Classical Concert Reviews Cinci

@vaecinci rang in the Christmas season with a welcome return of its annual Candlelit Christmas concert in the visual and acoustical splendor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel which is part of the campus of Summit Country Day School. Guest conductor Matthew Swanson, direct of choruses for the Cincinnati May Festival, led a wonderfully curated program focusing primarily on contemporary choral music for Christmas, along with a good mix of traditional carols and Gregorian chants fitting for this time of year.
Standout performances included a beautifully radiant rendering of Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium, at once intimate yet full of dramatic sweep. The same must also be said of Bob Chilcott’s Christmas chestnut The Shepherd’s Carol. One of the more creative elements of the program was the inclusion of short improvised piano interludes played by David Kirkendall, which served both as a bridge between pieces to create a seamless flow for the entire program and as a way for the choir to retune.
In a bit of a departure, the chants and some of the carol arrangements featured only small ensembles (particularly Of a Rose and the chant Rorate caeli, which functioned as processional music), but the end result was a wondrous experience. This proved particularly evocative in Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming as set by the Swedish composer Jan Sandström.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening was the variety of pieces that many audience members may have heard for the first time, including carols by Richard Causton, Sally Beamish, Ken Burton, Adolphus Hailstork and Canadian composer Healey Willan. Three accompanied works with piano by Olivia Sparkhall, Roderick Williams and Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen brought the evening full circle, exploring themes of the joy and wonder of Christmas.
The 24 singers of VAE assembled for this concert were in resplendent form as always, with a luscious, warm and well-rounded sound throughout. Maestro Swanson’s conducting was a real treat, as he knew how to shape the musical lines and structure of each piece in his own way and understand how to foster musical unity with the ensemble. Bravo to all for a fabulous concert!