A maturing project

I've been watching Charis' new choir for a year or so now. It's only in 2016 that I Progetti appeared. Charis had been with SCUNA in my awareness, but this was her new project. Projects, perhaps? I Progetti is a small chamber choir, working alone or with others, with unfamiliar choral repertoire. I imagine a repertoire from the Renaissance or thereabouts, but they also sing new material, not least by one of their singers, bassist Mark Chapman. Touche! I love performance and perfection, but it's also nice to see some creation beyond interpretation or improvisation. I've been feeling that recently, noting various indie musos who write music rather than just perform it. But back to this performance. It was free, days before Christmas, in the lovely space of the NPG foyer with its high roof and timber and acoustics. Other than Mark's composition (called Welcome Yule!) it was C16-C17 with a touch of C18. Think Josquin des Pres, Monteverdi, Purcell, Praetorius and a string of more obscure names. But so nicely done! These voices really did sit well together with three per SATB section. The basses were rich and sonorous, the sopranos reaching into the sky, the altos spelling those balancing harmonies and the tenors firm and incisive. I was particularly struck by some lofty soprano singing in the audience participation at the end. We were all invited to sing Ding dong merrily on high and Hark the Herald angels sing. This is Chrissie after all, and the joy was shared. Such a lovely, artful performance complete with audience involvement. How could you not love it!

I Progetti is Charis Messalina de Valance (director), Deirdre Clink and Ngaire Breen (sopranos), Mary Harwood, Mary Woodhouse and Susannah Bishop (altos), Alex Moruya, Paul Francis, Steven Harris and Tristan Struve (tenors) and Mark Chapman, Peter de Vries, Phill Grant and Steven Strach (basses). Anthony Smith (chamber organ) provided accompaniment.

New project

It was a new project at the High Court. I know Charis from SCUNA but now she's running her own choir, I Progetti (Ital. The Projects, obviously) and it's a lovely thing in a lovely space. About 12 singers, SATBB, male and female. Mostly a capella, but one major work had keys and baroque cello and another had a lute sound (again from keys). There's plenty of seriousness here, in how the music is approached and performed and the quality of the singers, but there's just a little amusement, too. I was amused the a first tune was in old Icelandic, but that's just because my wife is about to visit Iceland. We were all amused by the women's songs and their sight disrepute and bawdy disrespect for men. Feminism has a long history. The women with lute accompaniment sang two by Robert Johnson, Will saide to has Mammy and Sweete Kate. The first about Will seeking to marry against his mother's advice; the second is Kate's reply. But there were other themes: celestial harmonies, sung from a High Court balcony; allegories of life - religion, the seasons, one by Calvin Bowman setting the words of Robert Herrick comparing daffodils to the transcience of human life; aspects of love including the womens' earthiness above as well as a setting by bass Mark Chapman of the words of Tennyson called Now sings the crimson petal; age and death and transfiguration. To end, a mass by Monteverdi played with accompaniment of keys and baroque cello. I enjoyed the earlier, but most enjoyed the mass, for its extent, satisfaction, familiarity and additional counterpoint. But a lovely choir that's new to me performing delicious and well informed early music. Somewhat other-wordly for the modern ear but very nice!

I Progetti performed in the High Court foyer. Charis Messalina de Valence (musical director, soprano) led Deirdre Clink and Ngaire Breen (sopranos),Mary Harwood, Mary Woodhouse and Susanah Bishop (altos), Jarrod Grabham, Jonathan Lee and Tristan Struve (tenors), Anthony Smith, Luke Williad and Phill Grant (baritones) and Mark Chapman and Steven Strach (basses) with accompaniment by Anthony Smith (chamber organ) and Clara Teniswood (baroque cello).

Jubilate SCUNA

This was one big gig and the best that I've heard from SCUNA. A big choir; lots of music; a fascinating series of takes on common themes. We heard two versions of Psalm 100, Jauchzet dem Herrn by Schütz and Jubilate Deo by Gabrieli. We heard a pair of Magnificats from Anerio and Anon and four Cantate Dominos from Monteverdi, Pitoni, Croce and Hassler. Two masses, Symphoniae Sacrae a 12 and Missa Brevis in F, both by Gabrieli and a Renaissance bracket with four songs of des Pres, Arcadelt, di Lasso and Parsons. To top it off, we heard an original piece by a member of the choir, in the style of all this, Domine, quid est homo? by Mark Chapman. I was speaking to a few of the choir before the performance and they were insistent on this. So they should be. What a link of past to present, that we have early music written today at ANU.

This was the best I've seen SCUNA, the most confident and the most hard working. The space was big and wet and the sound was full and rounded with voices merged to one. Just as the choristers like it (although too wet for many other styles). I thought I could identify the difference of Italian and northern - the Italian as more exultant and gregarious and the German as less ornate, more respectful, but I didn't convince myself from this collection, mainly because he balance was too Italian so statistically unreliable. Also one piece (the Cantate Domino of Giovanni Croce?) seemed to change in national character, firstly slow and devout, then more independent and outgoing, so what value that judgement? A Monteverdi Cantate Domino had me thinking of pop embellishments and how nothing is new. I enjoyed following a few sounds. The Allen organ was dramatic when it let go those low notes, deep and space filling and persistent, and it was ever present, more so than a little baroque pipe organ. The voice of Paul Eldon, visiting tenor, stood out a mile. The majesty of the baroque trumpets that sounded for several tunes. There was variation, too. Full choir or small choir, or full choir with semi-chorus, two small orchestras and that organ. St Christopher's doesn't have the presence of a mediaeval stone buttressed cathedral, but it's an apt place for all this religious joy and exultation. So this was a wonderful concert, much enjoyed and very extensive and intellectually challenging with its revisitations of common works.

The ANU Choral Society (SCUNA) was conducted by Andrew Koll (musical director) with cantor Paul Eldon (tenor), Anthony Smith (organ) and Charis Messalina (concert director, soprano). Too many others to mention, but suffice to say about 70 singers in two choirs and 17 instrumentalists in two orchestras.