Verizon Arena wasn't the only packed concert venue Friday night, as the auditorium was full for the Arkansas Chamber Singers' annual Christmas at the Old State House.
Director John Erwin's preference for mingling male and female voices throughout the choir rather than segregating the sections results in a rich, blended sound that sometimes sounds larger than the sum of the choir's 64 members, enhanced by the acoustics of the hall.
The 19 pieces in the evening's repertoire reached back to Mendelssohn and forward to this decade, with familiar favorites such as "The Holly and the Ivy," "Fum, Fum, Fum" and "Good King Wenceslas," as well as perhaps less recognizable classics with Latin lyrics. Throughout the evening, a few choir members were featured in solos.
The highlight of the first half was Rene Clausen's entrancing and fairly recent arrangement of an ancient text, "O Magnum Mysterium." After intermission, the high points were two pieces giving a nod to last year's hard winter: "'Twas in the Moon of Wintertime," composed by Michael Ekbladh, who sings bass in the choir, and an especially lovely and stirring arrangement of "In the Bleak Midwinter" that was done for the Robert Shaw Chorale.
"We're pretending that we are the Robert Shaw Chorale," Irwin joked.
Early in the concert, he noted that the messages of two pieces sung back to back were "Our lives are the gifts we bring" and "What gifts shall we bring?" For the chamber singers, the answer is implicit in their words. It's their singing.
The group sent concertgoers off, and perhaps planted a pleasant earworm, with a peppy version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."
The concert will be repeated at 7 tonight and at 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free, but the seats will fill. Reserve a ticket by calling (501) 377-1121 or online at AR-ChamberSingers.org.
Metro on 12/13/2014