The Kansas City Chorale tried something different in their Rhythm of Life concerts this past week.  For that I can applaud them - but as an effective, coherent musical experience the concert fell short.  Instead of focusing on repertoire pieces that employ rhythm as the primary compositional device, they chose instead to sing some pieces from the aforementioned category, then featured a fantastic and engaging guest artist in Valerie Naranjo, and then finally came together to perform. I just wish the experience had been more organic, more lifelike. It was an example of the sum of all the parts not adding up to a successful whole.

The less-than-stellar performance of the opening number, Joan Szymko's Ye Jaliye-o, was probably due to the choir's unfamiliarity with the newly re-opened St. Teresa's Auditorium.  Unfortunately, the hall consistently let the ensemble down throughout the afternoon last Sunday.   The performing space was small especially when jam-packed with percussion; the singers' eyes were constantly darting back and forth in uncertainty as they clearly could not hear one another across the ensemble.  The hall sucked up all their sound.  As a result, the piece fell flat and was not very engaging.

Having heard the Chorale sing Jaakko Mäntyjärvi's Canticum calamitatis maritimae in the past and other choirs tackle the jocular Pseudo-Yoik, I had high expectations for his Psalm 150.  I firmly believe the performance would have been much better had the ensemble been able to hear one another.  Instead, the execution was a muddled mass of inaccurate rhythms hampered by an already off-kilter 7/8 meter.  The degree of difficulty of the piece is very high and as I have had the benefit of hearing the KC Chorale nail similar pieces, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on this one.

Jean Belmont Ford's two works were the most successful of the evening.  Percussionist Mark Lowry's nuanced playing traded off patterns with the singers in "The Vine" from Invitations even though the choir suffered some uncharacteristic intonation issues.  The "Magnificat" from Electa was the set-piece of the concert and rightfully so.  More Salome-esque, Delilah-ish than Mary-like, the exotic rhythms played on bass drum and timpano were highlighted by a seductive, sultry solo sung by Rebecca Lloyd.  Progressing from the exotic, through more traditional choral writing, and finally ending with vocal effects, the piece was a stunning sonic journey.  The choir seemed more comfortable with this piece as the rhythms and voice leading were less complicated.

Sandwiched between the two Belmont Ford compositions was Eric Whitacre's Cloudburst-a piece full of great textures and effects used to generate a sonic landscape of a rainstorm.  Now, a choir at their level should be able to pull this piece out and have no problems with it.  Unfortunately there were intonation issues in the basses on their unison passages and the sopranos seemed unsure on any line that wasn't part of the aleatoric textures.  There was also a noticeable pitch discrepancy when the piano entered at the climax.  But even with the performance flaws, it was still an effective piece and the audience loved it.

After intermission world music percussionist Valerie Naranjo took over from Charles Bruffy.  She led the choir on two pieces and then regaled the audience with her fascinating insight into the music of various cultures ranging from Ga, to Iroquois, to Tuscarora.  She had the audience mimic her singing of working songs and lullabies while she played a variety of drums, shakers, rattles, and most impressively, the gyil (a Ghanaian marimba).  The participatory experience was fun and Naranjo has a magnetic personality.  The Chorale rejoined her for the final two numbers.

As I am no expert on world music, I will take Naranjo's explanation of a successful "performance" at her word.  It didn't matter how well the final two pieces were sung as long as they were sung with an unbridled joy of music-making.  In this the Chorale failed. They looked and sounded like a mixture between absolutely petrified, absolutely bored, and absolutely uncomfortable.  I understand that they were very much out of their comfort zone, but new musical styles should be approached openly for a successful experience.  Even if you're not in your comfort zone, don't show your fear!  Sell it!


REVIEW:
Kansas City Chorale with Valerie Naranjo
Rhythm of Life
Sunday, May 16, 2010 (Reviewed)
St. Teresa's Academy, Kansas City, MO
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Asbury United Methodist Church
www.kcchorale.org

By Lee Hartman

Editor-in-Chief; Traditional and New Classical Contributor

Lee Hartman holds degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (D.M.A., M.M.) and the University of Delaware (B.M.). At the University of Delaware, he received a Dean's Scholar position enabling him to pursue an individually designed academic program combining music education and composition. At the University of Missouri-Kansas City he served for three years as the Assistant Director to Musica Nova, the conservatory's new music ensemble, while teaching a variety of composition classes.

In 2007 he was invited to both the Iceland Academy of the Arts in Reykjavík, Iceland and the Sichuan Conservatory in Chengdu, China to give lectures and master classes in composition. In the summer of 2009, Hartman served as an orchestra manager for the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble and Aspen Opera Theater Center for various performances. He serves on the National Executive Committee of the Society of Composers, Inc. as Submissions Coordinator. His primary composition instructors include James Mobberley, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Paul Rudy, John Beall, and Jennifer Margaret Barker. He currently teaches music theory at the University of Central Missouri and general music classes at Park University having previously taught at UD (2007–08) and UMKC (2006–07).

His compositions can be found at http://www.leehartmanmusic.com