Bach Society heralds Christmas at Powell Hall

The power and magnificence of choral music is almost palpable at this time of year. Here in St. Louis we are blessed to host in our midst on of the nation's premier choral ensembles, the Bach Society, recently accorded the honor of having their annual Candlelight Christmas Concert named by the BBC Music Magazine as one of the top 20 Christmas concerts in North America. If that weren't enough, matching gifts to the Bach Society have recently provided the means for performances of the Bach Mass in B Minor every three years.

Now entering his 31^st year as Music Director and Conductor, A. Dennis Sparger has helped mold the artistry of the Society chorus throughout his tenure. His hallmarks are a remarkable sense of balance between voices and orchestra, as well as fostering an amazing command of diction that renders every consonant audible throughout Powell Hall and amidst the soaring mix of voices and instrumental timbres. 

Although the Candlelight Procession is an annual component of the concert that audiences look forward to each year, Sparger does not rely primarily on visual effects. Richness of variety is ensured through the antiphonal effects of singers processing throughout the aisles, audience participation, and the use of instrumental media, as well as sensitive attention to dynamics and the use of creative arrangements of traditional carols. The percussion section of the orchestra performed brilliantly throughout the program, showing with the glockenspiel and chimes that melody and percussion do go hand in hand. 

The centerpiece of the first half of the program on December 22 was the setting of the Magnificat by John Rutter, whose treatment and expansion of the biblical text provided a contemporary insight into the heart of a young Jewish girl poised to alter history, yet retaining enough traditional flavor to make the music accessible to first-time listeners. Rutter is a composer of tremendous talent, with a flair for adding just the right touch of modern spice to traditional harmony. Occasionally his rhythms seem a bit lodged in mid-20th century idioms more suitable for wind and percussion ensembles, but there were some remarkable moments of deep lyricism and reflection within the movements of the work.

Soprano Emily Birsan was soloist in the Magnificat and, later, in "Lullaby for the Christ Child" by Ruth Watson Henderson. Birsan's voice slides over even the most difficult passages with well-oiled flexibility and the same careful phrasing we have grown to expect from the Society chorus. Her sense of pitch seemed well-targeted and accurate. Although she was always audible, it would have been good to hear her beautiful and bell-like voice projected a bit more strongly throughout the hall, and she seems to possess the power to do so.

An unexpected treat on the program was the inclusion of the young voices of the St. Louis Children's Choirs (Choristers and Concert Choir), directed at this performance by Elizabeth Hogan McFarland and Barbara Berner. These young people sang with the same diction, blend and intonation that we would normally expect only of adults. The profound skill of these remarkable young people is a tribute to themselves, their families and the work of their gifted directors. The Choirs sang some challenging arrangements of traditional carols--"Ding, Dong! Merrily on High," "What Child," "O Come, All Ye Faithful"--and joined with the Society for the finale of "Jingle Bells" and "A Merry Christmas."

The audience was also provided the opportunity to join in on some of the traditional carols, demonstrating that this concert was very much a group effort. It must never be forgotten that musicians--and the families who support them--whether they be professionals or amateurs, students or seasoned veterans, nevertheless must lead lives filled with the same responsibilities of all of us, sometimes even entailing the necessity of day-jobs to support the addictive habit of filling the world with music. Hats off to the wonderful children, singers, soloists, orchestral musicians, conductors, office personnel, administrators and moms and dads whose immense effort made this concert a smashing success and a part of the very fabric of life in the heartland.