Radiant performance

We expected a rush but NCO finished early enough and we relaxed.  Nice, because the next outing was something particularly special.  Guitarist Harley Coleman was staying with us while rehearsing and touring with Luminescence Chamber Singers.  Now, these are a seriously professional group; what they do is worthy of your time.  They had played Andrew Ford Red Dirt Hymns at CIMF and they were touring it through NSW.  We got to see it at The B in Qbn. Luminescence were 6 singers (3 female voices, 3 male) with instrumental accompaniment from Harley on guitar and Freya Schack-Arnott on cello.  Later, a combined children's choir joined for some hymns.  Andrew Ford had written the music, bass line, chords and melody, from the little I've seen.  Roland Peelman worked with the performers to develop presentation and wonderfully rich harmonies while leaving space for improv from the musos.  Roland also conducted the children's choirs on the day.  Andrew Ford was there highlighting the exceptional work on the hymns done by Luminescence.  Suffice to say it was work of the highest artistic achievement to my ears.  I was stunned by the skills and musicality and glorious arrangements; by Harley's understanded chordal interpretation and one pretty rock-dirty solo and Freya's bass lines and atonal plays on sound; by the solo presentations of some songs, then then ensemble performances of others; by the playful drumming on garden pottery, by the reverent singing of the children's choir.  The work comprises 16 shortish songs with lyrics volunteered by invited poets, so a range of themes, but presumably all around issues of Australian relevance.  I caught some lyrics, not all; the richness of performance mostly took my attention on the day.  So I still have a worthy task to read these poems and hopefully a future opportunity to hear a recording or view a video.  Just a stunning performance and a fascinating project.

Luminescence Chamber Singers performed Andrew Ford Red Dirt Hymns at TheB in Queanbeyan.  Luminescence are AJ America, Rachel Mink and Josephine Brereton (sopranos), Dan Walker (tenor), Lucien Fischer (baritone) and Alasdair Stretch (bass-baritone).  Roland Peelman (MD, arranger) arranged and conducted the children's choir from Luminescence Children’s Choir and Music for Canberra.  Accompanists were Harley Coleman (guitar) and Freya Schack-Arnott (cello) and Sammy Hawker (visual artist) provided the backdrop.

Interlude no.2 Choral

This is a busy time for recording but it's great pleasure: a string of CIMF concerts and jazz and choral.  The choral was the locals, Canberra Choral Society, presenting Handel Dixit Dominus and Arvo Part Berliner Messe at St Paul's.  A wonderful location and one that suits my gear ... mostly.  Arvo Part was pretty minimalist as, is his want, although with some considerable complexity, as I heard from the mouths of singers and instrumentalists.  Parts that interacted unpredictably, both in voices and in strings.  This was a mass, so the structure, at least, is known.  Often quite odd to hear, too.  Handel seems much more friendly, recognisable, although even here I heard singers speaking of unexpected interplays, perhaps given this is such an early work, written at age 22.  If we could all do such magic at that age!  But this was a competent choir, if lacking in tenors, and similarly capable instrumentalists, led by John Ma, and five very capable singers, so a lovely, all-enveloping, enriching paean to faith with not a few exquisite fugues.  A choir singing Handel and the like is one of my favourite musical experiences and CCS did it great justice.  As for "the venue suits my gear", the audio was great but that light in mid-late afternoon just streams in on performers and cameras alike.  Great for a religious experience but problematic for a video.  But a great joy, nonetheless.

Canberra Choral Society performed Handel and Arvo Part at St Pauls Manuka under Dan Walker (director) and John Ma (orchestra leader) with soloists Josephine Brereton (soprano), Rachel Mink (soprano), AJ America (mezzo soprano), Tom Hallworth (tenor) and Alastair Stretch (bass-baritone).

