This past weekend, my spouse and I recently had the pleasure of hearing the Bay Choral Guild in a concert of music by French composers. If you haven’t had the chance to listen to the Bay Choral Guild, you’re missing a real treat. This 45-voice auditioned choir consistently delivers beautiful renditions of a wide range of choral music backed by a high level of musicianship.
Last Christmas season, for instance, they presented a marvelous program of seasonal music from Russia, Ukraine and Romania. I have it on good authority that they are preparing some music in Latvian as part of their next round of concerts. Director Sanford Dole is to be commended for changing things up musically and not settling for a set repertoire.
Last weekend’s program featured a sublime performance of the Requiem by Maurice Duraflé. This was followed by a selection of choral works by Lili Boulanger, Gabriel Fauré, Camille Saint-Saëns, Gabriel Fauré, and Claude Debussy. This was educational for me, for instance, in that my knowledge of Fauré is pretty much limited to his beautiful Requiem. This program included a piece by this composer named “Madrigal” that displayed a different facet of Fauré’s work. Likewise, I was unaware that Debussy had composed choral music, so it was a pleasure to be introduced to his “Trois Chansons de Charles d’Orléans.”
There was also some music for solo organ; Olivier Messiaen’s “Alléluias sereins d’une âme qui désire le ciel”, from “L’Ascension” and a rendition of “Litanies” by Jehan Alain.
The performances, both vocal and instrumental, were just delightful. The choir has a wonderful sense of ensemble and blend. Lyrics come through more clearly than I usually hear in a typical choir; it’s obvious from their performances that a fair chunk of time goes into this, and from the comments overheard from a French-speaking member of the audience after the concert, this effort did not go unnoticed.
Community music-making such as is done by the Bay Choral Guild is part of what makes the San Francisco Bay Area the great cultural center that it is. I am increasingly convinced that these kinds of creative organizations and and events are essential to fostering not just an interesting and diverse cultural landscape, but contributing directly to a healthy economy. This idea, most prominently articulated by Robert Florida, maintains that communities who have active cultural lives, and are inclusive, diverse, and tolerant are the best business environments for the industries that rely on creativity to thrive. The computer industry (to take one example) definitely falls into that category. The Bay Choral Guild is one of the jewels in the area’s cultural crown. I recommend you check out their web site for upcoming concerts.
On a related note, in these wretched economic times it is a mark of a truly civilized person to nonetheless offer support to worthy projects such as Bay Choral Guild (see my thoughts on this subject: “Immortality on Fifty Bucks a Day”). Take a look at the various options that are available for supporting Bay Choral Guild.
[Edited for a few niggling errors 2009.03.28:1235. Thanks, ER!]
Sheldon,
Wow! Thanks for this plug. I have been amazed at how much participating in this group has aided my work by re-energizing me time and time again. I hadn’t heard of Robert Florida, but I certainly find his thesis compelling. It remains a thrill to live in such a culturally and intellectually stimulating area, and to participate in groups like BCG
—Eleanor
Florida’s best discussion of this idea is his book “The Rise of the Creative Class”. He also makes the very good point that communities that are open and tolerant of different ethnic groups, religious communities, gays and lesbians, etc. tend to do better economically than those who do not for exactly the same reason. Somehow this kind of openness fosters the kind of creativity that leads directly to stronger economic growth.
So all that kumbaya stuff turns out to make sense from the standpoint of a flinty-eyed capitalist. Who knew?