Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents A Symphony of Carols in Review
Distinguished Concerts Orchestra, Distinguished Concerts Singers International
Jonathan Griffith, Artistic Director/Principal Conductor
Pepper Choplin, composer/conductor
Randol Bass, DCINY composer-in-residence
Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
November 18, 2018
The holiday season is upon us, in what seems to be coming earlier and earlier each year. The retailers are already clamoring for shoppers with promises of “doorbusters” and other deals galore – it can be overwhelming even to the hardiest souls! With a nod to the “early” idea, Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) offered a pre-Thanksgiving Day concert on November 18th entitled A Symphony of Carols, featuring the music of Pepper Choplin and Randol Bass. The commercial aspect was nowhere to be found, as this was a concert focused on the original concept of Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Singers from Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Canada, and “individual singers from around the globe” made up the choruses of the Distinguished Concerts Singers International.
Pepper Choplin took the podium to conduct the first half, which consisted of two of his works, Come, Emmanuel, and Christmas Presence (World Premiere). This is Mr. Choplin’s sixth appearance with DCINY. I have written about Mr. Choplin multiple times, but I will simply restate that he pairs an outsized personality with the strong spiritual faith that is a hallmark of his compositions.
Come, Emmanuel is a bright three-minute work for chorus and orchestra filled with joy at the anticipation of the birth of Christ. It is what the composer calls a “simple motet” – but with a “surprise ending.” It was an upbeat opener, with the surprise ending being (spoiler alert) an enormous shout of “Come!” by the chorus.
Christmas Presence is a thirty-minute, eight-movement work. About the title, the program notes state, “In this work the concept of being present weaves throughout the music and narration [and] presents a challenge to experience Christmas in God’s presence and the presence of those around us” (italicized words are in the text of the notes). This is a high ideal and one that I do believe Mr. Choplin did aspire to in his composition.
The diction of the chorus was remarkable. Each word was crystal clear, so that while the listener had the texts available, they were completely unnecessary. This is rare experience. All credit is due to both Mr. Choplin’s skill in vocal writing and the superb preparation of the chorus. Special mention goes to soloist Renee Calvo, whose lovely voice filled the hall in the sixth movement, Still They Are Here (at Christmastime).
As well as being a composer, Mr. Choplin is a dynamic conductor who energized both orchestra and chorus into giving it their utmost. Every movement had so much emotion that one could not help thinking that each one could easily be used as a stand-alone piece. That said, this listener must express some reservations. There was a need for more contrast from selection to selection, and there was what seemed to be a planned formula of climaxes. I am a huge fan of tonal music, but when it is unrelentingly consonant and sweet, it quickly becomes featureless, and when climaxes are so frequent, one risks sounding trite.
Whatever reservations this listener had were not shared by the large audience, who cheered loudly after each movement, and rewarded Mr. Choplin and the musicians with a standing ovation at the end. Mr. Choplin knows his audience well. If his goal is to please them, then one must admit that he was highly successful.
After intermission, Randol Bass joined Jonathan Griffith for an impromptu conservation about Ms. Bass’s works being played this evening. Like Mr. Choplin, Mr. Bass has a big personality, paired with a modest, self-effacing sense of humor enjoyed by all; on a serious note, however, Maestro Griffith told the audience that he wished to dedicate the second half of the concert to the memory of Mr. Bass’s mother, who recently passed away.
The half opened with Gloria, which is probably the most frequently performed of Mr. Bass’s works. When asked about it, he joked about it being short (seven minutes) and being used as program filler. He’s being far too modest – Gloria is a dynamic work, filled with rhythmic vitality, and also playable by a large variety of ensembles of wide-ranging abilities. It was a rousing start.
The World Premiere of Carols from a Victorian Fireside (movements two and three) followed. As Mr. Bass related in his talk, the melodies for this work come from the pen of Sir Arthur Sullivan (yes, that Sir Arthur Sullivan). Mr. Bass came upon these melodies while exploring a website dedicated to Sullivan – they were intended for a larger work that was never completed, sketches of which only exist in a facsimile of Sullivan’s handwriting. Mr. Bass took these sketches and orchestrated them with chorus. The first, Christmas Bells at Sea was a ballad that was probably more Bass than Sullivan, but the second, The Marquis de Mince- Pie/Care is all Fiddle-dee-dee, was as if the spirit of Sir Arthur channeled directly from the pen of Mr. Bass. It was a delightful romp that was the highlight of the evening for this listener, all the more remarkable as I do not care for Gilbert and Sullivan in the least! Bravo, Mr. Bass!
Yet one more World Premiere followed, Laus Nativitatis. This combined two well-known Latin Texts, Hodie Christus Natus Est (Christ is Born Today) and O Magnum Mysterium (O, Great Mystery). It is filled with that exuberance and rhythmic vitality that is a hallmark of Mr. Bass’s style, but it is also harmonically interesting, with highly chromatic writing. The chorus was at times covered by the orchestra, but the overall effect was excellent. This work has the same potential for popularity as Gloria.
Symphony of Carols, in the form of a four-movement choral symphony, closed the concert. Each movement took a traditional carol, sung first in the original language (French, Catalan, German, and Latin), and then repeated in English translation. Mr. Bass dedicated this work to John Williams, and it has a certain similarity to Williams’ style. The familiar sounds of Stille Nacht and Adeste Fidelis filled the hall with Christmas cheer, as Maestro Griffith led with his customary steady hand. It was a fine ending to a night of joy and celebration.
