by Dick Frantzreb

This joint concert of the Yuba Sutter Master Chorale and the Veridian Symphony Orchestra, was dedicated to the memory of Joaquina Calvo Johnson, the driving force behind both organizations, who passed on last August.  This concert was directed by her hand-picked successor, Kathryn Donovan, and from the very beginning, I was struck with Ms. Donovan’s dynamic, expressive directing.  She began, though, by welcoming the audience and giving some background on the first selection, Telemann’s “Laudate Jehovam, Omnes Gentes.”  (Click here to open the full program in a separate window.)  The piece was performed with the 32 singers standing close behind the 13 instrumentalists. 

From the start, it seemed that the chorus made a bigger sound than their numbers would suggest.  I noted an especially good tone from both the soprano and alto sections, and for as few men as there are in the Chorale (4 basses and 5 tenors), I thought they produced a strong, unified sound.  Overall, I found the performance of the Telemann delightful, and I wished it could somehow have gone on much longer. 

At this point in the concert, the orchestra withdrew, and the Chorale were accompanied by piano for the next three pieces.  Each of these pieces also featured dancers from Jacque's Dance Expressions, 12 young women performing in different combinations in front of the singers.  Although these dancers performed well and with interesting choreography, my impression of them was different from that of a year ago.  What I found charming before, felt distracting this time, perhaps because the choreography was a bit more elaborate, but more likely because the lyrics and the nuance of the music were especially interesting to me, and I was straining to focus on them. 

The text of the second of the three pieces was the well-known poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye, “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep.”  This choral setting by Laura Farnell was stunning, with a surpassingly beautiful melody and rich harmonies, sensitively sung.  I interpreted the piece as a special tribute to Joaquina Johnson, with its inspiring lyric.  Although the articulation of the Chorale was good, it would have been nice to have the whole poem printed in the program.  Copyright considerations may have been behind the decision not to include it, but the text is all over the Internet, including here. 

The next piece, “How Can I Keep From Singing?” also seemed a special tribute to Mrs. Johnson, with its lyric “My life goes on in endless song.”  This arrangement had a bright, early American folk song sound, and its energy and joy came across as much from the expressiveness of the singers as from the compositional style. 

At this point, the chorus exited and the orchestra returned.  Cellist Rebekah Hood spoke to the audience about the piece about to be performed, giving some background on both Grieg and Ludwig Holberg, whose dramatic works were the inspiration of the neo-classical music that was to follow.  With Kathryn Donovan directing, the Veridian Symphony Orchestra proceeded to present what amounted to immensely satisfying listening for me.  I had never heard this piece before, so there was pure pleasure in the discovery of it.  Each movement was full of heart, making me want to explore Grieg more seriously.  But the orchestra performed beautifully, with playing that was now crisp and passionate, now lush and nuanced, now elegant and triumphal, now introspective and plaintive.  Also, despite the fact that there were only 13 members of the orchestra, it sounded like a much larger ensemble – helped perhaps by the excellent acoustics of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church.  I have to add that throughout this concert, I sensed that each person – whether director, instrumentalist or vocalist – was a serious musician – at least that was what seemed to be projected in the demeanor I witnessed and the sounds I heard. 

The Schubert Mass in G had special appeal to me because I have sung it (as a chorus member) myself on more than one occasion.  I hoped for a solid performance, and I wasn’t disappointed.  During the Kyrie, I felt that the energy level of the chorus lagged a bit, but the music helped correct that, and the allegro maestoso of the Gloria, was indeed maestoso.  Then I was surprised to see the soprano soloist, Karen Trefzker,  step out from the chorus.  But I was even more surprised by the quality of her singing:  a strong, pure, well-articulated tone – as good as any soprano soloist I’ve heard lately, and a pleasure to listen to.  Bass and tenor soloists Thor Campbell and Aaron Scheidel, were also solid performers.  And the overall effect of the Gloria was nothing short of thrilling.  I could have asked for a bit more passion in the long and difficult Credo movement, but the tenor and bass (and alto) sections held their own against an exceptionally strong soprano section and produced a good blend. 

It occurred to me as I listened that Director Donovan, indeed all the musicians, were demonstrating a great understanding of the piece, and giving a performance that was clearly authentic.  With that thought, I sat back and thoroughly enjoyed the remaining sections of the Mass:  Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei.  And the audience must have enjoyed them, as well, because at the conclusion, they rose to give the singers and players a well-deserved standing ovation.