Wiener Sängerknaben – March 22, 2009 Concert

Wiener Sängerknaben (Vienna Boys Choir) – Schubertchor

Andy Icochea Icochea, Conductor

March 22, 2009
Schermerhorn Symphony Center
Nashville, Tennessee (U.S.A.)

Synonymous with country music and dive bars, Nashville, TN, seems a contrariety with the worldly classicism of Wiener Sängerknaben. Arriving early in the evening, I strolled about downtown admiring the street performers if not for their talent then for their gumption. Those who reside in the city say you can’t throw a nickel without hitting an aspiring musician. Nashville’s vivacity is contagious, and the creativity can be seen in many styles of art and performance. However, a culture permeates the city, and that recoils all things to country music and dive bars.

At about half-past six, I entered Schermerhorn Symphony Center (pronounced Skermerhorn) and waited for Laura Turner Concert Hall’s doors to open. My seat was front row but slightly stage left. It’s relatively easy to get great seats if this is a great seat, more to come later – if you order tickets the day they go on sale. Having not been here before, I was surprised at how small the venue was – granted, it is still a concert hall.

The choir of 23 boys donned in their “whites” entered from stage right performing Alleluia Video caelos apertos (I See the Open Heavens).  After taking their places, the crowd greeted them warmly. I last saw Schubertchor in the fall of 2006. Andy Icochea Icochea had much longer hair at that time, and I don’t recall his English being so difficult to understand. Nonetheless…

The choir performed many pieces in what was described as four styles – (1) classical, (2) popular, (3) international, and (4) Austrian folksongs. I don’t have much detail to pass along, but here are some general comments.

Classical
O Fortuna [Carol Orff] – A very recognizable piece, and I love to hear treble performances of it, but my favourite from Carmina Burana is actually Fortune plango vulnera. Anyway, it was quite dramatic in its own right.
Tota pulchra es Maria [Duruflé]
Lobe den Herren, meine Seele (Praise the Lord, My Soul) from Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 52 [Mendelssohn]
Ave Verum Corpus, Op. 65, No. 1 [Fauré] – Simple, but beautiful.
Tenebrae factae sunt (Darkness Fell) [de Victoria]
Angyalok es pasztorok (The Angels and the Shepherds) [Kodály] – One of the more complex pieces tonight and very well performed. The piece starts simple but intensifies to multiple voices, and all were in sync.
Die Nacht (The Night), Op. 17, No. 4, D. 983C [Schubert]
Nachthelle (Night Brightness), D. 892 [Schubert]
Et lux in tenebris lucet (And a Light Shines in Darkness) [Andy Icochea Icochea]
Salut printems (Hello Spring) [Debussy] – Quite fitting for the season and beautifully executed.
Psalm 61 (Hear My Cry, O God) [Andy Icochea Icochea] – I am not a fan of his compositions that I have heard, and especially not of this last song. It’s juvenile gospel music.

Popular
Chiquitita [ABBA]
I Have Grown Accustomed to Her Face from My Fair Lady – They sang this in German. I don’t know the soloist’s name, but here is his picture. He was one of the more enjoyable performers. He seemed not entirely certain of himself during this solo, which surprised me since it was the next to last stop of their tour, and he has been in the choir for at least a year. Perhaps there was more (or less) to it. Even so, he was energetic and focused throughout the concert, very professional.

Seasons of Love from Rent – I never cared for Rent, so I am biased. I don’t want to hear this type of music anyway.

~Intermission~

International
Tritsch Tratsch Polka [Strauss Jr.] – I’m tired of hearing this song, but at least they didn’t perform Edelweiss. The only upside is that the boys seem always to enjoy this one. It is hard to keep pace, and you can see them grinning when someone stutters, and you can see the same grin, but of relief, when they pull it off flawlessly.
La passeggiata – Finché sereno è il cielo (The Excursion) from Péchés de vieillesse, Volume 1: Album Italiano, No. 12 [Rossini]
Dilmano Dilbero [Anonymous Bulgarian folksong]

The program listed La muerte del Angel (The Death of the Angel) [Astor Piazzolla], but they did not perform it much to my disappointment. I wonder how it would have sounded as I’ve only ever heard instrumental.

