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 The Kansas City Chorale holiday concert featured Ottorino Respighi's Lauda per la Nativita per Signore but also brought to light a handful of other remarkable choral gems. The audience of 350 (braving frigid weather) was treated to a substantial program, replete with the consummate professionalism for which the Chorale is known. 

The singers processed without fanfare into the church, chanting the simple but celebratoryHodie Christus natus est (Today Christ is Born); their entrance replicated an authentic rendering of the timely prayer. To follow were three choral settings of this Christmas text, a clever programming choice that gave opportunity to compare how three Renaissance-era composers- Gabrieli, Byrd, and Palestrina-treated the same words. Gabrieli composed to take advantage of the expansive architecture of the San Marco Cathedral where he worked in 16th-century Venice, so Bruffy exploited the composer's penchant for cori spezzati ("broken choirs") in the gracious space of the Redemporist Church. The swift "Gloria in excelsis deo" of Gabrieli's setting featured precise imitative dialogue between the spatially separated choirs. While Byrd's Hodie highlighted the English composer's richly triadic (and pleasantly accessible) musical language, nothing outclasses Palestrina: the choir responded nimbly to the demands of Palestrina's layered polyphony, and the transparency of the linear counterpoint was the high point of the opening sequence. 

Herbert Howell's A Spotless Rose was another luxury of the first half, with a sensuous and sensitive choral blend to accommodate baritone Bryan Taylor's exemplary solo. The women's Coventry Carol began a trio of Michael McGlynn arrangements. The carol brought a marked stylistic change from the Renaissance stile antico of the opening Hodiesettings: here lush dissonances provided a dark mood to translate musically the ominous message in this text.  Away in a Manger was perhaps a simple gift to the audience, but the delivery of the soprano descant was superb. If Rebecca Lloyd's solo on O Holy Nightseemed overly dramatic, listeners were still treated to a lovely rendition of this seasonal favorite and to the inevitable shivers that only this marriage of melody and theme (brotherhood and peace) can bring. 

Cecilia McDowall's Three Latin Motets began with "Ave Regina." With its vivid dissonance and unexpected density, it became clear for the first time that the ensemble was indeed working (thus far the singers had made it seem effortless). Only solid concentration can get an ensemble through such musical challenges with only one flawed entrance. "Ave Maria" featured the women this time in an ethereal, chromatic language that truly brought to bear the mystery of the season. The migration from gloomy harmonies to transparent consonance was magical text painting. "Regina Caeli" celebrated a full choral texture, bursting with momentum and energy buoyed by the men's robust contribution, as listeners witnessed the Chorale's impressive agility in this dynamic piece. 

Respighi's Laud to the Nativity is a rarely performed but engaging and unpredictable piece. From the composer's astute understanding of orchestration (undoubtedly refined by studying with Rimsky-Korsakov) emerged an instrumental introduction that transported the audience from the first to the second half of the concert. The exoticism in the melodic material helped with this shift, as listeners were taken in by Respighi's artistic interpretation of Todi's 13th-century text. Throughout the 30 minute work, Respighi exploited regional color and the story's pastoral premise via atmospheric instrumental interludes, each of which was an essential part of the narrative sequence. 

Respighi was a composer comfortable looking to the past for musical material. This piece perhaps even pays homage to J.S. Bach. Like a Baroque cantata, Respighi's Laudamoves fluidly from solo arioso to more lyrical passages and through instrumental interludes, with significant choral participation interspersed. Paulette Resch's portrayal of the angel was commanding, with exquisite control throughout, but most admirably at the triumphant "Gloria in excelsis deo" ending. David Adams' contribution as the shepherd was admirable, supplying a gentle yet distinctive rendering of the text about Jesus' birth. Lisa Fredenburgh's Mary was appropriately dramatic; the chant-like declamation of her realization that "I am the mother of ... the eternal God" was perfect. The spirit of the season was brought utterly into focus with the choral declamation, "Laude, gloria e onore a te" (Praise, glory and honor to you), complete with crisp, layered runs and brilliant soprano lines. 

Bruffy's raptly attentive singers are his best resource, and from them he gets what he wants. They responded to his artistic requests for extended phrases and sustained cadences that celebrated the challenging acoustics of Redemptorist's soaring vertical heights. Aside from some awkward moments relating to logistics (the moving from one arrangement to another seemed to break the mood), all the accolades typically given this group apply to this performance: superb balance, blend, and control were paired with perfect diction, achieved through well-matched vowels within and across sections. For all the publicity surrounding this celebrated ensemble, however, each local concert is a fresh reminder that these singers are simply musicians committed to strengthening ties within the community, doing their part to bring to life familiar and unfamiliar works for Kansas City audiences. 
 

REVIEW:
Kansas City Chorale Holiday Concert: Laud to the Nativity
Sunday, December 14, 2008 at  2pm
Redemptorist Church, 3333 Broadway, Kansas City, MO 
www.kcchorale.org

By Sarah Tyrrell

Opera, Vocal and Classical Contributor

Since 2004, Dr. Sarah Tyrrell has been part of the Musicology faculty at the UMKC Conservatory of Music. In 2003, she completed doctoral work at the University of Kansas and also holds degrees in music history and voice performance from the New England Conservatory of Music and Kansas State University. At UMKC, Sarah teaches undergraduate and graduate classes in music history and world music, as well as graduate seminars on American and Latin American musics. Sarah has presented her research locally and nationally (her research specialty is the art music of Brazil) and actively guest lectures about town on Brazilian popular subjects such as samba and bossa nova. Her articles and reviews have appeared in Musical Quarterly, Latin American Research Review, and Latin American Perspectives.

Sarah is also active in the Kansas City choral music scene: she is the Artistic Director of the Metropolitan Chorale of Kansas City and also sings soprano with the group. This 60-voice ensemble presents four concerts each year and recently completed a performance tour of Brazil.