{"id":24210,"date":"2014-12-15T12:49:39","date_gmt":"2014-12-15T17:49:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=24210"},"modified":"2014-12-15T17:12:11","modified_gmt":"2014-12-15T22:12:11","slug":"concert-review-the-kings-singers-offer-a-strict-regime-of-poise-and-delicacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2014\/12\/15\/concert-review-the-kings-singers-offer-a-strict-regime-of-poise-and-delicacy\/","title":{"rendered":"CONCERT REVIEW | The King\u2019s Singers Offer a Strict Regime of Poise and Delicacy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The
The King\u2019s Singers, September 2008.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

King\u2019s Singers at Koerner Hall, December 14th, 2014.<\/h3>\n

The King\u2019s Singers aren\u2019t just an ensemble \u2013 they\u2019re an institution. Founded at King\u2019s College Cambridge in 1968, the vocal sextet now contains none of its original members. However, with about 150 recordings to their credit and countless tours around the globe, they\u2019ve built a strong brand-name and a devoted fan-base.<\/p>\n

Evidently, more than a few of those fans live in Toronto: Koerner Hall was filled to capacity on Sunday afternoon for a Christmas program by the ensemble. It was also evident from the enthusiastic applause in the hall that their fans weren\u2019t disappointed. I wish I shared their unbridled enthusiasm \u2013 but I came away with a somewhat different impression.<\/p>\n

The King\u2019s Singers\u2019 claim to fame rests chiefly on the group\u2019s remarkable ability to perform intricate vocal works with just one singer per part. The Singers do this brilliantly: they\u2019ve cultivated a style that\u2019s all about purity, clarity, precision and balance.<\/p>\n

However, as Sunday\u2019s concert revealed, adherence to this way of doing things can be limiting. Throughout the program, musical expression was hobbled by a strict regime of poise and delicacy: dramatic moments were rare, and only rarely did the volume-level reach a respectable mezzo-forte. Sometimes, when the repertoire suited this approach, the results were quite charming. But there were also works on the program that would have benefited from more robust approach.<\/p>\n

The Singers opened with a set of sacred works by Orlando Lassus (his Magnificat:\u00a0Praeter Rerum Seriem<\/em> and his Resonet in laudibus<\/em>), and William Byrd (Vigilate<\/em> and Beata viscera Mariae virginis<\/em>). Despite a technically flawless delivery, the sextet wrapped this music in a pall of solemnity \u2013 and the result was, frankly, a little tedious.<\/p>\n

Three carol-anthems by Herbert Howells followed: Here is a Little Door<\/em>, A Spotless Rose<\/em> and Sing Lullaby<\/em>. And here, the Singers\u2019 coy approach seemed to fit nicely. A pair of Mittel-European folk-carols \u2013 Maria durch ein Dornwald ging<\/em> and Szczo to za prediwo<\/em> \u2013 received pleasantly mellifluous performances. The same could be said of The Little Road to Bethlehem<\/em>, by Michael Heard.<\/p>\n

A set of four little part-songs by Francis Poulenc \u2013 collectively titled Un soir de neige<\/em> \u2013 offered hope for a broader range of expression. Yet while the Singers\u2019 skilful handling of Poulenc\u2019s tricky harmonies was impressive, their penchant for restrained elegance (with the emphasis on \u201crestrained\u201d) dampened the songs\u2019 dramatic impact. A group of Catalan folk-carols fared a little better: La filadora<\/em> was ever so slightly jazzy, and El ni\u00f1o querido<\/em> was as smooth as silk.<\/p>\n

The King\u2019s Singers ended the concert with a group of Christmas songs sung from memory. As with the rest of the program, the selections that worked best were those that were well suited to the Singers\u2019 signature style. Stille Nacht<\/em> (\u201cSilent Night,\u201d in German) and The Christmas Song<\/em> (better known as \u201cChestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire\u201d) went very well. However, a twee arrangement of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen<\/em>, in 5\/4 time (with a nod to David Brubeck\u2019s Take Five<\/em>) was a dubious choice.<\/p>\n

Colin Eatock<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The King\u2019s Singers aren\u2019t just an ensemble \u2013 they\u2019re an institution. Founded at King\u2019s College Cambridge in 1968, the vocal sextet now contains none of its original members. However, with about 150 recordings to their credit and countless tours around the globe, they\u2019ve built a strong brand-name and a devoted fan-base.<\/p>\n

Evidently, more than a few of those fans live in Toronto: Koerner Hall was filled to capacity on Sunday afternoon for a Christmas program by the ensemble. It was also evident from the enthusiastic applause in the hall that their fans weren\u2019t disappointed. I wish I shared their unbridled enthusiasm \u2013 but I came away with a somewhat different impression…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":24211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[117,52,56,70],"tags":[1876,5174],"yst_prominent_words":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/12\/King\u2019s-Singers.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-6iu","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24210"}],"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\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24210"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24231,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24210\/revisions\/24231"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24210"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=24210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}