Abbey Memorial Chapel, Mount Holyoke College
March 13, 2016
by Michael J. Moran
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| Abbey Memorial Chapel |
The South Hadley Chorale was founded in 1984 to perform
Bach’s Mass in B Minor during the composer’s tricentennial year, 1985. Its
Music Director for the past six years is Jonathan Harvey, who conducted three
of the four works on the program. Its 70+ sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses
are from South Hadley and 17 surrounding communities. The musicians begin
rehearsing in October for an annual concert in March.
The concert opened with four brief selections sung by the
South Hadley Children’s Chorus, founded by the Chorale in 2001 for children
ages 7 -14. Their performances of Faure’s “Tantum Ergo” and “Pie Jesu” from his
Requiem and Copland’s settings of “Simple Gifts” and “I Bought Me a Cat” were
spirited and endearing, as conducted by their director H. David Pulliam and
accompanied by pianist Michael Carney.
The Children’s Chorus then joined the Chorale in a radiant
account of Faure’s lovely “Cantique de Jean Racine.” The Chorale here
demonstrated the same careful intonation and clear enunciation that they
maintained throughout the program. They were beautifully accompanied in all
four pieces by a 14-member chamber orchestra of mostly string instruments. The
acoustics of Mount Holyoke College’s Abbey Chapel added just enough resonant
glow to the sound for voices and orchestra to be heard in balance with each
other.
A vibrant rendition of Corigliano’s “Fern Hill” that
featured the crystalline mezzo-soprano of Mary Brown Bonacci, conveyed all the
youthful enthusiasm of the exuberant yet wistful text. A dignified account of
the 18-year-old Schubert’s Mass in G Major, led by Carney, the Chorale’s
Associate Conductor, showcased the supple voices of soloists soprano Mary
Hubbell, tenor Spencer Hamlin, and baritone Ryan F. Burns.
A dramatic performance of Vaughan Williams’ cantata “In
Windsor Forest,” based on Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” drew
sharply characterized vocal acting from Hubbell and various sections of the
Chorale in a drinking song, a fairy dance, and a wedding procession.
An impressively full house and a joyous post-concert
reception highlighted the Chorale’s large following, which discerning lovers of
choral music throughout the Valley would do well to join.
