"With the 12-member chamber ensemble Vox Musica, performing Saturday at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sacramento, the focus is more intimate, and much of the power comes from a pliant approach and risky programming."
This weekend will offer fans of choral music a distinct choice.
With the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra, which performs next Sunday at the Mondavi Center for the Arts in Davis, the music is usually powerful and grand in scope, as is the result when an 185-member chorus and full orchestra come together.
With the 12-member chamber ensemble Vox Musica, performing Saturday at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sacramento, the focus is more intimate, and much of the power comes from a pliant approach and risky programming.
But there are striking similarities between the two.
Both are presenting provocative programs to close out their concert seasons. And both programs see each ensemble stepping out of their programming comfort zones. Both have chosen to cast a spotlight on its singers with solo turns.
With the SCSO‘s "Choral Soundscapes," the focus is usually on one composer and the grand oratorio. But this time it is undertaking a range of repertoire spanning 400 years, from the 21st century work of Eric Whitacre to Bach’s "Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen."
"We wanted to branch out a little. We wanted to show off the wide choral repertoire and the sounds of different composers and styles, and the techniques used in them, instead of having a whole evening of one composer’s music," said SCSO conductor and artistic director Don Kendrick.
The program is wide-ranging. The 10 works to be performed include Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Corigliano‘s 16-minute "Fern Hill," from 1960, one of the composer’s earliest choral works. That work is set to a poem from Dylan Thomas’ "Death and Entrances." Mezzo-soprano Hannah Penn will appear as soloist.
"The chorus carries this piece, which offers tone clusters and chord clusters," said Kendrick. "It’s quite modern sounding, but the sounds are not jarring ones."
There will be some seldom-performed works as well that include the short and elegiac "Elegischer Gesang (Song of Longing)" by Beethoven, one of his more touching works. "Laetatus Sum," a motet by Michael Haydn, brother of Franz Joseph Haydn, will also be performed. Michael Haydn, a lesser figure in classical music now, was a highly regarded composer in the 18th century, especially for his sacred choral works.
The SCSO does not shy from the 21st century when it performs "Lux Aurumque," a 2001 work by one of Corigliano’s students, 39-year-old composer Eric Whitacre.
"Eric Whitacre is probably the hottest name in choral music around the globe," Kendrick said. The work is written for a cappella choir.
Kendrick wants to show off individual soloists in the choir by programming John Rutter‘s "Feel the Spirit," a cycle of seven spirituals arranged for mezzo-soprano, choir and orchestra.
The work offers expressive arrangements of well-known works such as "Steal Away" "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" and "When the Saints Go Marching in."
"This gives our singers a chance to be featured just like what is done at the Sacramento Philharmonic when they feature one of their musicians as soloist," said Kendrick.
The work will showcase SCSO chorus members soprano Joyce Scolnick and baritone John Martin.
Showing off the merits of singers is also the goal of "Focus: A Recital of Voices," Vox Musica’s season-ending concert at St. John’s Lutheran Church on Saturday evening. In this concert, conductor and artistic director Daniel Paulson allowed his singers to chose their own repertoire from which to display their musical prowess.
"That concept came up because I was trying to find a way to give something back to our singers for volunteering their time throughout the year," said Paulson.
To pull this off, Paulson offered each singer a 10-minute set wherein they could do any combination of length of song.
"Then I selected the works that I thought would highlight their voice and singing style," he said. "I told them I valued newer works, and works that were fresh and different."
Nine of the 12 singers of Vox Musica took the bait.
The result is a nine-part concert program that ranges from Handel to bluegrass, with the select performers joining in including the Narrow Gauge String Band, pianist Steven Johnson and guitarist Matthew Grasso.
The concert is arranged in chronological order starting with three works by Handel to be sung by soprano Lisa Spivak. Soprano Naomi Peterson follows with three works from the operatic repertoire, which leads to mezzo-soprano Donna Helmic-Agnello singing works by Schumann, Hugo Wolf and Richard Strauss.
But the music does not stay in classical mode entirely as singers have chosen works that hail from other cultures as well as pop and jazz music.
Alto Lara Pucik Christensen has chosen "Still Crazy After All These Years" as one of her showcase works, and alto Parisa Soltani has tapped a Turkish and an Iranian song for her outing. Alto Valerie Dickinson chose three well-known jazz standards for her set.
Alto Kathryn Brothers will sing a three-song set of bluegrass music that includes works by Ron Block and Mosie Lister. She will be accompanied by the Narrow Gauge String Band. Soprano Alison George will include the premiere of Sarah Majorins’ "The Orange Song" in her set and alto LuAnne Hightower performs her "Salawat."
The concept of showcasing singers in this kind of programming is one that the Vox Musica audience has expressed interest in, Paulson said. As a result, Paulson is considering making the last concert of each season a showcase for its singers.
"I’m testing the waters right now," he said. "So far the idea has been well received, and everyone seems excited by it."
And none more than his singers, which was the ultimate point, Paulson said.
"All of them appreciate the opportunity to craft their own performances so much, they’re even crafting their own program notes," he said. "The concept re-engages them, boosts morale and gets them excited about next season."
A WEEKEND OF CHORAL MUSIC
VOX MUSICA
FOCUS: A RECITAL OF VOICES
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1701 L St., Sacramento
TICKETS: $15
INFORMATION: (916) 471-0507 or www.voxmusica.net