February 10, 2010, Classical
Sacred, but not so profane
Expertly navigating the twisted terrain of several selections, Quink demonstrated its polyphonic prowess. The singers flawlessly sensed timing and tuning. There was never a distracting sway, nod or toe tap to reveal their internal beat. It was a treat to savor the group's elegant sounds.
The soaring stucco ceilings at Visitation Catholic church provide a lavish acoustic perfect for five a capella voices. The reverberant space allows sound to breathe and mellow like good red wine swirling in a glass. The Danish choral ensemble Quink warmed the venue last Saturday night as part of the Visitation Fine Arts Society offering with a program of music billed as sacred and profane.
The sacred music filled the first half of the program. Juxtaposing the liturgical elements of a William Byrd Mass with motets by Robert Johnson, Martin Peerson, Quink sang pieces that mixed reverence and contrition. The second half featured three sets of very sweet and only slightly risqué 20th century secular songs by Gerald Finzi, Ralph Vaughan Williams and the Hungarian composer Matyas Gyorgy Seiber that were more precious than profane.
Expertly navigating the twisted terrain of the Byrd Missa Sine Nomine a 4, Quink demonstrated its polyphonic prowess. Byrd rocks and swings the melismatic passages in each of the voices as the harmonies converge and diverge. The singers flawlessly sensed timing and tuning. There was never a distracting sway, nod or toe tap to reveal their internal beat. Every ending made me smile.
The part songs by English composer Martin Peerson (1571-1651) were fresh and interesting. The lush descending lines of Lord, ever bridle my desires, sounded almost jazz-like with crunchy dissonances that resolved in surprising and satisfying ways.
Sopranos Marjon Strijk and Mariette Oelderik have a sibling-like vocal synergy that sounded free even though it was carefully controlled. There was a maturity about the sound that didn't come from vibrato, but more from an awareness of not letting the high notes fly into the stratosphere. The soaring descants and overarching lines by Strijk, were always perfectly centered.
The bass, Kees-Jan de Koning, set forth a solid foundation upon which to tune. Harry van Berne's tenor voice projected strength of line, particularly when singing the introit passages. Together they came alive during the charming dialog in the song Dark Eyed Sailor and again in the ever popular Loch Lomand.
It was the alto, Elsbeth Gerritsen, who surprised me the most. She provided understated support throughout the program but stepped full into the limelight during her solos in the Vaughn Williams piece Alister McAlpines Lament. I wanted to hear more of her during the polyphonic pieces, knowing that she had such a strong and rich sound.
Quink has been singing since 1978 and the singers' unspoken understanding of each other is evident in their effortless choral connection. It was difficult to believe that this youthful looking ensemble had been together for 32 years, making music and delighting audiences in Europe and America. It was treat for Kansas City to savor the group's elegant sounds.
REVIEW
Venue Visitation
Quink Vocal Ensemble
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Visitation Church
5141 Main Street, Kansas City, MO
For more information visit www.visitationfineartssociety.com
Classical, Vocal and Theatre Contributor
Megan Browne Helm grew up singing, dancing and acting. Inspired by Emma Kirkby as a high school student in St. Louis she went on to study voice and sing with the Collegium Musicum at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio where she also had a radio show of contemporary classical music on WOBC. At the University of Kansas she had the pleasure of working with former Kings’ Singer, Simon Carrington in his Collegium Musicum and Oread consort. Years later, she was a choral fellow at the Yale School of Music’s Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. She is currently singing with the Kansas City Symphony Chorus under the direction of Charles Bruffy.
As a freelance music and culture writer her work can be found on KCMetropolis.org, presentmagazine.com, the Lawrence Journal World, Shawnee Magazine, Leawood Lifestyle Magazine and KC Parent. She was one of 26 journalists in the country chosen as a NEA Institute Fellow for Classical Music and Opera at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Her current interest is how classical music remains relevant through active collaborations with artists in different fields, including science. She also sees a connection between classical music, travel and food as a way to engage all of the senses in a 360 degree cultural experience. She blogs at raworganum.wordpress.com.