Capital Region Performance Gallery

Concert Review

Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra

Stained Glass Concert

The first concert of the 2018-2019 season of the Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra (SCSO) was held in the spacious Fremont Presbyterian Church, with the nave dominated by the exposed pipes of its Reuter organ. As I sat waiting for the performance to begin, I couldn’t help thinking that if this weren’t a church, it would be a magnificent concert hall.  How fortunate that the church’s elders allow it to be used for such a purpose.

This was a “Stained Glass” concert, suggesting the venue, and also implying the absence of the full orchestra with which SCSO typically performs. I especially like this format because I can look forward to more a cappella singing and moments that truly showcase the quality of chorus. Tonight’s program consisted of 3 works:

• Berliner Messe, by Arvo Pärt
• Litaniae de venerabili altaris Sacramento, by W.A. Mozart
• Laudes Organi, by Zoltán Kodály

I’ll confess that, before this concert, I had no familiarity at all with these 3 works, and very little familiarity with Pärt and Kodály. My purpose in a review like this is to tell how an equally novice audience member would have experienced this event, though from the perspective of someone who really appreciates choral music and had a lifetime of singing it.

After an informative welcome and introduction by SCSO Board President, James McCormick, the church darkened and the chorus processed to their risers on the altar of the church, using the right and left aisles, and to the accompaniment of a gentle organ prelude. This was a dignified start to the concert, but I was disappointed that the continuous organ music precluded the opportunity to acknowledge with applause the entrance of Music Director Donald Kendrick.

Arvo Pärt: Berliner Messe. I think one has to be prepared for the music of Arvo Pärt. For a start, it is very different from Baroque and other classical forms. In this piece one was struck by the overall “chordal” structure, implying an absence of extended moving lines in the vocal parts. Yet for all its unexpectedness, I found this piece harmonic and ultimately appealing. And I hope that was true for at least most of the rest of the audience.

There was minimal organ accompaniment and many moments when the chorus was singing a cappella. The soprano section impressed me at the start when they performed their first solo section forcefully but without oversinging. And maybe it’s that the Latin text is familiar to me, but the articulation of all chorus sections was such that, despite my distance from the risers and the resonance of the church, I could hear their words clearly.

Each section of this piece had a distinctive color, but it seemed that one thing they had in common was the absence of what one might call melodies. There were many pleasant moments that I would like to call “tone sequences” ― pleasant sounds with exquisite dissonances, but not really something that the audience could latch onto as a theme or melody. Most of the piece felt like a sequence of short phrases, and I didn’t get the feeling that it was all building to something.

There were brief solos by tenor Michael Dailey and bass Shawn Spiess, and a lengthier solo by soprano Patricia Westley, which she performed with the men’s section of the chorus. It was the first demonstration of her pleasing tone and vocal agility that were to be even more on display later in the evening.

Throughout the performance of this piece, I was analyzing it, wondering what I really thought about it. Then, before I could form a conclusion, it was over ― too soon I’d say, because I was finding it quite engaging. My final judgment: Pärt’s Berliner Messe was well worth listening to and contemplating.

Mozart: Litaniae de venerabili altaris Sacramento. This piece began with an elaborate organ part that included many flourishes, setting a completely new mood. For their part, the chorus seemed to come alive, and I detected a lot more smiles than were visible during the performance of the Pärt, especially from the sopranos when they completed their first difficult section. As you would expect with Mozart, there was a lot more movement: extended phrases in each voice part, counterpoint, fugues, and lots of variability in dynamics. As James McCormick explained in his introduction, it was joyful, powerful music.

There was a fair amount of solo work here. Soprano Patricia Westley navigated her first solo passage expertly and then rewarded us with a smile at its conclusion. I noticed her confidence grow (deservedly) as the evening progressed. Mezzo Julie Miller gave an expressive performance, and I could see why she has had so much success in her many operatic roles. Clearly, both women were having fun with their parts. The men were phlegmatic by comparison, but no less fine singers. Bass Shawn Spiess delivered a solid performance that showed why he is a “go to” bass/baritone in so many classical performances. Tenor Michael Dailey had the opportunity to give an extended solo performance in the “Panis Omnipotentia” section of this work. I'll confess that I often lose patience with extended solos by tenors, but Dailey was easy to listen to, and I was especially impressed by his calm, effortless high notes.

