A calendar and more

Kompactus performed a 1.25 hour work in 24 parts with huge complexity and obviously considerable emotional depth at Wesley.  I got to record it and the quiet passages were almost inaudible and the loud passages forthright and often dissonant and there were even passages where the audience was invited to take part by following repeated lines from the choir.  The lines give away the quiet desperation of the piece and involve the public in the hopeful response: "Let us believe in the resurrection fo the Earth", "Is it impossible to plant change?", "How can we let it all slip through our fingers?", How can we believe these dayes will end?", perhaps one or two others. There's a quiet religiosity to the text, too, and an inverted year of summer and winter which shows this a northern hemisphere and I look later, southern California.  The work was Dale Trumbore A calendar of light with libretto by Barbara Crooker.  Not sure if it's been performed before locally, but it was a challenge, with dynamics aplenty, very edging harmonies in at least a standard 4 parts, perhaps more.  But Kompactus with Olivia were up to it.  This was a totally convincing performance and deeply touching, somewhat beyond the expectations of just a choral work.  This comes from composers with current relevance and this has that in spades.  Just fabulous that Kompactus would take it on, and they did it worthy justice.

Kompactus Youth Choir performed Dale Trumbore A calendar of light at Wesley under Olivia Swift (MD, conductor).