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An ensemble of singers and orchestral musicians from Kansas City’s Rockhurst University presented a concert on the evening of December 2 at St. Francis Xavier Church. Led by director Timothy McDonald, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Rockhurst, the ensemble stayed true to their name and performed a program of sacred music celebrating the Advent and Christmas season. They began with an a cappella choral arrangement of Ave Maria by Franz Biebl, featuring soprano, alto, and tenor soloists singing antiphonally from the choir loft in the back of the church. The arrangement was beautiful, and being surrounded by lovely voices created a reverent mood which endured throughout the evening. The choir achieved a careful blend, and the balance between soloists and choir was good, but their overall volume seemed tentative for so resonant a space and so substantial an ensemble.

The choir was joined by organ and full orchestra for the second piece of the program, Henry Purcell’s Behold, I Bring You Glad Tidings. The piece began with a florid bass solo which yielded to a more up-tempo full choir. The long phrases of moving notes proved challenging for the singers, losing energy and clarity through these passages; this stood in contrast to the more unified sections, which were executed with ease.

Buxtehude’s Kommst du, kommst du, Licht der Heiden was performed beautifully. Their diction and tone quality improved with the German; the result was much clearer and crisper delivery of Buxtehude’s beautiful cantata. For a change of pace, the choir left the sanctuary and left the orchestra to play Torelli’s Pastoral Christmas Concerto. Composed of four brief movements, the opening Adagio began in haunting minor with the four string sections acting as the voices of a chorale prelude. The strongest point for the orchestra was the Largo, during which a solo violin intoned melody freely with organ accompaniment, and was joined by the rest of the strings for tender cadences; this recitative-like movement led to a jaunty final movement, the lilting triple meter evoking the pastoral dances which gave this concerto its moniker.

Concluding the serious program was Vivaldi’s Magnificat. The piece featured full choir movements as well as a few sung by a trio of soloists—soprano, alto, and tenor. The soloists sang well individually, though as a trio their individual concepts of vibrato and tone color tended to fight across the group. The full choir movements were also very well executed, achieving a blended, full sound especially in the “Et misericordia ejus” movement; the Magnificat seemed to allow the choir to open up expressively, singing with resonant sound that communicated well with the orchestra all the way until the glorious final Picardy third. Musica Sacra and orchestra garnered a well deserved round of enthusiastic applause.

The concert closed with three settings of traditional Christmas carols. A tender rendition of “Away in a Manger” was one of the best performances of the evening, and it was clear that these carols have come to occupy a special place in the hearts of the singers, as they performed each one with the warmth which accompanies these most precious songs of the season anticipating Christmas.  

REVIEW:
Musica Sacra
Winter Concert
St. Francis Xavier Church
1001 East 52nd St.,  Kansas City, MO
For more information visit http://www.rockhurst.edu/services/musicasacra/index.asp

Top Photo: Timothy McDonald

By Karen Hauge

Classical Contributor, Senior Editor

A native of New Jersey, Karen Hauge relocated to Kansas City in 2010 to attend UMKC in pursuit of her M.M. in flute performance. Since moving to Kansas City, Karen has been active as a performer within the Conservatory and as a music educator in the community, working with the Conservatory’s Community Academy of Music and Dance.

Karen earned a B.M. from the University of Delaware, where she studied music education with Suzanne Burton and Robert Streckfuss. During her time at Delaware, Karen was awarded several grants to fund an independent research project over the course of two years. The project and subsequent thesis, entitled “What Does It Mean To Be Musical?,” explored the ways in which people naturally interact with music in their everyday lives, and earned her a degree with distinction upon graduation. Karen has been active as a solo and chamber performer in Delaware, New York, and New Jersey. She has performed for world-renowned flute pedagogues such as Jeanne Baxtresser and Jeffrey Khaner, and has received honors for outstanding performance through her career at both the university and professional level. Her primary flute teachers have been Mardee Reed-Ulmer, Eileen Grycky, and Mary Posses.