By Linda Phillips
The always engaging Christmas Concert of the Greenwich Choral Society was a pastiche of languages, style, French composers and modern arrangers, hearkening back to 17th and 18th century sacred music.
Conductor Paul Mueller created an unusual program of all French composers with complex, accomplished works of lesser known texts, some in Latin. The concert, titled Joyeux Noel, translated to Joyeux audience.
Good things come in threes, and three astonishing soloists sang truly moving, brilliant trios and solos, honoring the majesty of Christmas.
After the transporting, lovely entrance of the choristers to darkened Christ Church with handbells and candles, the gifted baritone John Robert Green singing out from the darkened center aisle, the concert began with the hushed Messe de Minuit Pour Noel of Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The Kyrie Eleison, in 4/4 time, featured an orchestral opening and a conversation between orchestra and chorus. A five part work, The Messe had deeply religious roots. The Gloria, opening with the majestic pipe organ, featured strong strings, a harp thrill and kettle drum, the dynamics in the strong chorus going from fortissimo to sotto voce. The Christe Eleison was playful, joyous, leading to a solo voice of the lovely soprano Lara Secord-Haid, singing from a balcony above the orchestra, angelic, and with voice to match.
A highlight of the performance was Francis Poulenc’s Gloria, a relatively modern piece is six sections, lyrics in Latin, highlighting the soprano in a compelling, lyrical work of great drama, playful and joyous in sections, uneasy and eerie in another, with interesting organ, the harp celestial, ending with the resounding section from the chorus above the magnificent organ.
The Gloria is a complex, accomplished work on known text, with flowing, gorgeous orchestration, full of lush chords, beautifully performed by the Chorus and orchestra.
Mr Mueller asked the audience members to recall their high school French and sing along in that language for Quelle est cette odeur agreeable (English translation: what is that good smell?). The accents were mostly grave, but gamely performed by the audience.
On to the wonderful composer Camille Saint Saens, and his Oratorio de Noel, in ¾ time, featuring the soaring trio of soloists, baritone John Robert Green, tenor Omar Najmi, and the lovely Ms. Secord-Haid, all with voices of operatic quality. The chorus and orchestra shared melody beautifully with the soloists. Th soaring, lovely Alleluia was sung by all with great feeling, and rivaled the great Handel’s Alleluia Chorus.
The handbells announced O Come, Emmanuel in a wonderful arrangement by Peter Paul Olejar, with quite different phraseology and timing.
The exceptional tenor Mr. Najmi was featured in Charles Gounod’s Messe Solemnelle’s opening Sanctus, and Ms. Secord-Haid again soaring in the Benedictus. It was followed by Misse Solonnelle of Gabriel Faure Contemporary arrangers were featured in Charles Wood’s Ding, Dong Merrily on High and David Willcocks’ Adeste Fideles.
Faure’s Ave Maria was sung by women’s chorus, and Il est ne le divin Enfant by baritone Mr. Green and full chorus in a arrangement by John Rutter.
The closing piece was a rousing We Wish You A Merry Christmas, an unintended sing-along, in a David Willcocks arrangement.
This Christmas Concert embraced many cultures, many centuries, and all mankind, and was the least secular in memory. Bravo to a new level of programming accomplishment for the Greenwich Choral Society and its distinguished Director, Paul Mueller.
Linda Phillips’ classical music reviews have won four “Best Column of the Year” awards from the Connecticut Press Club and were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Criticism. She is the author of the novel “To The Highest Bidder,” nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.
