of tradition with an innovative edge.
The concert was framed with two pieces by Eric Whitacre (wittily referred to in the ensemble’s marketing as “the living American rock star of choral music”), I thank you God for most this amazing day, and Water Night, both pieces providing effective vehicles for the sonority that distinguishes this ensemble. A third Whitacre piece which concluded the program’s first half proved the highlight of the evening - Sleep, a lovely composition culminating in a huge wall of sound achieved by a skillful vocal blend that exquisitely receded into silence as the word “sleep” was repeatedly whispered above an extended diminuendo floated upon a seemingly endless supply of breath.
A return to the chorale’s Tudor roots followed the opening contemporary selection with Robert White’s Lamentations of Jeremiah. The Hebrew prophet’s verses have been set no less than eight times, existing in versions by Thomas Tallis, through Palestrina, to modern renditions by Alberto Ginastera and Ernst Krenek; though as with most things Tudor, those by Tallis get the most play. Lamentations aren't everyone’s cup of tea, and those who don’t care for this kind of thing are unlikely to be converted by White’s setting, though the ensemble made a lovely thing of them. Six pieces by William Byrd and Christopher Tye completed the 16th century musical offerings, Byrd’s Ave verum corpus and Sing Joyfully boasting particularly beautiful dynamic shading as did Tye’s motet for seven parts, Peccavimus cum patribus.
Hildegard made an inevitable appearance, but with a contemporary twist via four intriguing settings by composer Frank Ferko, who was present at the April 12th performance and received an enthusiastic reception from the appreciative audience.
Chicago came perilously close to losing Bella Voce in 2005 with the retirement of Artistic Director Anne Heider, leaving a few recorded souvenirs behind on the Harmonia Mundi, Centaur, Cedille, and Narada labels. Happily, the chorale, now celebrating its 25th season, thrives again under the leadership of Andrew Lewis, who beyond his expert musicianship proves a warmly affable presence with his engaging bits of educational patter delivered between numbers.
The Bella Voce website
Mark Thomas Ketterson
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