Classical Concert Reviews Cinci

In what is surely becoming an annual tradition, @christchurchcathedralcincy presented a program of Lenten choral music tied to the celebration of Palm Sunday under the direction of cathedral director of music Stephan Casurella, with some of the finest local singers who I have the privilege of calling dear friends.
Soprano Olivia Knutsen and mezzo-soprano Lauren McAllister opened with a glorious performance of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s setting of the 13th-century sequence hymn Stabat Mater. Composed in the final weeks of Pergolesi’s life in 1736, it shows off the strengths of both soloists in a dozen so,os and duets. Knutsen’s voice was light and airy without being overbearing, while McAllister focused her vocal timbre on the text’s more dramatic evocations to a wonderful degree.
A larger ensemble of choir and strings followed with contemporary Welsh composer Paul Mealor’s setting of the same text, composed in 2009. Much of Mealor’s writing seems heavily by Russian choral repertoire most prevalent in the early 20th century thanks to composers like Sergei Rachmaninov and Alexander Grechaninov, with wide-spanning vocal ranges across all parts (including oktavist bass lines) and extensive use of divisi encompassing up to 12 parts. For any professional choir, this presents a challenge but the ensemble assembled today more than met the moment and then some. Standout moments included a haunting solo from soprano Maren Hrivnak in the second movement against densely passionate choral writing, and the biting drama presented in the third movement’s principal theme in the lower voices against shorter outbursts from higher voices and string parts.
Concerts like this make me further appreciate how blessed the city of Cincinnati is to have such a plethora of outstanding vocal talent and a space that is as welcoming to these experiences as Christ Church Cathedral. Bravi tutti!