Now Christmas Can Begin

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The New York Sun

Last night, Chanticleer gave its annual Christmas concert, at the Metropolitan Museum, in the Medieval Sculpture Hall, in front of the big, elegant Christmas tree and the Neapolitan Baroque creche. Actually, the group did this twice: They gave one concert at 6:30, and another at 8:30. (I caught the earlier one.) They will give two more on Sunday night.They really pack ’em in, these guys. I imagine they could sell out concerts more.


Chanticleer, as you know, is the 12-man a cappella singing group from San Francisco. Every year, I say that their Christmas concert is a highlight of the season – not just of the Christmas season, but of the music season at large. And every year it’s true.


What do they have, these fellows? Technique, smarts, taste. Discipline, unity, inspiration.They embody a musicianship that could instruct any group – from a guitar duo to the Berlin Philharmonic.


Last night,they processed to Gregorian chant, then sang some Byrd. What a genius, that Elizabethan Englishman! The singers were obviously delighting in their own sound – as well as Byrd’s – and why not? Then they sang some more Gregorian chant, followed by something Spanish – a piece by Victoria (not the equal of Byrd).


Of special interest was a 16th-century Basque carol, lively, virtually jazzy. Of even more special interest was a 17thcentury Portuguese number, flavored by Guinean culture – this piece was both rousing and beatific. A find, as far as I’m concerned.


Arvo Part is a top composer of our day, and his “Bogoroditsye Dyevo” is cheerful and angelic, with masterly modulations. Chanticleer pulled it off superbly. And they stayed to the East, singing the Magnificat, Op. 93, of Cesar Cui, known as one of the Russian “Five,”or “Mighty Handful.”In this,the singers were both correct and soulful. It’s hard to ask for more, in anything. They showed more Western polish than Russian grit, but that was all right.


“The First Nowell,” in the arrangement by David Willocks, was unbelievably beautiful and moving – maybe the highlight of the evening. The countertenors opted out of the high notes at the end, which was slightly disappointing, but the carol was impressive enough. Then they sang the “Huron Carol,” by St. Jean de Brebeuf, which the group likes, and sings hauntingly. And they closed their printed program with a Christmas medley, arranged by their music director, Joseph Jennings. The medley ends with the soaring, righteous “Jerusalem in the Morning.” The group has sung it more robustly than they did last night – at least in the first concert – and, in fact, they were a little vanilla. The audience loved it nonetheless.


Their encore was their signature encore, Biebl’s Ave Maria, effective as always.


Last year (I think), I heard a woman say, as she was leaving,”Now Christmas can begin.” No doubt others feel that way.At Christmas, Chanticleer is an antidote to cynicism and nihilism. Their concert defeats both nastiness and apathy. They are “Merry Christmas” substance in a land of “Happy Holidays” emptiness. I wish they’d give that concert more often.


***


On Wednesday evening, the New York Philharmonic went “Inside the Music, with Peter Schickele.” That was the title of the show it put on.This show started at 6:45 and ended at 8:15. For a half-hour or so,Peter Schickele spoke to the audience,about the one work on the evening’s program: Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 in E minor. The Philharmonic, led by associate conductor Xian Zhang, provided musical examples.Then a guest conductor – Ivan Fischer – went ahead and conducted the symphony.


The Philharmonic signaled it was doing something unusual with a new look for Avery Fisher Hall: cool lighting (and by “cool,” I mean “groovy,” not the other kind of cool).


Mr. Schickele, of course, is the scholar, musician, and entertainer responsible for P.D.Q. Bach. He is knowledgeable and amusing, and he spoke that way on this occasion.His purpose was to tie Rachmaninoff to the great Germanic tradition of the symphony – as far as Mr. Schickele is concerned, it extends from Haydn through Beethoven and Brahms and the rest all the way to two Russians: Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. In particular, he compared the Rach Second to the very first symphony of Mozart, written when the composer was about nine. (“Next to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,” said Mr. Schickele, “Shirley Temple was a late bloomer.”)


I’m not sure that Mr. Schickele’s talk was a great enhancement to the music, and I’m not sure that his platitudes at the end – about how serious need not mean stuffy – were necessary, for anyone. Also, he might be better off not to tell phallic jokes in settings like this. (“Size matters,” he said, painfully.) But Mr. Schickele is a considerable talent, and always worth listening to.


The Rachmaninoff Second is the big work on the Philharmonic subscription series this week, and it is one of the great Romantic symphonies – one of the great symphonies period, some people would argue. Its amazingly beautiful slow movement was made into a pop song: “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again.”


Ivan Fischer, a Hungarian, is a capable conductor, the founder of the Budapest Festival Orchestra. He immediately had control of the New York forces: He had them playing precisely, richly, and movingly. Throughout Rachmaninoff’s first movement, Mr. Fischer was fairly free without being wild.Tempos did not lag, and neither did they race.Phrasing was natural,and all parts of the orchestra were gratifyingly clear.


The second movement – the scherzo – began with remarkable accuracy. That is always helpful here, as is the kind of energy Mr. Fischer infused.That accuracy would fade, however, though Mr. Fischer’s energy did not.


And the slow movement? It features a famous clarinet solo, and the Philharmonic’s principal is a famous clarinetist, Stanley Drucker. A member of the orchestra since the late 1940s – he was a wunderkind – he is one of the outstanding first-deskmen of the second half of the 20th century.In a sense,he is beyond criticism. But to say that he did not play his best – or did not produce his best sound – on Wednesday evening would be an understatement.


In much of this movement, Mr. Fischer was persuasive,heartfelt yet not flabby.Eventually, however, things got a little mannered, spoiling Rachmaninoff’s effect. And something both amusing and annoying occurred: There is a long rest in this movement, which Mr. Fischer made longer than usual (and than necessary): There was a fit of coughing during this rest, perhaps because patrons thought the movement was over.


Especially noticeable in the last movement was Mr. Fischer’s breathing – that is, his nose-breathing, loud and persistent. He seemed to conduct with this breathing as much as with his hands. As an audience member, I found this a bit disconcerting, but I always argue that a conductor should do whatever it takes, to communicate to the orchestra. At any rate, this movement – this glorious finale – did not have the heart-pounding excitement it is capable of providing. It was decent, but not thrilling.


Ah, well. The first movement and about half of the second were excellent.


Chanticleer will perform again December 4 at 6:30 p.m. & 8:30 p.m. at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street, 212-535-7710. Both concerts are sold out.) The New York Philharmonic will perform Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 again December 3 at Avery Fisher Hall (Lincoln Center, 212-875-5656).


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