Title: Versatile choir delivers dynamic CD

By C. Jane Gosine - Special to The Telegram

Publication: The Telegram (St.John's)
Original publication date: Friday, May 28, 1999
Section / Page: Arts & Entertainment PAGE 14

Cantus Vocum, the St. John's choir founded in 1995 by Chad Stride, recently launched its impressive new CD, entitled simply CV.With this recording, the choir -- which attracts its members from diverse professional backgrounds -- offers an eclectic and engaging collection of 19 mainly a cappella choral works from composers as diverse as Billy Joel, James Rankin (of the Rankin Family), Wayne Chaulk (of Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers), Ralph Vaughan Williams, Morten Lauridsen, Franz Schubert, and many others.

The choir's distinct style creates a close affinity between compositions drawn from a wide range of musical traditions (popular, folk, spiritual, and classical), providing a balance of contrast and consistency.From the outset, Cantus Vocum engages the listener's attention with its rhythmic and energetic performance of Jose Firmino's exuberant Laudate Dominum.

Equally compelling is the choir's fine rendition of Morten Lauridsen's popular and exquisite En une seule fleur.

Imant Raminsh's setting of Ave Verum Corpus is a tantalizingly beautiful work in which the choir and the listener can savour the deliciously expressive harmonic writing and the superbly crafted musical phrases. Cantus Vocum's main strength lies in its performance of music in close harmony, as exemplified by Norman Luboff's arrangement of the spiritual, All my Trials, and Peter Knight's arrangement of John David's You Are the New Day.

A CD of choral music sung by a local choir would not be complete without a selection of Newfoundland songs. Cantus Vocum chose to include four songs from the province, including Donald Cook's rousing arrangements of the Ode to Newfoundland and Lukey's Boat. The light-hearted setting of That St. John's Girl, performed with panache by members of the choir, offers complete contrast to Peter Jackson's moving arrangement of Wayne Chaulk's Saltwater Joys.

Willi Zwodesky's enchanting and lilting arrangement of Connie Kaldor's Wood River typifies many of the works included on this CD in its sense of both longing and serenity. The singing is relaxed, lyrical, and seductive. Ralph Vaughan Williams' quintessentially English partsong, Rest, is performed beautifully by Cantus Vocum. The choir not only stresses the rhythmic inflections of the text through clear phrasing and good diction, it also underlines the meaning of the text with its expressive singing.

The resonant acoustics of Cochrane Street United Church, which was the venue for the recording, enhances the performance, helping to create a warm, full sound, without any loss of textural or rhythmic clarity. At times tuning is a problem, particularly when the voices are strained at the upper ends of their vocal ranges. Any minor imperfections, however, do not detract from one's enjoyment of the performance. On the whole, the singing has a bright, natural and engaging quality. The choir's infectious enthusiasm for the music invites listeners with very different musical tastes to return repeatedly to this enjoyable CD.