Voci di Sorelle
An uneven repast, but the sorbet sparkled
December 8, 2009Voci di Sorelle, the 12-voice women’s ensemble directed by Ruth Moreland, visited the historic church at Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo on Dec. 6 with a generous and varied program of Christmas-related music, mostly dating from the 15th through the 17th centuries.
Only a few of the works were composed by thoroughly familiar figures such as Michael Praetorius and Francisco Guerrero. Of particular interest was the concluding group of pieces by cloistered nuns in 16th and 17th-century Italy -- Chiara Margarita Cozzolani’s Gloria in altissimis Deo, an enterprising dialogue between angels and shepherds; an Ave Regina Coelorum by Isabella Leonarda; and three motets by Sulpitia Cesis. Those three names were new to me, but clearly worthy of exploration. Stately tempi predominated in the program as a whole, but an anonymous 14th-century Cuncti Simus provided some rousing Renaissance swing, and there was a fairly lively British carol of the 15th century, “Nowel: Owt of your slepe arise,” sung in the English of the period.
The performances were uneven. At its best, as in Praetorius’s “Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen,” Guerrero’s “Pastor, quien madre Virgen” and the “Puer qui natus est” by Sulpitia Cesis, the troupe made a well-polished unit in both intonation and timing. Several times the ensemble sounded strikingly like a choir of boys -- not an easy impression for adult women to pull off, and very much in their favor.
But there were more than a few instances of ragged attacks and pitch disparities. Interpretively, Moreland’s leadership was too often generic and wanting in rhythmic energy. More work remains to be done, but Voci di Sorelle has made a good start.
Guitarist Terry Muska accompanied the troupe in its concluding set and offered several 16th-century solo works, all played with nicely sculpted tempi and a fine sense of color to distinguish the polyphonic lines.
The most memorable part of the concert was a sort of sorbet presented as a preview of coming attractions -- a yet-unnamed mixed quintet that gave a spirited, stylish, crystalline and ideally balanced account of a villancico by Guerrero. The singers were sopranos Moreland and Amy Phipps, alto Laura Grindle, tenor Andrew DeVoogd and bass Steve Wegner.
Mike
Greenberg
