Title: Cantus Vocum showcases 'signature' style

5/15/00

By Sally Rowsell - Special to the Telegram

On Saturday evening, St. John’s was adorned with choral selections spanning the countries of Sweden, Finland, Spain, England, France, Canada, and the United States. From religious to folk, classical to pop, audience members were treated to a multiplicity of styles by local chamber choir Cantus Vocum.

Cantus Vocum, a group of 21 adult choristers from various professions, was formed in 1995 by Chad Stride. With a second CD in progress, dare I say that this choir has made enormous strides in the past five years. This July, they have been invited to sing at an international choral festival in Gouda, Holland. A short tour of Europe will make their trip complete.

The evening opened pleasantly with The Earth Adorned (Ahlen), followed by two movements from De Profundis (Madetoja), a Finnish setting of verses from Psalm 130. In both selections, notable was the rich blend of tone and sweet choral sound. The Earth Adorned displayed impressive phrase endings, while De Profundis revealed a wide dynamic range, striking for such a small group.

As the concert progressed, I became aware of the strong male section of the choir, which provided wonderful support and superb tonal warmth throughout. It would be amiss to not single them out and offer them hearty congratulations!

The concert continued with some interesting 20th century sacred works. The Ave Maria (Busto) exhibited some lovely colours, beautiful pianissimos, and a captivating ending.

Generally, this expressive choir’s performing could be enhanced by enunciating and articulating more clearly. In addition, I will be bold enough to ask for more of the great things they are offering: more phrase shape; at times, more continuity in the phrasing; in some selections even more detailed work and polish; occasionally, a cleaner entrance. Since this group is so fine, they are small and talented enough to achieve more.

I am compelled to single out Christopher Robin as the highlight of the first half. This work showcased, in my opinion, Cantus Vocum’s “signature” style, a unique intimate chamber sound, most obvious in the works to follow from the second half. This was beautiful, lyrical, gentle, and exceptionally well-enunciated and polished. Bravo,here, to the basses!

The three selections of Les Chanson des Roses (Lauridsen) were a natural choice for Cantus Vocum. The busy En Une Seule, for instance, was soft and embracing with a gentle lilting quality, made even more so by the lilt of the French language. Stenhammer’s Garden of the Seraglio, set in the courtyard of a Turkish palace, was slow and dreamy, while In the Evening, (arr. Canadian Stephen Smith) was warm, thoughtful, and intimate.

The Log Driver’s Waltz and Fogarty’s Cove enticingly used sections of the choir as instrumental accompaniment, a compositional style well-suited to Cantus Vocum. The first, featuring the sopranos, was fresh and breezy, while the second, with the tune in the tenor, was gentle and rhythmic (albeit with a slight balance problem).

The second half peaked with both O Danny Boy, and Smith’s arrangement of Cape St. Mary’s, (the latter commissioned by Cantus Vocum). Cape St. Mary’s boasts another instrumentally conceived accompaniment in the female voices. This accompaniment is fascinating in its quiet description of various sounds of nature; rolling waves, birds, the awe and vastness of the sea and sky. With soloist Mark House and the tenors alternating verses, I was enchanted with this work, and especially pleased with the choir’s use of space and time.

Cantus Vocum is an exciting collaboration of talented musicians with a love of singing that radiates their performance. The public has enthusiastically embraced them as exemplified by their large and appreciative following.

Sally Rowsell is a pianist and teacher in St. John’s.