One of my favorite Bay Area cultural institutions performed last night (o5 March) at the Campbell United Methodist Church.  The Bay Choral Guild presented a wonderful program of some of the essential masterworks of Renaissance and later sacred choral music.  The program was billed as a selection of Lenten Devotions Through the Ages, although a few sub rosa “alleluias” managed to slip through (Note for non-geeks in Christian liturgy: this performance took place during Lent, and in some Christian liturgical traditions is it customary to forgo music that includes “Alleluia” or similar non-Lenten sentiments.  But since this wasn’t a church service, I suspect that BCG won’t be getting any tickets from the  Lent Police).

In carrying off this performance, the singers had to overcome a minor obstacle; the hall itself.  Churches through the ages have had to strike a balance between a lively, sustained acoustic, which favors much of the sacred choral repertoire, and a less reverberant environment that lets you understand what the preacher is saying.  Electronic amplification can bridge much of this gap in either direction, but my sense is that sustained reverb is not a priority in most modern church spaces. Pity.  Because the music presented last night was of the kind that just cries out to be heard in bright, resonant spaces that sing.

That said, the choir compensated, I’m told, with some adjustments to their arrangement which took advantage of the characteristics of the church.  The result was an outstanding performance.  The blend was excellent with a good sense of ensemble.  Lyrics were sharp and pronounced with distinction.  The dynamic variation, particularly in the later pieces that make more use of that kind of thing, was carried off with confidence and emotional content.  In particular, the performance of John Tavener’s Funeral Ikos was thrilling, raising Richter-scale goosebumps.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.  The first piece on the program, Duarte Lôbo’s Requiem was special because I have some history with it.  Years ago my wife and I were living with someone one who, coincidentally, is currently a member of BCG.  One evening he brought home a CD titled “Portuguese Polyphony” that contained a superb recording of this mass.  It quickly became a favorite of all of us.  It was a real treat to hear this marvelous music performed so well.  This was followed by an equally inspired performance of three motets by Christobal de Morales.

The second half of the program began with Tenebrae Responses by Carlo Gesualdo, followed by a short Motet for Passion Sunday by Frank Ferko.  We were then treated to the Tavener I mentioned earlier. The program ended with four beautiful motets by Josef Rheinberger.

Bay Choral Guild has recorded several excellent CDs of their music.  I am not usually one to be pushy about such things, but I do hope that they strongly consider making a CD of this particular program.  It was one of the most enjoyable BCG concerts I’ve yet heard.

To learn more about Bay Choral Guild and to make a contribution, visit their web site at http://www.baychoralguild.org/.