Where Music Takes Us - Utah Chamber Artists

May 5, 2014, in preparation for the upcoming European tour, the Utah Chamber Artists presented their concert: "Where Music Takes Us" at Libby Gardner Concert Hall at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.


Utah Chamber Artists is one of Utah's most consistent choral ensembles and this concert was no different. With a primarily a cappella repertoire, the choir presented the works they have prepared for an upcoming trip they are taking to Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic.

Opening the concert, the choir performed three of four movements of Wolfram Buchenberg's Vier geistliche Gesänge. For those unfamiliar with Buchenberg, his music is creative and unique, yet conservatively rooted. The Chamber Artists, conducted by Barlow Bradford, seemed very comfortable with his music. Particularly the first two movements provided some exciting compositional techniques that were well-interpreted by the choir.

Barlow Bradford

A few a cappella movements from Morten Lauridsen's Les Chansons des Roses, were on the program. These are always lovely pieces, though one can't help but remember that the entire cycle was programmed by the group this time last year. The movement "En une seule fleur" was particularly tight and polished.

Most anticipated was a new work by Lithuanian composer Vytautas Miškinis. Written for the UCA, "Gloria" was exciting and enthralling. Miškinis is well-known for his contemporary sacred settings that are pleasing to the ear and are as ambient as they are evocative. Before the premier, the choir sang his "Pater Noster," a daring composition for Miškinis, and the choir sounded wonderful. This piece explores many techniques to paint a tonal picture of a unique perspective on this oft-used text which the choir had a firm footing on. Truly one of the highlights of the concert.

In the second half of the program the choir sang several wonderful works like Carlo Gesualdo's "Illumina Faciem Tuam," Howard Hanson's "Prayer for the Middle Ages," and Eriks Esenvalds "Evening." Though each piece was performed well, the programming of the concert must be addressed. Each piece seemed to be cut from the same cloth in performance and intrinsic style. There was very little variety in the program. Though the entire program was only about one hour total of music, and all very excellent music, it was tedious and boring at times to hear such similar music. UCA and Barlow Bradford really create a beautiful sound, yet the lack of any clear diction in any of the pieces make problems in cohesion, especially in the slower pieces. 

One of the most stand-out pieces of the night was Eric Barnum's "Requiescat." A powerful and courageous piece, the choir gave a impeccable interpretation leaving the audience stunned at such an audacious and poignant performance. 

Moses Hogan

The concert concluded with an arrangement of Bradford's and Moses Hogan's seminal arrangement of "The Battle of Jericho." It was a breath of fresh air to hear variety finally! As a student of African American traditions, I feel something must be said of this performance of Hogan's work. While the choir was impressive in their use of dynamic, some diction choices I call into question. Most noticeable was the choice to pronounce "battle" as "baddle." Hogan himself wanted to strongly annunciate the "t" and the "sh" in "Joshua" to allow the text to provide the scene of the battle of opposing forces. Not only is this the composer's wish, but stylistically more accurate. I think it's absolutely within a conductor's right to interpret the music in the best way he or she sees fit, but this choice to dilute the consonants made the rhythm sluggish and stylistically incorrect. The text should be used to keep the rhythm accurate and exciting. Though it had moments really showing off the exceedingly strong bass section, the uninformed interpretation fell flat to this reviewer*.

I was disappointed that Frank Martin's Mass was not on the program, as they have been advertising it will be since the beginning of their season last year. The piece is still a part of the program on Kingsbury's website (where one purchases tickets) as well as several other calendars. The organization should take more care to inform their audience of such a drastic program change (on their site or mass email for example), as some patrons, myself included, were quite disappointed about the piece being omitted without proper warning. It is not very professional practice to do so with a major work.

Truly Utah Chamber Artists is one of the greatest choral ensembles in the state. They are consistent and have an impeccably in-tune sound. That being said, sometimes their performances are uniformed to the greater context of the piece; what I mean by this is the interpretation lacks inner phrasing as much as it lacks greater phrasing in the larger scope. Each moment of the music is absolutely beautiful, but as a whole, it can be bland and forgettable. I can't help but remember the recent performance of Brahms' Requiem, that was an excellent performance, meaning all the notes and rhythms were impeccably accurate, but all around it seemed platitudinous. With all these masterworks under these talented and dedicated hands, I hope to see more and more risks being taken in interpretation and performance rather than the same conservative and conventional performances. 

*Though it must be noted that in a subsequent performance of hearing UCA perform this piece in a rehearsal in Thompson Chamber Hall still had some diction issues, the choir was singing so unbridled and freely that this reviewer couldn't help but shout! Absolutely stunning and they ought to be commended! One of the most enthralling renditions I have ever heard of the piece.