Clarity

Five concerts in the Christmas series and we got to two.  This was a much smaller concert than the first but what was lost in complexity was gained from the familiarity of the performers and the clarity of the performance.  This was just the core 6 singers who make up Luminescence and who presumably, frequently, sing and practice together.  We could hear that heightened awareness between performers.   We could hear each individual voice, given just 6 singers together in great clarity and the space did its bit too, with its gentle presence.  So the sometimes raucous songs of Spain's golden era and Alfonso's cantigas was a dream.  Despite foot stomps and tambourine percussion.  This is music from later C13th and late C16th, sometimes simple melodies, sometimes embellished or harmonised by the group, sometimes boisterous and festive, sometimes sole voices with perhaps a single tonic note accompaniment.  What I loved was the clarity of a small, comfortable, practised group and the clarity and uniqueness of each voice.  Interestingly, choir was ordered with sopranos at each end, low bass and baritone in the centre and mezzo soprano and tenor between.  One performer spoke of two trios, whether the male lower and female higher, or the right baritone-tenor-soprano or left bass-mezzo-soprano, I'm not sure.  Whatever, this was a memorable display and one fully worthy of Tim's complex recording (hint: love to hear it...).  Just a stunner.

Luminescence Chamber Singers were led by Roland Peelman (conductor, percussion).  LCS comprises AJ America (mezzo soprano), Lucien Fischer (baritone), Veronica Milroy and Rachel Mink (sopranos), Alasdair Stretch (bass) and Dan Walker (tenor).

Vox+

This was a gloriously beautiful concert but that could be expected.  It was called B.A.C.H. with reference to the Bach motif; it was sung by Luminescence Chamber Singers so those glorious voices and harmonies; it included violinist-cum-vocalist Anna Freer as guest while one member was off the US; it included a rendition of Bach Violin Partita no.2 Dmin with its 5 movements ingeniously interspersed with Bach chorales; it started and ended with some lively early music, amusingly for me (given I did a midi take complete with whistles on Hope / The Pots) including the crab canon over palindrome Guillaume de Marchaut Ma fin est mon commencement.  I loved the violin partita and wondered over the accompanied fifth movement and admired the partita played touchingly and searchingly from memory, but what did it for me were the voices.  I consider the voice the most perfect, most complex and satisfying instrument, not surprising given it is of us  rather than an invention however impressive, and Luminescence do it so well.  Not quite perfectly, but bloody close to.  And Anna fitted wonderfully as a sit-in soprano.  Those voices and harmonies were a thing of immense beauty and exploration of harmony and rich vocalisation.  This was a concert to treasure.  Good to see that our local ArtSound recording engineer, Tim, was there experimenting with multiple mic pairings.  He does an excellent job, too.

Luminescence performed Bach and more at Drill Hall Gallery.  Anna Freer (violin, soprano) joined choir members AJ America (mezzo soprano), Veronica Milroy (soprano), Dan Walker (tenor), Lucien Fisher (baritone) and Alasdair Stretch (bass).  Tim Lamble recorded for the performers and ArtSound.

Novelty in late C16th

There's a reason why pop songs have vocals and a reason why we mix to make the vocals work above all else.  Because the voice is the core means of human expression in music.  It's pretty obvious but it hit me yesterday again when I heard AJ America sing Giulio Cassini with accompaniment from Arian Odermatt.  So beautiful and so touching.  It helped also that we had lyrics, in the original sung Italian and the English translation.  I understand Italian but probably wouldn't have followed the renaissance/baroque era lyrics.  Caccini is famous for his developments including monody (a term later applied) which featured a melody line with choral accompaniment (vs. earlier polyphony) and for early work leading to the recitative.  Perhaps for more.  It was enough that we got a string of love and other songs from Caccini and a few from Monteverdi.  Also a premiere Wesley performance of an Amarillo by Peter Philips on their virginal.  Very beautiful tones all around.  I asked Ariana about improvisation.  Again, yes all around.  If I understood correctly, Ariana played a chart with a figured bass with indicated harmony (the little numbers below the stave in this era of music) and AJ sang various embellishments on top of a melody and some written embellishments.  Whatever, there was variation and richness and context here.  But just the sheer beauty of the voice and those delicate instruments had it for me.  Such a lovely outing.

