English Grandeur, A Tribute to the English Romantic Tradition
A Review by Jennifer Benton
Staff Writer
The Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra (SCSO), A Nationally Unique Arts Organization with Donald Kendrick, Conductor aired on Wednesday, December 21, 2011 on KVIE, Channel 6 Viewfinder Series, a PBS Documentary Broadcast. Among the 12,000 Community Choruses in the United States, the SCSO is the only large chorus of its kind to have a collective bargaining agreement with its own professional symphony orchestra. Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra under the musical direction of our very own Donald Kendrick (Founding conductor of the 180 voice Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra, Director of Choral Activities at CSUS including his direction of the Graduate Degree Program…his credits go on and on) delivered a most memorable and uniquely superb performance at the Sacramento Community Center Theater on Saturday, April 14, 2012. Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra perform a uniquely superb performance. Photo by Ronnie Johnson courtesy to the Gold Country Times
The one night only English Grandeur program brought the SCSO back to their original home and delighted attendees with this rarely performed repertoire, featuring works by two of England’s foremost composers of the 20th century: Ralph Vaughan Williams (This work, Five Mystical Songs [written by George Herbert], was composed in 1911 for the Worcester Festival, and became Williams’ first composition reflecting any type of religious poetry. Although Mr. Williams was a self-proclaimed agnostic, he still found musical inspiration in biblical verse and working with this collection left him drawn to religious setting or biblical texts and its integration with music for the duration of his career) and Sir William Walton (Belshazzar’s Feast, performed tonight, came to be considered one of Walton’s most famous works, and one of England’s most revered). His 60-year career did not lend itself to a long list of completed works as the composer, who was mostly self taught, was a slow worker and perfectionist. Sacramento Choral Society members. Courtesy Photo by Ronnie Johnson
In preparation for the concert, I began to speak to chorale members, Mr. James McCormick (SCSO’s President), and fellow members of the press. I found one common thread: "Belshazzar’s Feast is rarely performed outside of Europe", is what they all would say. This comment, being heard from so many sources, intrigued me. I pride myself on being a lover and supporter of the arts and having this opportunity to see such a rare performance was exciting yet I felt the need to know WHY the performance was so rare so I set out to find an answer from chorale member and community supporter, David Felderstein, whose enthusiasm shined through his performance that night and continued throughout his explanation of the rarity of this repertoire. David has been in the SCSO for 16 years (since the founding in 1996) and sang in the Sacramento Choral arena for 19 years prior to that (total of 35 years).
According to Mr. Felderstein, there are a multitude of reasons for the years between performances, beginning with the complexity of the piece which requires an enormous orchestra, leading to a huge cost burdened onto the SCSO, another reason for the rarity of hearing it live. This cost came in at the tune of $75,000, which required a full house to break even. They fell short of their goal by 800 seats, which by any measure, was a phenomenal turnout. In addition to volunteering hundreds of hours to perform with said chorus, the members additionally pay dues to co-sponsor their events in an effort to continue offering a professional caliber chorus during these poor economic times. An orchestra of this size is costly and requires a chorus who can not only perform at the level of expertise required to properly convey the emotions of the songs but who can sing with their entire bodies to project enough sound as to not be drowned out by the tremendous power being delivered by the musicians.
Felderstein reflects excitedly, "I have been singing since I was 14 and a member of SCSO for 35 years and this is the most challenging piece I have ever encountered". I attended this performance with my 14 year-old, Christian Brothers Concert Choir member son Logan Tipton. I was excited and very much looking forward to what I didn’t realize would be the most impressive and moving musical performance of my life. Logan was a trace more apprehensive that his interest would last the entire two hours. We enjoyed the first half so much with Carrie Hennessey’s (Soprano) angelic voice and the depth of Clayton Brainerd’s (Bass Baritone) intertwined with the strong sweetness of the Sacramento Children’s Chorus.
It was quite wonderful and Logan was surprised when the intermission lights came up, saying, "That was a fast 45 minutes, this is really good! I don’t want to leave, let's stay for the second half", as though leaving were an option. What neither of us could have known or prepared for, was the overwhelming magic of the second half. I was not familiar with Belshazzar’s Feast before last Saturday night but will carry the mesmerizing sounds and visual appeal of the performers with me always (there is something wonderful about hearing a sound and being able to identify the instrument because you can actually see it being played, rather than hearing it from the orchestra pit).
I found myself enraptured and the music literally took my breath away, as my son heard me let out a small gasp, inadvertently. The sheer power of 180 voices could be felt in one’s body when they sang with such force! Their voices were sometimes countered and complimented by the subtlety of the orchestra’s strings & brass as they answer the choir call. The stage featured some 300 performers and even after wine at intermission and the evening growing longer, attendees sat riveted in their seats, and immediately stood to honor the masterful performers with a much deserved standing ovation.
Many thanks and much respect to all who have contributed (including but not limited to the members themselves, Donald Kendrick and the Board of Directors) to the growth of the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra since its establishment 16 years ago. As a native of Sacramento, I was proud to learn that ours has grown to become one of the largest symphonic choruses in the United States. Your interest and contribution will help to secure SCSO’s future and the organization highly regards and thanks you for your support.
Additionally, KVIE has completed a documentary about the journey of the SCSO which is currently available for viewing both on their website and is also being streamed on Youtube. The SCSO’S documentary aired 12 times in 2011 and has been accepted by NETA (National Educational Telecommunications Association) to go national. Satellite upload date was April 6, 2012 and now some 300+ Public Television stations around the country have the opportunity to download the documentary and show it in their communities around the U.S.
On Saturday, June 2, 2012, 8pm, the Stained Glass Sacramento Concert, Two European Traditions, Masterworks of the Baroque, Classical & Romantic Eras will be presented with Special Guest Appearance by Katherine Jolly, Soprano. At the Fremont Presbyterian Church, 5770 Carlson Drive, Sacramento. $35 Reserved, $25 General; Students: 50%.
For information regarding ticket sales, upcoming performances, and donation/advertising information, go online to http://sacramentochoral.com or (916) 536-9065.
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