by Liesbeth Tryzelaar
Evanston was given a treat Friday, May 9, when the talented ensemble Chicago a cappella performed at the First Congregational Church. This critically acclaimed group of Chicago singers put together a concert as refreshingly unadorned and resonant as the lovely church in which they performed. Chicago a cappella's nine members sang a remarkably diverse concert, with pieces ranging from medieval chants to English madrigals to gospel, which were, despite the radically different styles of singing required, consistently well-performed.
Especially beautifully executed were the Renaissance pieces performed by the ensemble, with "Non al suo amante," sung magnificently by soprano Carol Loverde and baritone Robert Heitzinger, standing out among them. This intricate duet was performed with an outstanding clarity and purity that was all the more remarkable in that this duo demonstrated their mastery of more lush singing in later period pieces of the concert, like in Loverde's heart-breaking, tender solo in Stanford's "The Blue Bird."
All the members of Chicago a cappella easily made these kind of leaps from music with very singular demands on the tone and quality of the voice to music requiring a completely different approach. This was dramatically demonstrated in a compilation of three short four-voice selections set on top of each: the first a traditional spiritual, the second a 1935 Pärt melody consisting only of a series vowels, and finally another playful Renaissance love song. These pieces were each very affecting, with the spiritual "Jesus, Come by Here" delivering on the goose bumps promised in the program, but unique from each other in theme, harmony and style. This posed no difficulty for this talented group of singers.
Beautifully sung was "Mining for Gold" by mezzo Susan Lerner, who enriched this strong and powerful melody with her subtle vibrato and gospel-like inflections, and a deceptively simple arrangement of the well-known song "Shenendoah," which the ensemble sang so perfectly in tune that the church frequently resonated. The audience also enjoyed the Midwest premier of the whimsical "BUGS" by Daniel Pinkham, sung with crispness and humor by the talented Dorothy Morris and Deborah Guscett, and the ensemble's version of "Homeless" by Paul Simon. The whole concert and all the players of Chicago a cappella were truly wonderful.
A mention should also be made for the authors of the concert's program. The program contained, besides the usual history of the ensemble and a short narrative on each piece, the lyrics of each song in full, very often in both the language of the piece and English. This permitted the audience to have an even more intimate experience with the music, making this extraordinary performance even more enjoyable.
Centerstage Will Feed You
