Commentators usually use words like “feast” or “smörgåsbord” to describe a set such as this one–a compellingly varied sampling of music and performances that occurred during the Sixth World Symposium on Choral Music at Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota in August 2002. Attendees included choirs from the U.S., Canada, Japan, Russia, Sweden, Venezuela, Armenia, Belgium, Austria, Croatia, Namibia–well, you get the idea. This truly was a “World” symposium. There’s no room here to list even a majority of the 49 selections by the 27 different choirs, but there’s no doubt that choral music fans will not be disappointed with the riches–both repertoire and performances–they’ll find on these two generously filled CDs.
Except for privately-made recordings, most of this repertoire is not available elsewhere on disc; much of it is recently composed (and commercially unpublished) and collectively represents some of the finest in contemporary choral writing and arranging. Beginning with Chanticleer’s rendition of I Dream of Jeannie and proceeding through an amazing variety of musical styles and genres–secular and sacred, folksong arrangements and original pieces from various countries in a wide range of languages, works using both traditional harmonic forms and more avant-garde techniques–the program doesn’t just offer something for everyone, but more accurately, listeners will be hard-pressed to find anything they don’t find either fascinating, exciting, memorable, or absolutely extraordinary.
For instance, after hearing the so-called Little Singers of Armenia perform the near-impossible (and very technically grown-up) Autumn Song you’ll wonder what this 40-voice choir of “gifted children” eats for breakfast. And when you recover from this, the Venezuelan Cantoría de Mérida, an ensemble made up mostly of university students, will knock you back in your chair with its scintillating performances of two wild, highly rhythmic virtuoso showpieces. Demanding music of another sort comes with the St. Jacob’s Chamber Choir (Sweden) performing Sandström’s thorny Credo, Parts I and VI, or with Part II of Schnittke’s Concerto for choir, sung by the Chamber Choir of the Moscow State Conservatory.
We’re also treated to some wonderful, distinctively colorful music from China’s Red Leaf Children’s Choir, folk music from Africa, traditional music from Croatia, and some fascinating original works from Japan, Australia, and South Korea. In a completely different vein are Healy Willan’s gentle little motet Rise up, my love, my fair one and Moses Hogan’s uniquely lovely and affecting arrangements of My Lord, what a mornin’ (sung by the Michigan State University Children’s Choir) and This little light of mine (St. Olaf Choir). And for a real sense of occasion, listen to the World Youth Choir sing Arvo Pärt’s …Which was the Son of…, or the combined choirs perform the closing anthem What a Mighty God. As you might expect, the sound varies from track to track, and occasionally you hear a noisy audience coughing and shuffling–or clapping. But for the most part, the recordings are very well-made, nicely balanced and sufficiently detailed, and extraneous noise is minimized or non-existent. And although the performances alone make this set well worth having, the repertoire is a valuable resource and provides a listening experience that’s continually refreshing and uplifting. It’s always reassuring to be reminded that while there’s a world in turmoil and trouble, there’s also a world that’s singing.
