MESMERIZING CONTEMPORARY WORKS FEATURED AT CANTIAMO SONOMA'S SEASON ENDING CONCERT

by Pamela Hicks Gailey

Sunday, June 2, 2024

Cantiamo Sonoma closed out its 2023-2024 season June 2 with another marvelous program of a capella jewels. Santa Rosa’s St. Seraphim of Sarov Cathedral was nearly full on a warm Sunday afternoon, and listeners were treated to an hour of deeply moving and contemplative selections. The acoustics of St. Seraphim’s amplified the clarity of pitch, tone, blend, dynamics and articulation I so admire with this group. The Latin liturgical texts were uplifting, and the contemporary pieces were exceptionally beautiful settings of outstanding poetry which spoke to the heart.

The concert opened with three exciting Renaissance pieces: William Byrd’s “Haec dies” (This is the Day Which the Lord Hath Made) burst out of the choir with bright, vigorous movement, followed by the richly somber and elastic “Taedet Animam” (My Soul is Weary) by Lassus. Capping the set was Sweelinck’s joyous “Gaudete Omnes” (Rejoice Everyone!).

Always the champion of contemporary music, for this concert Director Carol Menke included the stellar music of six living composers. First were two pieces from the anthology Gentle Words: Shaker songs arranged for chorus by the Massachusetts composer Kevin Siegfried, whose work is firmly grounded in the traditional Shaker hymns of New England and carries the distinctive “Americana” harmonic structure and flavor. “Almighty Savior” is a hymn in which each verse is a variation, and the powerful “I Hunger and Thirst” featured the lovely solo voice of Liesl Hall. The set concluded with a gorgeous arrangement of “My Lord What a Morning” by Paul Leddington Wright. Gene Wright was the sympathetic soloist, and the men’s voices were particularly strong in what was a transporting moment.

The next set of music included “Ave Generosa” by the Norwegian Ola Gjeilo (on a text by the 11th century abbess and polymath Hildegard von Bingen), a beautiful throwback to the northern liturgical music of the Renaissance. Next was Eric Whitacre’s mesmerizing “Sleep” with poet Charles Anthony Silverstri’s words, and the heartrending “The Sun Never Says” by Dan Forrest and poet Daniel Ladinsky.

Three songs by Ēriks Ešenvalds revealed perhaps the most beautiful texts of the afternoon, with “The Heaven’s Flock” (described as a “celestial meditation”) by Oregon’s Poet Laureate Paulann Petersen, followed by “There Will Come Soft Rains” and “Only in Sleep” by the early 20th century existential poet Sara Teasdale. Ešenvalds’ compositions are deep and rich and explore musically the content of the words. “Only in Sleep” featured Ms. Menke as soprano soloist, and her voice soared as she continued discreetly conducting behind her back!

Closing the concert was the roof-raising Moses Hogan spiritual “I Got a Home in-a dat Rock” with Bill Morgan as soloist, followed by the classic Carter Family gospel hymn “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”, arranged by J. David Moore.

The concert was followed by their always festive end-of season patio reception.