Arirang [Traditional Korean love song] – A very touching song. The soloist was very young, and although not perfect, I admired his confidence. I wonder if this was not his first tour and first solo (not at this concert alone but also on tour).
Sus Xâtin [Traditional Uzbek rain song]
Ievan Polkka (Eva’s Polka) [Traditional Finnish polka]

As much as I love classical music, those last two were what I looked most forward to hearing. They can both be found on the choir’s new CD and DVD Silk Road – Songs Along the Road and Time. The former is a powerful rain song, and Hibiki Sadamatsu gave the solo the passion it deserved. The polka is fun and fast, much like Tritsch Tratsch Polka. I suspect this will become a new choir favourite. That being said, I felt the choristers lacked enthusiasm. The song has very climactic points that were muddled through. Knowing they would be performing some pieces from their new CD and DVD, I hoped they would perform the Uzbek folk song Schoch va gado. When I heard this in 2007, Tilman Tuppy on the cello, it was and remained the most beautiful and moving song of their repertoire, in my opinion. They did record it on the CD and DVD (and some of you know I like to take credit for that), but they included Yulduz Usmanova, which overpower the choir and ruin the song.

Austrian Folksongs
Wann Du durchgehst durchs Tal (When You Walk Through the Valley)

Six boys left before the start of this song. If you’ve seen them perform the following, then you knew why.

Und was amal schen aper wird (And When It Starts To Thaw) – Here the boys returned in traditional lederhosen and danced to what is my (and I suspect others’) favourite Austrian folksong. Having seen this several times, it’s always the younger choristers who dance. Even today, the boys who performed in 2007 were relocated to singing, and younger choristers were out front. I wonder if this is like an initiation for them. I could see it as a rite of passage when you no longer have to do it. Those dancing looked like they were having fun and it’s always an audience favourite at this type of concert.
Waldhansl (John of the Forest) – Icochea teaches the audience how to clap along to the song – some on beat and some offbeat. The boys do much better than we do. I remember this from years past. In fact, Icochea has said nothing tonight that I did not hear in 2007. It was the same show, only with a few different selections.
Eljen a Magyar (Hail to Hungary), Op. 332 [Strauss Jr.] – I wish America had a song like this. Well performed.
Kaiserwalzer [Emperor’s Waltz], Op. 437 [Strauss Jr.]

The choir exited stage right to a standing ovation but returned for one encore.

Laudate Dominum [Mozart]

A stunning solo from Hibiki. He is indisputably one of the choir’s most gifted soloists at present. His voice is clear and well projected. His solos were the highlights of the evening. It actually took me several songs into the concert to recognize Hibiki. I kept thinking, “Wow! This soloist is excellent, but who is he, and where is Hibiki?” Finally, I put it together (which shouldn’t have been as hard since only two choristers of Schubertchor are from Japan!) that it was Hibiki, only he cut his hair quite short.

Exiting stage right to another standing ovation, the concert ended having lasted about two hours, as is usual. By this time, I had a bad headache. As a combination of poor acoustics and sitting too close to the stage, many songs actually hurt my ears. These voices are meant to resonate through a cathedral, not be linearly focused on the length of a venue like this. Had I not been in such pain, I might recall more detail about each piece (or had I remembered my pen!).

Putting that aside, overall, I was rather disappointed with the performance. Very few of the choristers seemed to put forth energy and enthusiasm, but rather most seemed to mouth the words to be done with it. I am sure some were tired as the tour was nearly over. Of course, there is always the susceptibility to losing impetus with repetitive performances, but Wiener Sängerknaben is held to the highest standards for a reason. While I disagree with some puritans regarding how far a level Wiener Sängerknaben’s professionalism and standing in the international choral society has fallen, I certainly saw and heard a choir tonight that is flawed.

For more information about Wiener Sängerknaben, visit www.ask.At the Boy Choir and Soloist Directory.

Related blog post: Vienna Boys Choir Live at Madrid, 2008

— review by guest author quex —

P.S. I don’t know where Kay Olugbenga was. I was sure he was in Schubertchor, but he wasn’t present. Maybe I’m wrong about which choir he is in.