Music review

Singers' spring concert is a hit as winter fades

It seems fitting in an Arkansas winter that could barely make up its mind that the Arkansas Chamber Singers would hold a one-night-only spring concert on Friday night -- a couple of days before spring would officially begin.

The concert, titled Bach in the Castle of Heaven, was inspired by the widely praised book of the same title by noted conductor John Eliot Gardiner. John Erwin, the Chamber Singers' artistic director and conductor, led the chamber singers, accompanist Lynn Bauman, soloists and members of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in a resonant performance of Bach's Cantata for Ascension and Ascension Oratorio. The vaulted ceilings and stained glass of the sanctuary of St. James United Methodist Church served as a fitting setting for Bach's meditation on the ascension of Jesus Christ.

The Cantata for Ascension was first on the bill and chamber singer Jordan Bennett, a tenor, was the first soloist. Bennett had volume problems at the start but quickly recovered. Bennett was joined in solo duties by Leann Hatley, Katie Howell, Angelica Monje-Torres, David Allison and Tim Bartlett. All of the soloists impressed with their impeccable articulation of the German lyrics (given a helpful English translation in the program). A brief but sublime tenor/bass duet in the second half of the program was one of the highlights of the night.

The symphony members faulted slightly in the tempo of fast-paced openings but amply plumbed the depths of Bach's rich composition. The chorus members soared especially in their sections of the Ascension Oratorio. Erwin had a momentary lapse toward the end of the Ascension Oratorio but stopped the players and then quickly recovered.

The sizable audience on hand at St. James clearly didn't mind. At the end of the concert, all stood to recognize the power of the work that was on display.

Metro on 03/18/2017

Upcoming Events