By Reg Huston
It’s nice to go to a concert and know ahead of time that you will not be disappointed. This is the continuing legacy that the Camerata Singers, led by John Koza, has built for itself since its inception in 1980 (then under the direction of its founder Dr. Vahe Aslanian). I was talking to one of the ensemble members after the concert and told him how good it was to see him up on the risers year after year. I asked him how long he had been singing with Camerata and he replied, “28 years”. Now THAT is commitment!
Commitment is what you find as the cornerstone in the Camerata Singers’ concerts. There is commitment from Koza, to be sure, as he finds interesting piece after piece that is new to the audience and challenging to his colleagues. There is commitment to the music and text by each voice section to convey what the music has to offer and to rise to the challenge that Koza has set before them. They know why they are there. Friday’s concert at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Salinas (entitled “Words to God’s Music”) was often very moving under Koza’s skillful, controlled and clear direction.
The evening’s mood was set with a lovely opening piece: O Send Out the Light (by Schuldt). The chorus’ sweet blend was perfect for this piece which served as an invitation to sit back, close your eyes and let the music enfold you. Next was Sing and Ponder (by Fleming) which incorporated the plainsong Pange Lingua and chorale melody Jesu Kreuze, Leiden und Pein. Its high level of difficulty was only a prelude to an impressive program of demanding and commanding literature which included the following Prayers of Kierkegaard by Nystedt. The poems were beautiful (especially numbers 3 and 5) and the music allowed each of the four sections of the ensemble to shine (with fine soli by Tonya Legaspi and Cathy Blake). My “hat is off’ to these fearless singers for being able to negotiate this very difficult music and to Nystedt for giving us some exquisite musical moments. As difficult as the Nystedt piece was, however, we were then treated to Randall Thompson’s Antiphon. Is there another ensemble within miles of here with the will and talent to tackle such difficulty with such virtuosity? Big “Koza Kudos” for pulling off these works! I give more “Koza Kudos” for pairing the following two fabulous pieces, Eli, Eli! (by Deak-Bardos) and Alleluia (by Martinaitis) for what proved to be my favorites of the evening. The Eli, Eli! presented all of Christ’s torture on the cross with agonizing reality and heart-wrenching feeling. Then, we were resurrected, if you will, with the joy of the Alleluia (and Nancy Miccoli’s lovely solo). After all of this emotion, Koza brought back the first strains of O Send Out the Light to end the first half of the concert. What a great programming insight!
The second half of the program was also well performed. We were treated to Justorum animae and Beati quorum via both by Stanford. The excellent phrasing in these pieces set us up, in a sense, for another tour de force in Ascendit Deus by Gallus. This was yet another selection of extreme difficulty which the Camerata Singers handled with deftness and security. The following three selections (Ye children who do serve the Lord from the Scottish Psalter, Beatitudes by Pfautsch and Pilgrim’s Hymn by Paulus) were also of high quality but seemed tame compared to the other fireworks of the evening.
More “Koza Kudos” came when he ended his “Words to God’s Music” in a fitting way with a stunning Steal Away (arr. by Jennings) that was absolutely beautiful and was adorned by a sweet, sensitive tenor solo by Robert Ramon and a thrilling, strong and powerful bass solo by Michael Russell. The evening ended with a robust and exciting rendering of Rev. James Cleveland’s May the Lord God Bless You Real Good (arr. by Walker).
SOAPBOX: Hey, everybody: do something good for yourself and go hear “Words to God Music” at the First United Methodist Church in Pacific Grove on Sunday, May 17 at 3 pm. Your soul will thank you for it!
Reg Huston has been a concert soloist and has performed leading roles in opera and musical theater throughout the greater Monterey Peninsula for over thirty years.
