Delaware Valley Chorale at the Newark United Methodist Church

Jeffrey Manns has taken on the daunting role of assistant conductor of the Delaware Valley Chorale while David Christopher is on leave and he is putting all of his energy into the task. The concert began with a haunting organ solo of O come, o come Emmanuel. The fifteen male choristers were in position as the ladies marched forward from the back of the church to join them. The antiphonal echoes in Terry Schlenker’s arrangement sometimes made it appear that various sections were starting a beat late. Schlenker’s arrangement of Let all moral [SIC] flesh keep silence had some very interesting effects with parallel fifths which evoked an intriguing oriental flavor. The organ bass line helped guide the male singers in their fugue but the high pitches from the sopranos were a bit shaky. Of the father’s love begotten went more smoothly as the choir settled in, but the final phrase by Gus Mercante came out far too loudly.

In the bleak midwinter featured Fa Lane Fields’ pure yet fully rounded soprano voice which carries well and yet retains the delicacy of a child’s voice. Lloyd Shorter’s English horn and Kimberly Doucette’s strong soprano voice had no trouble standing out above the chorus, organ and piano in Maurice Besly’s The shepherds had an angel. Witnessing the magic of laser-like musical focus by Ms. Doucette and Mr. Shorter reminded me of what making music should be.

The Giovanni Gabrielli Hodie was ruined by the singers’ efforts to sing more loudly than they could comfortably manage. Kurt Collins’ brilliant organ accompaniment had sparkling glissandi and the brass chorale (George Rabbai and Jonathan Barnes, trumpet, Timothy Soberick, tenor trombone and Barry McCommon, bass trombone) had great verve, bounce and clarity. Organ and brass were allowed to show their lively musicality as soloists in the Gabrielli Canzona per sonare No. 4.

For me the highlight of the concert was the Daniel Pinkham Christmas Cantata. It was clear that Mr. Manns had focused all of his rehearsals on this difficult piece. The pitches were accurate, the diction was outstandingly clear and the dynamic he demanded of the chorus was soft enough to allow the muted brass chorale at the end of the O magnum mysterium to be heard as a whispering shimmer.

See www.delawarevalleychorale.org

See delawarevalleychorale@comcast.net

2010 Italian Festival Gala Concert

It was Jean Scalessa who really started the Gala Concert eight years ago – and it has become a more professional and polished concert each year. But how can we appreciate those who have the courage to start a concert series and who accept the risk that a new series might fail? And after the grueling work of convincing everyone to join in, they then hand it over to the lucky successor who has a ready-made tradition.

The first performers on the Gala Concert this year were the Wilmington Children’s Chorus, another group founded by a pioneer. David Christopher founded a chorus for kids living in the Wilmington area hoping to mix kids from city and suburbs and create a free, quality choral program. Kimberly Doucette, an active participant from the start of the project and current artistic director, prepared the kids well, showing how she has truly created an atmosphere of discipline administered with a smile. The kids came on quietly, sang well, watched the conductor, had the lyrics down pat (and they sang in Italian). Afterwards I complimented one of the singers who responded with a warm and sincere ‘thank you’ – no teenage squirming or dodging, which shows the program will give them music and mature poise.

Joe Soprani played an outstanding arrangement he created for accordion of Carnival of Venice. The accompaniment on piano by Jordan Irazabal was a great foundation for the piece.

The program also included excerpts from operas, and I was impressed with the round bass voice of Martin Hargrove in Verdi’s Te Lodiamo.

I enjoyed the traditional Italian numbers like Va pensiero from Verdi’s Nabucco, which I like to sing with the chorus and I was delighted that Dr. Brian Stone brought more discipline to the conducting than I had seen in the past. The chamber orchestra also had a great sound for Preghiera from Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni – again rounded out by piano.

Would that there had been more orchestral accompaniments than piano reductions! Piano reductions are great, but why use them when you have a full chamber orchestra for the afternoon? If they use the chamber orchestra for all of the solos next year, the concert will have developed in a way that would make Jean Scalessa proud.

See http://www.stanthonyfestival.com/.