Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Sounds of the Season: The Holiday Music of Pepper Choplin and Mary McDonald in Review
Pepper Choplin, Mary McDonald, composers/conductors
Catherine Hamner, Vicki Hancock Wright, pianists; Heather Lake Bays, vocal soloist
Distinguished Concerts Orchestra; Distinguished Concerts Singers International
Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium, New York, NY
November 28, 2022
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY), the reliable presenter of multi-choir extravaganzas, is now in full holiday swing with its most recent offerings by two of America’s most popular composers of faith-based choral music- Pepper Choplin and Mary McDonald. On this occasion, the choirs appeared to be entirely domestic, ranging from Connecticut to Texas, by way of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, and Indiana.
Mr. Choplin opened the program with a bracing, transparent account of And the glory of the Lord from Handel’s Messiah. Accompanied only by the “DCINY String Quartet” and three woodwinds, the sound, both choral and instrumental, would have satisfied any hardcore historically informed performance enthusiast. Every point of imitation in the choral parts was clearly audible. It was erroneously listed in the program as following Mr. Choplin’s work, and I would have loved to do some sort of straw poll to find out what percentage of the audience was aware of that.
I, for one, would not wish my music to follow Handel’s, but Mr. Choplin did just that, with his choral Christmas worship service titled The Seven Noels (Songs to Light the World). He states that it was developed for use in church “to help people connect to the story and the characters of Christmas.” That it does, through crafty melding of old familiar tunes and new material by Mr. Choplin in what he calls a cantata. The First Nowell is the framing device used to introduce each section. O come, O come, Emmanuel, Silent Night (with audience participation), and Adeste fidelis (O come all ye faithful) are but a few of the themes commingling. I don’t know if Mr. Choplin writes his own texts, but the line “Life is beautiful, life is sad” seemed a bit simplistic to me, as did the musical arrangements, which are lacking in complexity. One thing Mr. Choplin achieved on this occasion was an avoidance of the gigantism that has overwhelmed some of his previous appearances with DCINY. I really appreciated the sharp diction achieved by the choir, no small feat when one has limited rehearsal time in which to coordinate many disparate ensembles into a whole. They were accompanied by the same small ensemble, helmed by violinist Jorge Ávila, the only one whose name I knew—it really is a shame to omit the instrumentalist’s names from the program—I seem to say this every year. They were joined by Catherine Hamner on piano.
The intermissionless concert (just some quick stage rearranging) then progressed to Mary McDonald’s music, very similar in style to Choplin, with the Carnegie Hall premiere of her Festival of Christmas, another merging of traditional tunes with original material. Postponed for two years due to the pandemic, it finally was able to shed its light on the season. Ms. McDonald performed with what looked like the full Distinguished Concerts Orchestra (again uncredited), piano played by Vicki Hancock Wright, and vocal soloist Heather Lake Bays. Ms. McDonald’s work is ambitious—a true overture preceded the choral parts, announcing the medley aspect of the piece with a flurry of carols, sometimes just a phrase, but enough to suggest the whole. The larger choral and instrumental forces did result in a less precise choral diction than was present in the Choplin part of the program, although the choral tone itself was energetic and joyous at its best.
Once again, O Come Emmanuel made its appearance- it seems composers can’t get enough of its modal minor flavor. The French carol Patapan, the Sussex carol, I Saw Three Ships, the words to The Midnight Clear, but set to a new tune, and even Adolphe Adam’s chestnut O Holy Night appeared. Like with Mr. Choplin, The First Noel made its statement; one novel touch was a rhythmic setting of Go Tell It on the Mountain!, an African-American spiritual. Beethoven even managed to sneak in (why?), with a variation on his 9th Symphony finale: An die Freude. Vocal soloist Heather Lake Bays contributed beautifully to O Come Emmanuel and O Holy Night, with a clear bright soprano that sounded a little bit more pop than classical, and that was fine with me.
This evening, which did not overstay its welcome, brought pleasure to all-participants, audience, and yes, even this reviewer.
