On entering St. John Lutheran Church in Forest Park for the first of a line-up of seasonal concerts this past Sunday, I overheard a man candidly asking a woman, “What is this concert about, anyway?” When she confidently answered, “Christmas! I hoped it would get us into the mood a little bit,” he seemed to think that was a great idea.
I thought so too. After all, Christmas is a season of miracles, and what better vehicle than a choir to help us believe that miracles like “joy to the world” and “peace on earth” really can come true? But miracles this afternoon were in short supply. Not that the concert wasn’t carefully and thoughtfully planned, because it was. Conductor Paul Lindblad assembled an inspiring mix of folk music, including the Latvian carol “Ai nama mamina,” and sacred music, including old favorites such as “Away in a Manger” and “Jesus Loves Me” in pleasant new settings. And not that the choir was unprepared, because careful preparation was evident throughout, even to the point of presenting a near-mechanical over-rehearsed performance.
The centerpiece of the concert was Antonio Vivaldi’s “Gloria,” a Latin setting of the hymn of praise that is standard in the Catholic Mass. Vivaldi originally composed this work for three groups of women’s voices and a small orchestra. Lindblad presented the four-part choral version that is more often heard today, effectively substituting oboe and piano accompaniment for strings and other winds.
Vivaldi scholar Michael Talbot, writing in The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, claims that “A strong musical personality, rather than artistic refinement, has brought deserved popularity in recent times to Vivaldi’s Gloria.” Talbot’s critique of Vivaldi applies to this performance as well. Lindblad no doubt provides a comparatively strong musical personality, but this performance was lacking in artistic refinement.
The chorale sings with high energy and intense focus, but the absence of finesse and the numerous rough edges poking through their choral technique begin to wear on the listener. In a season when one hopes for miracles, I kept hoping for the hallmarks of a first-rate choir: better intonation, musical lines with beautiful shapes, a carefully balanced blend of four voice parts. Vivaldi’s predictable and formulaic writing and the choir’s dull attention to musical accuracy made the absence of these elements even more pronounced.
The choice of music was Lindblad’s great strength. Tomás Luis a Victoria’s lovely Renaissance motet “O Magnum Mysterium” is always a seasonal pleaser, here contrasted with lovely new works by three area composers who were present at this performance. Some of the nicest sounds of the afternoon flowed from the creative mind of Melrose Park’s Carl Schalk. He collaborated with Chicago poet Jill Baumgaertner on the ravishing “Let the Tender Girl Hold the Wonder.” Baumgaertner’s words are striking: “his infant sleep in cosmic peace, though godly thunder rolls.” Schalk’s enchantingly plaintive oboe melody, although originally intended for flute, was beautifully shaped by oboist Linda Johnson and supported by pianist Hannah Voigt.
Paul Bouman of Oak Park offered a new setting of the German chorale, “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come,” which contrasted nicely with the 17th-century version by Johann Hermann Schein, a predecessor of J. S. Bach. Richard Hillert’s setting of the Czech carol, “Shepherding Their Sheep,” delicately signaled a star-lit winter night.
To its credit, the choir performed the newer works and many other portions of the program from memory, which opened up communication with the audience of more than 200. Mr. Lindblad has mustered a healthy support network for the chorale, evident in the enthusiasm of the concert-goers and the hefty number of advertisers who filled the program booklet and finance operating expenses and touring projects.
But for this listener, the music celebrating the divine arrival of Christ left me grounded. I want a musical experience to sneak, if only slightly, into the heavenly realm, to stretch my planet-bound perspective from ho-hum to other-worldly. We need a few more miracles to get us into the season.
The Oak Park Concert Chorale’s next performance is April 5 at the Oak Park Arts Center. For more information, call 708/383-4742 or visit www.OakParkConcertChorale.org.