Choral music lovers will find a wealth of interesting and unusual repertoire here, expertly performed by the professional, all-male, Minnesota-based vocal chamber ensemble Cantus, recorded in lively, vibrant, detailed sound. Even the more familiar songs (“Danny Boy”, “Loch Lomond”) in this profoundly eclectic mix drawn from all over the world–Chinese, Georgian, Irish, Indian, Inuit, Zulu, African-American, Venezuelan–are presented in new or less-common arrangements. The only exceptions are the Parker/Shaw “What shall we do with a drunken sailor” and James Erb’s “Shenandoah”, which have become staples of the modern choral/folk-arrangement repertoire. The more intriguing pieces include dance music from India, Inuit chants, a wild and wooly Irish working song (sung in Gaelic), a raucous Zulu freedom song (complete with whoops and shouts), a “Swedish judge’s dance”(!), and a set of Tanzanian folk songs titled “Songs from Matengo Folktales”.
Not as successful is the opening African jazz tune “Let your voice be heard”, whose multipart improvisational concept just doesn’t work (the song’s fundamental structure is too weak and repetitive). Unfortunately, Cantus tries this same piece again at the program’s end–to no more appealing effect. Robert Scholz’s lovely, tastefully elaborate arrangement of the oft-arranged spiritual “Were you there?” shows off the ensemble’s rich blend and polished, nuanced phrasing–but why the pronunciation “crucifahd” and “sometahms”? Also, Cantus’ decision to sing the harmonically striking, melodically distinctive Georgian wedding song “Shen khar venakhi” at so unbroken a pace negates some of this little gem’s charm. However, in a program of such high technical standards and musical value, these are relatively minor points.
Much is made in the notes regarding the details of the sound engineering, including specifics of equipment setup, types of microphones, tape, monitoring equipment, mastering techniques, etc. If this is important to you, well, you can find it all here. However, the proof is in the listening–and, all I can say is, when you hear those chains rattling in the chain gang song “Rainbow ’round my shoulder” you’ll think you’re surrounded! [12/7/2002]