Meanwhile there was grand singing from the chorus, which included an interesting sforzando passage in the “Verbum Caro Factum” section, and I noticed many other demonstrations of excellent vocal control. In some ways, the piece amounted to a musical tapestry, with displays of excellence from each section of the chorus. And the exuberance of the singers was an indication of how much fun it was to sing this music.

As the Mozart began to draw to a close, I found myself thinking about how central director Kendrick was to everything I had been hearing. Drawing on his abundant repertoire of directorial arm and hand movements and facial cues, he signaled each emotional change to the chorus, while giving precise entrances and starting words, along with clear cutoffs. There is an inspiring spark to this chorus that he’s delivered for over 20 years, and from my perspective, having watched him closely for the past 6 years, he’s lost none of his accuracy, artistry, and charisma.

Kodály: Laudes Organi. We knew from the start that Kodaly’s piece would feature the organ. After all “Laudes Organi” translates as “Praise to the Organ.” It was commissioned by the Atlanta Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and it was Kodály’s last published work, having appeared in 1966. Appropriately, the piece began with a dramatic organ solo, full of dissonance to get one’s attention and a wide-ranging harmonic exploration of several different moods. What amazed me was the energy that Ryan Enright brought to this challenging introduction, considering he had been playing almost continuously for the previous hour and ten minutes.

It was fully 5 minutes before the chorus began singing. As before, they were singing in Latin, but the text was not religious. Instead, it was a celebration of the organ and the work of the organist. Wonderful as Fremont Presbyterian Church and its organ are, it was a great pity that this piece could not be performed at the Sacramento Community Center Theater, to allow the projection of the translation of this text in supertitles. The audience would have gotten so much more understanding ― and pleasure ― by following the meaning of the words as they were sung. As I interpret them, the chorus was asking the audience to pay attention, commenting on the playing of the organist, and encouraging him. It would have been almost humorous to follow the words in translation as they were sung.

This was an energetic piece, and as I listened, it occurred to me that in many cases (including this one, I’d argue), good singing is as much about the energy one brings as it is about hitting the right notes. For its part there were many moments when the chorus just took flight, only to be superseded by the organ, carrying the music to a higher level. It’s been called the “king of the instruments,” and this piece made a strong argument for that fact. But not without the skill of the organist, who wrung so many moods and emotions from his instrument.

As the piece drew to a close, there was a build to a truly grand section that felt like a finale by both organ and chorus ― only to be followed by a gentle, pensive section, as if to demonstrate the versatility of the performers. The interesting construction of the final simple statement of “Fiat. Amen.” (“So be it. Amen.”) was followed by a triumphant fugue by the chorus. Then Kendrick simply stopped conducting, and Enright ― appropriately ― brought the piece to a conclusion.

Donald Kendrick congratulates Ryan Enright as soloists look on	Patricia Westley, Julie Miller, Donald Kendrick, Michael Dailey, Shawn Spiess, Ryan Enright

Anticipating this concert, I was a little concerned that it would be difficult to appreciate the Pärt and Kodály pieces. I was wrong to be concerned. I found much to enjoy and think about in both of these works. But I couldn’t help envying the singers, director and organist. No one appreciates a piece of music like the person who has studied it enough to be able to perform it. That said, and with the addition of that wonderful Mozart composition, this evening’s concert was a choral feast, especially welcome after a long summer essentially bereft of choral music.

(P.S. This concert was the occasion for the release of SCSO’s latest CD, “Jubilate!” a recording of its live May 12 concert. Click here for more information.)

Dick Frantzreb is past editor of the Sacramento Choral Calendar and co-founder and past President of the Sacramento Valley Choral Coalition. He currently edits the Capital Region Performance Gallery and the Placer Performance Calendar.