Master Chorale rejoices in undiluted Christmas  concert

By Douglas Neslund
December 13, 2009

The Los Angeles Master Chorale

Grant Gershon, Music Director
Guest ensemble: Huayucaltia 

December 13, 2009, 7pm at Walt Disney Hall

Los Angeles Master Chorale patrons, and concert-goers fairly universally, have grown to expect “holiday” concerts to include some Christmas, some Hanukkah, and more recently, a bow in the direction of Kwanzaa and other more exotic mid-winter celebrations. Not so this year. It was Christmas sacred all the way to the encores, where secular merriment sent everyone home happy.

Starting the evening was a remarkably stylish Messe de Minuit pour Noël (Midnight Mass of Christmas Eve) by Marc-Antoine Charpentier featuring an excellent quintet of soloists drawn, as usual, from the ranks of the Chorale, with soprano Rachelle Fox and mezzo soprano Drea Pressley dueling in Baroque idiomatic roulades with telling effect, and the trio of tenors Michael Lichtenauer and Jon Lee Keenan, and bass Gregory Geiger each offering solid performances. Especially remarkable was the Master Chorale Orchestra, which managed to play modern instruments in such a compellingly Baroque style (especially the bowings of the strings) that one had to look twice or thrice to make sure that antique instruments were not in fact being employed. A special kudo to flutists Geri Rotella and Sara Weisz for their part in the performance. Over it all, Maestro Grant Gershon presided with authority, with tempi that seemed exactly right – not rushing along as many contemporaries seem to want to do – but allowing Charpentier to speak to us through the centuries in his own very French lilt.

There was quite a scene change, as they say in opera, from the Charpentier Mass to the next item on the programme: Ariel Ramírez’s Navidad Nuestra (New Christmas), a six-movement work incorporating folk elements depicting the Christmas story to achieve a whole that is imminently satisfying. The Los Angeles-based instrumental ensemble Huayucaltia supported the Master Chorale, and all performed under the baton of Chorale Assistant Conductor Ariel Quintana. Composer Ramírez and conductor Quintana are fellow Argentineans, as is the solo tenor Pablo Corá – a fact which could not help but add authenticity to the work. All South American cultures have developed a love for the rhythmic megaplasty of imported African cultures; in Argentina, the web of complex rhythms by comparison to Brazil and Venezuela is somewhat diluted by its endemic European cultural overlay, but still challenges musicians not accustomed to feeling them. Not to worry at a Master Chorale concert, where dancing in the aisles may happen sooner than later.

Mr. Quintana’s conducting may look a bit awkward, and there are moments when he seems to lose track of what is coming next while enjoying the moment as though he were just another spectator, but being marinated in the style has its own rewards, and the Master Chorale audience enjoyed the South American moment. Mr. Corá is a jewel amongst so many wonderful talents in this ensemble, and was joined by tenor Daniel Chaney and bass Reid Bruton in the comedic Three Kings episode.

After intermission, a bit of a letdown for Ralph Vaughn-Williams’ time-worn Fantasia on Christmas Carols, considerably brightened, however, by the addition of John West’s brilliant organ playing and greatly enhanced by a major vocal talent by the name of Abdiel Gonzalez, a baritone with a great instrument still under development. More than one concert attendee wondered aloud where he has been hiding for the past two seasons. Not only is his voice solid and beautiful to hear, but also he carries himself on stage without pomposity, with the authority of a man who knows his abilities and is happy to share it. We are eager to hear more from him in coming concerts and seasons.

The official part of the programme came to end with Conrad Susa’s A Christmas Garland, which gathered the audience into its ranks of performers, an audience eager to please Maestro Gershon and his infectious entreaties to participate, and to form a Greater Master Chorale of 2,061 voices. A glowing smile revealed his approval. Roaring approval from said chorus earned three encores (at least two of which were original arrangements by Master Chorale member Shawn Kirchner, who really is superb at utilizing the choir’s wonderful resources), and all went home chirping the final “We Wish You a Merry Christmas!”

-- Douglas Neslund
 

For tickets to other Los Angeles Master Chorale concerts, call (213) 972-7211 or visit www.lamc.org

 

Douglas Neslund is Classical Voice correspondent and a noted voice/choral teacher in Los Angeles. 

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