Battenkill Chorale soars in return to Skidmore
By Geraldine Freedman, Gazette
The Battenkill Chorale returned to Zankel Hall on the Skidmore College Campus on Jan. 14 to give an uplifting concert focused on light -- both metaphorical and actual.
Led by Gene Marie Callahan, the 42-voice chorus did well. While it took a few songs to get the chorus to blend -- sopranos were strong but the men were a bit tentative -- Callahan, herself a former opera star, knows how to get a vocal line to ring. Soon enough, they began to pull together to achieve a pleasing mellow sound. Especially impressive was the excellent diction from everyone, regardless of volume, and the expert cutoffs.
Callahan, who is only the third artistic director in the group's 29-year history, chose a repertoire all written by living composers. The first half included six rather short pieces, five of them accompanied by longtime pianist Erich Borden. Callahan also did not use a baton but led with graceful and effective hand gestures.
Jacob Narverud's "Season of Light" opened the program. It was a pretty piece that fit well within the singers' ranges. Susan LaBarr's "Where the Light Begins" and Dan Forrest's "Light Beyond Shadow" were similar selections during which Borden kept a good balance. But in Andy Beck's "Carry the Light," the chorus became stronger with more resonance and volume, and smoother lines and connections. This was an especially nice job.
Borden introduced Kyle Pederson's "Can We Sing the Darkness to Light?" with dramatic big chords before the chorus entered. Everyone sang well and the song did not resolve. The most beautiful performance came in the final selection of the first half with William Averitt's arrangement of "All Through the Night." Done as an a capelle chorus (without piano), the chorus let the music flow as if done in one breath. Balances were excellent with seamless connections. The audience responded enthusiastically.
The second half was devoted to John Rutter's "Requiem" written in 1985. It was also the first time the chorus ever performed the work. The seven selections were not based on the traditional Mass but had texts taken from the Requiem Mass and from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer with a mood focused on contemplation, lyricism and away from darkness and into the light. Rutter bolstered his texts with a mix of eight instruments that provided interesting colors. They included flute, harp, timpani, organ, oboe, cello and the glockenspiel. Soprano soloist Elizabeth Nielsen sang in two selections. For the most part, vocal lines were mid-range and long but very doable.
The piece began mysteriously with an ominous slow timpani, low cello lines and and a chorus that entered softly before everyone built to a full volume. The second part was equally dark with a cello solo from Perri Morris with a low organ. The chorus sang strongly throughout the beautiful harmonies. Nielsen sang in the third section with a light, bell-like soprano and the fourth section featured the glockenspiel, which provided the appropriate celebratory colors along with the timpani. It was short but highly effective and the chorus sounded grand. Darkness returned in the "Agnus Dei" but the flute lightened the mood before oboist Kelly Lockwood had a big solo in the sixth section with harp and organ. The final "Lux aeterna" featured Nielsen again soaring over the ensemble.
Callahan, who used a baton throughout, conducted effectively. The audience responded with a standing ovation and all the soloists, including each of the instrumentalists, got a bouquet.
The next concert for the chorus is May 18-19 in "Last Call! A Postcard from the British Isles."