I don't know if your city is like mine, but it's tough to get noticed by the local news here in Birmingham. We have several local colleges and universities and our local music critic doesn't review any of them . . . for fear he would have to review all of them. I don't hold that against him; his position makes sense.
The College of Charleston in South Carolina doesn't have that problem! This review popped up as I was searching for news about the choral art.
Let me tell you why C of C's Concert Choir, led by Dr. Robert Taylor, is one of the brightest stars in Charleston's cultural crown. I heard them a week ago last Thursday at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke's; St. Paul, in an absolutely ear-ravishing, soul-rending concert.Congratulations, Robert, on such a great review!
I won't do a laundry list of all the pieces they sang to perfection. But, as I heard the limpid polyphony of Sicut Cervus--a glowing motet by Palestrina--unfold from the balcony, the sheer beauty of their smooth vocal "bloom" made my breath catch in my throat. It's not often that music draws such a visceral, physical reaction from me.
Among many more gripping and superbly sung numbers, the highlight was contemporary choral sensation Eric Whitacre's Sleep--one of his best-known works. It's full of cunning tone clusters that make an ear-grabbing, thrilling thing of dissonance--and it takes a truly special bunch of singers to achieve the kind of icy vocal transparency and stiletto-sharp intonation necessary to bring it off to full effect. I've heard this piece from some of the world's finest academic and professional chamber choirs--and none of them can top what I heard from our own wonderful young singers.
Read the whole thing here.
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