A new recording by the Elora Festival Singers–now called simply The Elora Singers–is always cause for interest, and usually signifies yet another first-rate addition to the catalog. To one who has heard nearly all of the choir’s recordings and has heard the ensemble live on many occasions, I found this recording pleasant enough to listen to but certainly not among the group’s more distinctive outings–not on account of the singing, which is typically outstanding, but for the music. It’s easy to see what would attract Elora Singers director Noel Edison to these scores: they are expertly crafted for singers, tonal, easily listenable, set to profound and moving texts–a collection of pieces that are sure to have appeal to a wide audience while also offering ample opportunity for the choir to shine. And yet, taken together over this hour-long program, their effect is oddly unmemorable.
As you listen to these eight pieces–two of which, Revelation and Beatitudes, are extended works with multiple, separate sections–you can’t escape an overarching sense of sameness from piece to piece, a sameness of style and treatment of text that gives the program the kind of uniformity that, while soothing enough to the ear, also fails to engage and hold the interest of a listener who’s heard this kind of thing before–pretty, predictable, functional–and is expecting something more distinctive, more memorable.
Perhaps the sameness is at least partly due to the fact that all of the works but one were apparently written around the same time (2016)–but it’s also a function of English composer Patrick Hawes’ style. His musical responses to the texts don’t always organically flow one from the other; a three-minute piece may seem more like a series of ideas rather than a coherent, unified work. A piece may begin with an interesting idea (Fallen is Babylon, for example) which is invariably abandoned for something more predictable, such as a swath of schmaltzy chords, often with a loud finish with sopranos on high (The Merciful); or it may just consist entirely of schmaltzy chords and a sweet melody ((The Pure in Heart; Peace Beyond Thought; Let Us Love; and many more).
Worthy is the Lamb and Hallelujah (The Marriage of the Lamb), both movements from Revelation, are excellent stand-alone pieces–and there are a few others that, as mentioned, could serve well as Sunday service anthems sung by a very competent choir. And perhaps the main problem with this recording–as often happens–is its programming: too many pieces in the same style, with similar length, voicing, with identical rhythmic, textual, and textural elements. I’m sure this music is “fun to sing”, with just enough challenges to make it interesting, but–with a few exceptions–this program serves best as something to put on in the background, to enjoy its sound, not its substance. By the way, if you’ve been following this choir over the years, you’ll notice a few significant changes in personnel that, whether by design or otherwise gives the ensemble a renewed vibrancy, which may be due to a generally more even balance across and within sections–while retaining those signature, sparkling soprano notes when required!
