Note: In the interest of honest disclosure all reviews are presented without omission of any relevant material.

Majestic rendition of Choral Vivaldi

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 6, 1994
Phlllppa Kiraly, Special to the P-l

We don't hear enough - indeed we hear hardly anything of Vivaldi's sacred choral works. But after hearing three of them, performed Saturday night by The Seattle Choral Company, this neglect seems inexplicable.

The "Magnificat" in G Minor (in Vivaldi's first version), the "Kyrie" in C Minor, and the "Dixit Dominus" in D Major are all magnificent pieces, worthy to set beside Each's creations in the same genre, and it was a good choice to perform them in Seattle First Presbyterian Church.

The sound of the chamber orchestra and the 87 singers rose and expanded in the huge space, reaching the audience with glorious majesty, and mercifully with out a blurring reverberation, at least as heard in the balcony.

While its sound may have been aided by the church's acoustics, the performance given by the chorus was first class in its own right. Over the 12 years of its existence, director Fred Coleman has built a group which sings meticulously in tune, with warmth and depth and without sacrificing a fine pure tone; and all of the sections produced the same kind of tone. The sound of the whole is thus remarkably even. All of this can sound beautiful but dead if there isn't the leadership to go with it.

At this concert, Coleman elicited performances which were exciting, vital, even thrilling to hear. He also did well leading the chamber orchestra - where many choral conductors fall down. Of necessity, orchestra musicians who accompany choirs come together just for those performances, and do not play together on a regular basis. As such, it is usually not a very coherent entity. Choral conductors have their minds on the choir, so the orchestra usually gets less direction than it needs.

The opening work on this program was a Concerto Grosso in D Major by Corelli, and the orchestra sounded well-rehearsed and nicely together from the start. This is another composer of whom it would be worth hearing more. The music was gorgeous, and the orchestra played with fine rich tone - acoustics helping, no doubt.

Most of the soloists, both vocal and orchestral, were adequate but not more. The exceptions, baritone Brian Box and tenor Robert McPherson, (who has just won third place in the 1994. Richard Tauber International Competition for Tenors), had voices of depth and presence, though none of the other soloists seemed entirely at ease; possibly because they found the music technically demanding or the idiom unfamiliar.

There were a few lesser moments from the chorus, too. The opening section of the "Kyrie" was sluggish, with fuzzy edges and without the polish of the preceding "Magnificat." The following "Christe eleison" sparkled in contrast, and was sung by the women only, with the just the lower strings and organ accompanying - a high point of the concert and of the music.