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Love was in the air at the Fine Arts Chorale Valentine’s Concert on Saturday night at Californos Restaurant. Conceived as tribute to Ginger Rogers centenary birth-year, the Chorale partnered with Californos for an evening buffet dinner and concert topped off with champagne and chocolates. The evening was a sell-out, and the audience appeared to have a fine time even in the very cramped quarters.

Ably directed by Terri Teal, the Chorale’s program was organized to pay tribute to Ginger Rogers, so the first selections were thematically connected to either dance or love. The Chorale opened with selections from Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer, a series of poetic lyrics that were a bit like dialogues of love. These short Romantic waltzes feature the men singing morosely “Oh, these women” (O die Frauen), or the women longing for true love. After a bit of a tentative start on “Rede, Mädchen,” the men established a grounded sound that effectively supported the lighter sopranos and altos. The Chorale is generally balanced vocally, and that balance was especially nice in the lovely final Brahms selection “Es bebet das Gesträuche” (“Each tender leaf is trembling”).

The pivotal piece of the concert’s first half was John Tavener’s Village Wedding, which combined twentieth-century poetry by Angelos Sikelianos with texts from the Greek Orthodox wedding service. It is a fascinating piece with a lovely ostinato line—“Oh Isaiah dance for joy, for the virgin is with child”—that shifted through several voices and variations throughout the piece. The women’s voices were particularly clear and pure throughout this number, both in this oft-repeated line and in the woven texts reflecting the bride’s anticipation of the wedding and the family and neighbors’ blessings of fertility and happiness. Most notable about this piece was the Chorale’s ability to sustain the strength of sound and vocal line through the a cappella harmonies and key changes.

A rousing arrangement by Bob Chilcott of “Buffalo Gals” ended the Chorale’s part of the concert’s opening half; however, the audience was treated to a performance of skill, precision and beauty by dancers Jim and Jessica MacAuley as they did a Fred-and-Ginger-inspired dance to “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.”

The final four numbers were a direct tribute to Rogers: songs from her films including “The Continental” by Con Conrad. It was introduced in the 1934 film The Gay Divorcee and won that year’s Academy Award for Best Song. The final three numbers were arranged by Geoffrey Wilcken, the Chorale’s accompanist: George Gershwin’s “A Foggy Day in London Town,” Jerome Kern’s “The Way You Look Tonight,” and Cole Porter’s “Night and Day,” were all skillfully sung, but “Night and Day” was a special standout, with its tight harmonies and some cool jazz riffs to round out the evening’s eclectic entertainment.

This concert was an inspired idea that clearly resonated with the audience. Judging from their response, it would appear the Fine Arts Chorale has a new and exciting concert tradition to explore.

REVIEW:
Fine Arts Chorale
A Valentine’s Tribute to Ginger Rogers
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Californos
4124 Pennsylvania, Kansas City, MO
For more information visit http://www.fineartschoralekc.org/

Top Photo: Ginger Rogers in Follow Me (1936)

By Sarah Young

Classical and Musical Theatre Contributor

Sarah Young is a freelance writer and performer in opera, theatre, choral and musical theatre. She has been seen locally with Wichita Grand Opera, Kansas City Symphony Chorus, Kansas City Civic Opera, Lawrence Community Theatre, Chestnut Fine Arts Center and in other local venues.  She studied voice at the University of Kansas, and has been trained in artist programs at Indiana University, Aspen Opera Theatre and the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.