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Concert Review: Los Angeles Master Chorale's "The Little Match Girl Passion"

Stephanie Case |
November 15, 2011 | 4:35 a.m. PST

Staff Reporter

 

David Lang and Grant Gershon take a bow after the Chorale's performance of Lang's "the little match girl passion" at Walt Disney Concert Hall on November 13, 2011 (Ken Hively)
David Lang and Grant Gershon take a bow after the Chorale's performance of Lang's "the little match girl passion" at Walt Disney Concert Hall on November 13, 2011 (Ken Hively)
There is no denying the talent of the Los Angeles Master Chorale. The Southern California choir has achieved immense fame in the world of classical music for their finely honed vocal techniques and impressive blend. Last month, they opened their 48th season at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with a five-piece concert, earning rave reviews.

Sitting down for their second concert of the season Sunday night, I thought I knew what to expect: a technically sound performance. But the choir blew me and the rest of the audience away, with something beyond technical perfection: heart.

The singers exuded a level of intense emotion that seemed to strike a chord with each listener. The audience response was overwhelming, and audible: I heard many gasps and sighs from around me as the choir sang. Despite Disney Hall's "no talking" rule, the crowd was unable to contain their excited reactions. In the middle of "the little match girl passion," the night's most emotional piece, one woman behind me stated aloud, "This is so beautiful."

The night began with the 18th century Bach motet "Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied," a lively and spirited piece that was easy to enjoy. One of the Master Chorale's biggest technical strengths is making overly complicated works seem effortless. The motet, like most baroque works, featured long, overlapping melismas in each voice part. With so many runs going on simultaneously, it's very tricky to keep in time, and a less seasoned choir may have fallen apart. But under Grant Gershon's steady conducting, the choir navigated their way through the motet with ease.

The Bach piece was followed by the U.S. premiere of James Newton's Mass. I came into the concert with little to no expectations for Newton's take on the songs of the Catholic church. The typical quintet of Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei has been sung during the Christian liturgy for hundreds of years. Most composers who take on the Mass make it sound traditional, so throughout time, it hasn't changed much stylistically.

But when Newton's Mass began, all of my preconceived notions vanished. The work was surprisingly inventive and unpredictable — nothing you'd imagine hearing on your average Sunday at church. It was full of odd harmonic clusters that gave the songs a moody and mysterious vibe. The singers capitalized on the dark style of the piece by emphasizing the more unusual chords. They were accompanied by a wide range of instruments, including a flute, piano, bass, clarinet, violin and vibraphone. The instruments gave the entire work a jazzy and experimental feel, which was very refreshing.

Credo, the Mass's centerpiece, was the longest and most emotional movement. The entire choir remained silent as Abdiel Gonzales sang a powerful yet intimate baritone solo. "Credo" literally means "I believe" in Latin, and Gonzales sang the words with a necessary conviction. The audience hung on to every note as Gonzales made his passionate "proclomation of faith."

Credo was followed by Sanctus, an uptempo tune that was inspired by swing jazz, and the more subdued Agnus Dei. After the final notes were sung, Grant Gershon invited James Newton up to the stage, where he recieved generous applause for his innovative composition.

After a short break, the choir performed a second Bach motet, which was a nice break from the emotional gravity of Newton's Mass. Like the first motet, it was pretty, but largely forgetable. The first motet was overshadowed by Newton's Mass, and the second was outshined as well: by the final piece of the night, David Lang's "the little match girl passion."

Lang's song, released in 2007, is based off of an old Danish story by Hans Christian Andersen. The lyrics tell the sad tale of a young girl who freezes to death selling matches in the streets on New Year's Eve. The Master Chorale used a delicate, somber tone to capture the story's tragedy. As the plot changed, they expertly adapted their sound to fit the new developments. Dramatic parts — for instance, when the little girl begged "help me, help me" — had a louder, more desperate sound, while the parts when the girl was hallucinating sounded dreamy and angelic.

The highlight of the piece was its 13th section, titled "When it is time for me to go." The female voices immitated the girl's suffering with a purposeful vibrato, their high notes wavering as if she were quivering in the bitter cold. It was at this point, where both the girl and the singers' voices seemed frightened and weak, that the audience responded so emotionally. The crowd sighed as they realized they were hearing the little match girl's last words.

When the piece ended, David Lang was ushered to the stage, where he recieved a standing ovation. Lang gestured to conductor Grant Gershon, who bowed for all of the work he put into creating the night's repetoire.

"I dearly love to program works that contrast new and traditional music in exciting and unexpected ways," Gershon said about the night. "[This] program is the epitome of this kind of concert."

Gershon was hoping to create an even contrast between traditional and modern music, but in this battle, new blew old out of the water. Newton's Mass and Lang's "the little match girl passion" were so emotionally moving that the Bach motets were pushed aside and quickly forgotten.

Nonetheless, the night was a undeniable success. The concert was so much more than a collection of well-executed songs; it was a heartfelt, emotional journey. And the Chorale wasn't just good; they were captivating.

Reach Stephanie Case here.


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