{"id":119700,"date":"2025-11-24T08:59:51","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T13:59:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=119700"},"modified":"2025-11-26T15:00:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T20:00:24","slug":"scrutiny-soundstreamss-new-season-takes-flight-mass-endangered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/11\/24\/scrutiny-soundstreamss-new-season-takes-flight-mass-endangered\/","title":{"rendered":"SCRUTINY | Soundstreams\u2019s New Season Takes Flight with Mass For The Endangered"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Soundstreams
Soundstreams Mass for the Endangered in concert (Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soundstreams: Mass for the Endangered. David Fallis, Conductor; Louise Bessette, piano soloist; Judy Loman, harp; Erika Raum, violin; Soundstreams Choir 21; Ensemble Soundstreams. Trinity-St Paul\u2019s Centre, November 22, 2025.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Come, attendants of creation, to this stream of ecclesiastical resonances.<\/p>\n

Saturday night, at the Jeanne Lamon Hall in Trinity-St. Paul\u2019s Centre, Soundstreams \u2014 the music presenter lead by artistic director Lawrence Cherney<\/strong> \u2014 opened its 43rd season in birdsong.<\/p>\n

With its reverent choir and ensemble, the two-act concert parsed through the works of Avro P\u00e4rt, Andrew Balfour and Chris Hutchings before landing on the acclaimed perch of its centrepiece \u2014 Sarah Kirkland Snider\u2019s Mass For the Endangered, featuring a libretto by Nathaniel Bellows.<\/p>\n

At the pre-talk, Cherney, accompanied by music director and conductor David Fallis<\/strong> and Michael Mesure<\/strong> \u2014 the executive director of Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) Canada \u2014 shared their intentions behind their curatorial decisions and prompted the audience to consider the irreversible damage human existence has left on the natural world.<\/p>\n

Intended to be performed in 2021, before COVID put a wrench in it, Snider\u2019s Mass For the Endangered, a 47-minute, 6-part choral work, originally commissioned by Trinity Church Wall Street, is a bleak plea for mercy, but also, in \u201cCredo,\u201d Fallis noted, a glint of reclamatory hope.<\/p>\n

Fallis, erudite, provided background about the French composer Olivier Messiaen, whose piano solos, taken from the 13-piece Catalogue d\u2019oiseaux (1958), structure the first act. A fervent, obsessive birder, Messiaen had named each of solos not only after the bird that inspired, but by the rooted impressions of environment surrounding them too, so that one can \u201cfeel the warmth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mesure came in to inform us that, according a study from Cornell, three billion birds have been lost since 1970 due to a variety of factors ranging from windows, pesticides and plastic waste.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all endangered in this world today,\u201d Cherney said of the ethos, solemn yet stern. \u201cThe story we are trying to tell tonight is about what we\u2019ve lost, and what we might reclaim.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Soundstreams
Soundstreams Mass for the Endangered in concert (Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First Half<\/h3>\n

The night began with pianist Louise Bessette<\/strong>, clad in a blue, floor-length silk dress with lace short-sleeves, committedly bringing Messiaen\u2019s musical ornithology to life with \u201cL\u2019alouette calandrelle\u201d (Mediterranean short-toed lark) and \u201cLe courlis cendr\u00e9\u201d (Eurasian curlew).<\/p>\n

The first saw her going back and forth from the middle of piano to the highest octave so two voices were in conversation, an abstract, discordant piece that felt like a palette cleanser.<\/p>\n

At one point, towards its conclusion, hand hovering above the keys, one was not certain whether Bessette was done, evoking the sort of silence when one tunes into nature, which made the return into its portrait even more satisfying. The narratives in these pieces, if there were any, were difficult to identify and seemed to encourage a break from interpretation to passively experience.<\/p>\n

The second solo, less high-pitched, moved at a more rapid pace, made up of a run of trills and a melange of voices. In comparison, it was more erratic, disorganized, and chaotic, a mild contrast.<\/p>\n

Sandwiched between these two birds was R. Murray Schafer\u2019s \u201cWild Bird,\u201d from 1998, a duo concertante played by violinist Erika Raum<\/strong> and harpist Judy Loman<\/strong>, who, Cherney had previously noted, originally performed in its world premiere.<\/p>\n

True to its title, \u201cWild Bird\u201d allowed for the stringency of the violin to be buffeted by the jewel-like embraces of the harp, a sentiment amplified by Loman\u2019s seated and Raum\u2019s standing positions. Their unrelenting dialogue demonstrated how interpretations of birdsong can produce a variety of sentiments \u2014 drama, violence, fortitude, wit, and the sensation of swirling ascendency.<\/p>\n

When the stage went dark and the house lights went up, we turned our attention to the balcony\u2019s gallery, where Soundstreams Choir 21, dressed all in black, rose from the pews, scores in hand.<\/p>\n

Under Fallis\u2019 graceful, unostentatious command, they performed a trio of choral octavos.<\/p>\n