AJ America (mezzo-soprano) sang with accompaniment from Ariana Odermatt (harpsichord, virginal) at Wesley.

Kulcha tours

This was like a cultural tour, through time and Euro space.  AJ America was singing with Minh Le Hoang on guitar as accompaniment.  First up were 3 songs by John Dowland, Tudor England (~1600).  The originals were played on lute, but the guitar fitted.  Minh may be of a totally different background, but his Euro guitar was superb.  Just shows how all is all these days.  Then Castelnuovo Tedesco writing Spanish in 1956 and Manual de Falla with 3 more popular songs from 1914.  Amusingly, the Moorish cloth was a metaphor for the straying lover who is eventually ripped up when tired of.  Then a bit of classic Euro artsong: Schubert Die Nacht.  Then French song from 1890, Reynaldo Hahn L'heure esquise.  So we have England, Spain, France (with a Vietnamese accompanist) ranging from  Tudor to contemporary. Quite a mix and very successful.  AJ has a strong mezzo voice and could indulge at times.  Minh accompanied with the most delicate playing.  A real treat all round and not a minor lesson to boot.  Just another Wednesday at Wesley?

AJ America (mezzo soprano) was accompanied by Minh Le Hoang (guitar) at Wesley.

Gloria!

We were celebrating the day after the election ... at least the death of Queen Mary but also her birthday and, I guess, Jesus. This was SCUNA, the amusingly named choral society hinting at inebriation, and they had their orchestra (virtually all players from NCO) and two solo singers, soprano Veronica and mezzo AJ under Lennie. The tympanis were out for the renowned and hugely memorable funeral march. I'm told the tymps were added later and this arrangement was used in the renowned '70s film, Clockwork Orange. "He cometh up and is cut down like a flower" / "of whom may we seek for succour" / "who for our sins art justly displeased" / "deliver us not into the bitter pains". It's a heavy feeling. This was perhaps the most intense and stunning work but not the Gloria of the program. That was Vivaldi's. First half Purcell with the Queen's funeral march and Come ye sons of art, written for a birthday of Queen Anne (royalty was presumably good for commissions; these days I guess it's the mining industry) then Vivaldi Gloria in D major after interval. So a generous program to raise the spirits or, with QM, to delve into depths. Glorious music throughout. The two soloist vocalists were great and fitted neatly together in duet passages. I especially enjoyed AJ's solos. The choral singing was generous and the musical passages nicely presented. Evelyn on cello was busy and did a particularly satisfying job. Lenny led it all and even doubled on trumpet at one time. I know of harp and carillon and he was toying with a violin in the break. What else does he play? So, a great comedown from election weekend. Who needed it?

SCUNA (ANU Choral Society) presented Purcell and Vivaldi at St Peter's Lutheran Church. Leonard Weiss (conductor) directed with soloists Veronica Milroy (soprano) and AJ America (mezzo soprano) and accompaniment by Anthony Smith (keys, organ) and the SCUNA orchestra with bass provided by Evelyn Andrew (cello).

Luminescing

Our choir has an annual workshop with some invited local choral luminary. This year it was AJ America, a recent arrival in Canberra, here to study history, but we know her for her choral exploits, which are not to be demeaned. They include Gondwana choir, touring internationally, soloing for Baz Luhrman, performing under Michael Tilson Thomas and Zubin Mehta; she's currently singing with Luminescence Chamber Singers, at the CIMF and more. I could believe it given the fine and strong voice we heard at our workshop. Just a few snippets, as she demonstrated or led us in learning two new works, Bogoroditse Devo by Rachmaninov and a strange and humourous one written at a choral camp at ANU, The longest German word (see the original on YouTube). This was an energetic and fun if demanding session with one of our local choral stars. Thanks to AJ.

AJ America gave a workshop to Harmonia Monday choir.