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Music Director, Terri Teal led the Fine Arts Chorale in a holiday concert titled Deck the Hallat Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral on Friday night.  In keeping with the 'All Nature Sings' theme of their 36th season, the selections for the first set of carols featured pieces that use the rose as a simile for Mary or Jesus.  The program began with the thirty singers processing into the cathedral singing in English the beautiful ancient German carol, Lo, how a rose e're blooming.  The growing presence of the choir produced a visual as well as aural sense of the symbolism in the text.  Individual vocal parts were highlighted in the first verse sung along the aisles, yielding to a rich full choral blend as the second verse sung with the ensemble assembled in front of the nave, filling the cathedral space with a very pretty blend, good intonation and clearly articulated text.  

The choir evoked a somber mood in the traditional Catalonian villancico entitled The Frozen December, by prefacing the piece with low humming, reminiscent of a cold constant wind.  The soprano descant in the third verse was sung lightly for a whistle-like effect of piercing wind above the melody, which warmed in vocal quality as words about the sweet perfume of Lily were sung, and the volume of the choir receded into an effective pianissimo at the end of the piece on the word 'tender'.  The next carol, Maria walks amid the thorn, was notable for its delivery of crisp beginning consonants, the first two verses sung in parts by the ladies and the gentlemen, respectively.  The parts combined for the third verse, where a good fortissimo effect was achieved, and perfectly tuned octaves brought the carol to its ending note.  Tenor soloist, David Lynch sang in a clear, full-bodied voice to Herbert Howells' A Spotless Rose, also outstanding for the good dynamic range Teal achieved from the choir towards the end of the piece.  

Opening humming chords introduced the Appalachian carol, I wonder as I wander, effectively changing the mood to match the next theme of the program that embraced the elements of nature in the following set of carols.  The tenor voice of Robert Bond carried well in the resplendent space of the Cathedral, whose stone features, bedecked tastefully with Advent greenery, proclaimed visual affirmation of Christ's relevance these many centuries after his birth. Arlen Clarke's exquisite classic, Summer in Winter, followed.  Clarke was a chorister of the Trinity Choir at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral when he wrote the piece in 1990, and dedicated it to "Choirmaster and organist, John Schaefer."  Its text, Hymn to the Holy Nativity, was written in 1648 by Richard Crashaw.  The choir achieved a wonderful building of tone to the words 'Welcome all wonders in one sight, Eternity shut in a span.'  The ambience of the Cathedral lent its myriad treasures of beauty to the aural experience of that music written expressly for its very space.  The first half of the program concluded with Poulenc's riveting Quatre Motets pour le temps de Noel,marked by uneven intonation at the beginning, but ending in very good rhythmic drive of the mixed meter Hodie Christus natus est. 

The second half of the program featured a trio of traditional Christmas carols, sung splendidly, beginning with Deck the Hall arranged by John Rutter.  O Tannenbaum was sung in a very beautiful arrangement by Mark Ball, with a warm full sound from the choir that grew even fuller and more lyrical in the third verse, the highlight of the evening.  The Holly and the Ivy, arranged by composer and accompanist of the choir, Geoff Wilcken, was declared by Director Teal from the podium to be, "The best arrangement of that carol I know."  This critic concurs.  Lush opening chords opened into the melody sung by the women above a dense harmony from the men.  A fugal treatment from the men led into a playful 'playing of the merry harp', with good variations in texture and clear diction throughout.

The 16th Century carol, Riu, Riu, Chiu brought excellent rhythmic pulse and exciting solos from David Lynch, Geoff Wilcken, Kitty Degler and Fred Eberhart.  The Little Burro featured effective tone painting in the solo from Bryan Unger.  A lovely, contemplative solo piano opened The Oxen, which followed.  The program concluded with a stirring performance ofNoel, an African carol by Todd Smith, arranged by Brad Holmes, featuring drums and trombone-like downward vocal slides in its opening notes.  Its compelling African chordal progressions were punctuated by the choir with loud stomps on the floor after the word, Noel, and by unison claps in groups of four celebrating the spirit of the season.  

The concert-goers were invited to join the singers at what has become a traditional component of Fine Arts Chorale concerts, a cookies and coffee reception in Founders' Hall.
 

Review:  Fine Arts Chorale presents
Deck the Hall
with Conductor, Terri Teal
Friday, December 5, 7:30 pm at Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral (Reviewed)

Tuesday, December 9, 2008, 7:30 pm 
Southminster Presbyterian Church
6306 Roe Avenue, Prairie Village, KS

For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.fineartschoralekc.org

By Gayle G. Hathorne

Classical and Vocal Contributor (Past writer)