In Balfour\u2019s \u201cGaze Upon The Trees,\u201d they patiently unfurled Duke Redbird\u2019s text, colouring words like \u201clove,\u201d \u201cmelted,\u201d \u201cleaves,\u201d and repeating words like \u201csea\u201d to create a soaring transcendence that was to be immediately contrasted with the indignant, scolding tone of Hutchings\u2019s \u201cLet Them Not Say,\u201d with words by Jane Hirshfield. More than the beauty \u2014 for isn\u2019t that the word we always reach for, is easiest to reach for, more often than not seems to suffice \u2014 it was the anger and fear that was palpable in their performance.<\/p>\n

Finally, they turned to P\u00e4rt, whose 90th birthday Soundstreams will celebrate in February 2026, and his music for the traditional hymn \u201cVeni Creator Spiritus,\u201d which evoked the possibility of being absolved for our collective sins and a desire to be revitalized by grace.<\/p>\n

\u201cIgnite the light of our senses,\u201d they sang, in Latin: \u201cPour love into our hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n

This, they were able to achieve, making the effort to crane our necks around worthwhile, but when our attention returned to the stage, where Bessette played yet another piece from Messiaen\u2019s catalogue (\u201cLe traquet rieur,\u201d the black wheatear), which was overlong and not distinct enough from the second, I felt robbed from the sense of heights the choir had achieved.<\/p>\n

But, as often occurs with mixed programs, one is often met with obscure, forgotten pieces that can help understand, prepare us for what is to come, the traces of the past that linger behind the present.<\/p>\n

It does not have to do with Bessette\u2019s consummate performance; after some time, even discordance establishes it\u2019s own conventionality. I realized Messiaen does not speak to my soul, a sentiment which seemed to be shared with the man seated behind me, who let out a big long sigh.<\/p>\n

\"Soundstreams
Soundstreams Mass for the Endangered in concert (Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Second Half<\/h3>\n

After intermission, it was time to experience the night\u2019s highly-anticipated namesake.<\/p>\n

Written for a choir and 12 instruments, Mass For The Endangered \u2014 by turns divine, mystical and sumptuous \u2014 is a prayer for the animals of our world on the brink of extinction that provides ample opportunities for the talents of its artists to shine.<\/p>\n

Keyboardist Gregory Oh<\/strong>, for instance, whose delicate piano refrain opens \u201cKyrie\u201d and returns in \u201cAgnus Dei\u201d framed and thus grounded its wide and baroque scope.<\/p>\n

Loman, who skipped over a section at the top of \u201cGloria\u201d and requested it be re-started again, brought a sense of finality to her notes that wonderfully complimented the swooning vocal arrangement that sopranos Meghan Moore<\/strong> and particularly Sin\u00e9ad White<\/strong> pristinely delivered.<\/p>\n

In \u201cCredo,\u201d which incorporates a five-note ostinato by Caroline Shaw, clarinetist Anthony Thompson<\/strong>, flautist Stephen Tam<\/strong>, bassoonist Zsofia Veronica Stefan<\/strong>, and Ryan Scott<\/strong>\u2019s percussion took turns conjuring up vivid images \u2014 as if moving through the woods; encountering species along the way \u2014 that aligned with the alliterativeness of the text that climaxes with a series of pronouncements.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe in all who are voiceless,\u201d they sang en masse. \u201cWe believe all who are silenced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, soprano Lesley Bouza<\/strong> and tenor Jean Paul Feo<\/strong> coloured their brief instances of spotlight with an individuality that gave the totality of emotion the necessary force to propel it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgnus Dei,\u201d the sixth and final movement, at one point, activated every instrument and voice on stage, once again freed the audience, and the critic, from analysis in order to submit to its stirring vortex of spiritual feeling colliding with ecological grief and a deep need for forgiveness.<\/p>\n

It was as if everything were leading to this moment, whence our eardrums were fully dilated.<\/p>\n

\u201cLamb of God,\u201d they sang in conclusion. \u201cGive wonder, wish, give kindness back.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Soundstreams, the wonders of creation are returned to us in abundance.<\/p>\n

By Nirris Nagendrarajah<\/a> for Ludwig-Van.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Soundstreams: Mass for the Endangered. David Fallis, Conductor; Louise Bessette, piano soloist; Judy Loman, harp; Erika Raum, violin; Soundstreams Choir 21; Ensemble Soundstreams. Trinity-St Paul\u2019s Centre, November 22, 2025. Come, attendants of creation, to this stream of ecclesiastical resonances. Saturday night, at the Jeanne Lamon Hall in Trinity-St. Paul\u2019s Centre, Soundstreams \u2014 the music presenter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":119702,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41660,11,19,38,52,63],"tags":[1487,2000,3079],"yst_prominent_words":[28233,28231,28232,28230,28229,28234],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Copy-of-REVIEW-2025-11-24T085553.372.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-v8E","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119700"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119700"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119777,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119700\/revisions\/119777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119700"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=119700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}