Choir Hits The High Notes During Baritone's Concert
By Richard Scheinin
San Jose Mercury News
Mar. 21, 2005 - Something totally unexpected -- and funny, in a charming way -- happened Friday night at the California Theatre. Nathan Gunn, opera star and man of the hour, sat down and then the best single moments of the night took wing.
The 110-voice San Jose Symphonic Choir, celebrating its 80th anniversary, lit into ''Antiphon,'' the fifth of Ralph Vaughan Williams' ''Five Mystical Songs,'' and suddenly the hall was filled with swirling, whirling voices, singing God's praises. There was rich accompaniment from the Mission Chamber Orchestra, which pumped out Vaughan Williams' juicy harmonies and helped the choir lock into the composer's unambiguous British sentiment -- a brand of buoyant feeling that eventually made a detour into the music of the Beatles and, in particular, Paul McCartney. It was great.
Not that Gunn wasn't.
In the first four songs -- all five are set to texts by the Christian mystic poet George Herbert -- his lyric baritone voice often had the effect of a healing salve in the hall, which was close-to-filled with listeners anxious to take in his performance at this hastily publicized event. ''Love Bade Me Welcome,'' ''The Call'': These are gorgeous songs, not often enough heard, and Gunn's voice shone.
Singer undone
But there were also moments when he was overwhelmed by the massed forces behind him -- well over 200 singers and instrumentalists for portions of the program. The concert was an admirable collaboration between a top professional singer and very good, though non-professional, ensembles. But given the complexity of the pieces, the shortage of rehearsal time, and the fact that the California's stage was packed to the gills, the night turned into an acoustic crapshoot: Now you heard Gunn, now you didn't, at least not clearly.
That was a disappointment.
Then again, this concert wasn't only about Gunn, a regular at the Metropolitan Opera and on other prestigious stages around the world. It was an all-around labor of love: Gunn appeared to help his mother-in-law, Linda Jordan, and her Menlo School Chorus (which also sang Friday) in their efforts to raise funds for an upcoming European tour. He also appeared because he is a friend of Leroy Kromm, the Symphonic Choir's music director, who celebrated his 20th anniversary with the choir on Friday.
Enter 'Belshazzar'
Plus, Gunn loves this music. So do Jordan and Kromm, who have collaborated on big orchestral-choral productions for years and have long dreamed of performing the other razzle-dazzle work on Friday's program -- ''Belshazzar's Feast'' by William Walton.
It's infrequently performed because it's hard and also expensive to produce, requiring two choruses and orchestra, as well as baritone soloist. Awhile back, when Gunn told Jordan and Kromm that he knew the piece and would be happy to sing it, Friday's program fell into place.
Walton's work tells the biblical story of Babylon's fall. Belshazzar, the king, who has badly mistreated the exiled Hebrews in his land, seals his fate with one last, ill-considered move: He desecrates sacred vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem by using them at a drunken feast. That's when ''the writing on the wall'' -- you know the _expression; this is where it comes from -- notifies him that he is going to die.
That story unfolds in oratorio-like fashion, with lots of modern touches: bracing choral harmonies and fabulous jazz rhythms and riffs. Written way back in 1931, Walton anticipated the jazz-infused theatrical compositions of Leonard Bernstein and others.
Friday's performance -- despite the steady ringing of the world's loudest cell phone somewhere in the audience -- got off to a credible start, with the choirs singing out the Hebrews' lamentations. Half an hour later, as ''Belshazzar'' neared its conclusion, this tornado of a piece was flying apart, frankly. But it was a valiant effort and there were individual cameos to note: first-rate solos by principal oboe Ben Lloyd, principal clarinet Susan Biskeborn, and xylophonist Monte Hatch, a hot player.
Gunn had some powerful spots, too, especially when, voice booming, he intoned the litany of riches of ancient Babylon:
. . . frankincense, wine and oil, fine flower, wheat and beasts/
Sheep, horses, chariots, slaves and the souls of men.
Teen chorus' moment
But the best moment of all happened when Gunn and the teenagers of the Menlo School Chorus engaged in call-and-response prophecies about Babylon's coming disaster. Not every high school chorus gets to team up with one of the opera world's finest baritones.
When it was over, Kromm, the conductor, took his bows, as did Gunn, Jordan, and Emily Ray, the Mission Chamber Orchestra's music director. As they filed off, Gunn politely allowed his mother-in-law to go first.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact Richard Scheinin at rscheinin@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5069.
