For those not familiar, the John Laing Singers is the name of a small chamber choir based in Dundas, just outside Hamilton, Ontario. This group of 24 voices presents several concerts in a series every year. In this particular concert, the programme was built around a very interesting theme. The works presented were all selected with an eye to the piano parts being of equal significance with the choral parts. In other words, none of this music could really be referred to as "choir accompanied by piano." Plainly, then, the role of pianist was of prime importance in this particular concert.
The programme opened with an evergreen staple which I've had the pleasure of singing several times myself: the so-called Hallelujah chorus from the oratorio Christus am Olberge ("Christ on the Mount of Olives") by Beethoven. I say "so-called" because the original German text, while unquestionably a hymn of praise to God, does not include the word "hallelujah" in any of its variant forms -- that is only found in the standard English-translation version most often sung today. It scans exactly to the four note dotted motif originally set by Beethoven to the words "Welten, singen" ("Worlds, sing").
The choir produced a suitably massive sound in the opening slow chordal passage, and then followed with a lighter, clearer tone in the ensuing fugue. The final cadence was both energetic and majestic.
The concert continued with choral part-songs by Schubert and Rossini, both delightful in their different styles.
The first of two major works was a world premiere: Five Middle English Love Songs by Canadian composer Bonnie Penfound. The Middle English texts were provided in full in the booklet, with the modern English equivalent words of some of the more abstruse words and obscure spellings. Some words such as wyfe were obvious enough, at least to me, but others such as hende ("fair, lovely") and unnethe ("hardly, scarcely") made the translations essential! Also intriguing to me, and a useful lesson to those pedants who would assert the "correct" spelling at all times, was the use of "than" in the same sense as the modern "then". Oh, yes, "flour" meant a blossom.
Well, what of the music? Penfound's music included a nice variety of styles for the five songs, as well as a short but amusing piano interlude after # 3 -- inspired by a picture of a mating goat in a medieval bestiary! There was a tinge of melancholy in many of the melodic lines and harmonies that was entirely suited to this poetry where love is so often depicted as unattainable. The music of the final poem was lighter and more dance-like in character, suiting the satirical lyrics praising the beauty of a woman who is in fact very ugly! The first and last songs featured additional rhythm added by a hand-held frame drum. The choir's diction in this unusual text was very clear at all times, making it possible to follow the sense of the words with no difficulty. All in all, a delightful, intriguing, and indeed provocative work!
After the intermission, there followed two short works by contemporary composers. First was Eric Whitacre's setting of an e e cummings poem, Little Man (in a Hurry). I've never been much impressed by such of Whitacre's music as I have heard before. In this case, though, he managed to produce a perfect tone painting of the scene suggested by the poem. The cut-up fragments of verse were aptly paired with similar cut-up and intercut fragments of melody, and the piece made use of tone clusters on the piano as well as in the voices. The virtuosity and precision of the choir in this work was notable.
Then came O Guiding Night by Roderick Williams. I've heard and been impressed by Williams as a singer (baritone) but this was the first time I had heard of him as a composer. Again, modern means were here placed at the service of the text, in this case a lyric and mystic poem of great beauty.
Then, a complete shift and change of mood. The final work on the concert was the first set, Op. 52, of the Liebeslieder Walzer ("Love Song Waltzes") by Brahms. These pieces were originally composed for vocal quartet and piano 4-hands. In that form, they are challenging enough that performances with chorus are now more common -- although some choirs will still use solo voices in certain numbers of the set. Here, they were sung by the choir throughout.
Brahms achieved an astonishing variety within the bounds of a collection of 18 pieces in unvarying 3/4 time signature, none lasting longer than 3 minutes. There are gentle lyrical melodies, upbeat traditional waltzes, gracious landler rhythms, and above all the furiously energetic # 11, Nein, es is nicht auszukommen mit dem Leuten (just trying saying that three times quickly!). So one of the most desirable characteristics in interpreting the Liebeslieder is a varying range of tempo to suit the character of the pieces.
The choir sang beautifully, and achieved particularly fine blend in the numbers sung by one voice only. If I had my druthers, I would have wished for more variety of tempo change from one number to the next, and a little less emphatic holding-up or pausing within some numbers. Those big juicy pauses on an upbeat sound very characteristically Austrian, to be sure, but they do pose problems of coordination between conductor, choir, and 2 pianists, and things got a bit loosened up once or twice as a result. The faster waltzes were the most successful overall. What can I say? I do have to be a little picky once in a while!
Paul Thorlakson contributed magnificently in the many complex and challenging piano parts throughout the programme. His role was critical in a concert where all the works were chosen with the major role for the piano well in mind. Timothy Lo joined him in the Brahms, and the balance between the pianists here was exemplary.
Conductor Roger Bergs was most successful in leading the choir and pianists through such a varied and challenging programme. This concert certainly was a success, as well as being thoroughly enjoyable.
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