From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Saturday, April 11, 1999

'Requiem' performance reveals choir's caliber

By Bob Karlovits

Tribune-Review Music Writer

Rebecca Rollett's musical goal is proving to be a benefit for listeners of the Pittsburgh Camerata.

 

The artistic director of the 34-voice chamber choir said she has wanted for years to perform Herbert Howells' "Requiem," but never had the choir to do it in her former hometown of Santa Fe, N.M.

 

The choir showed her judgment of its talent was correct.

 

The Pittsburgh Camerata opened its last series of concerts Friday night at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Oakmont with its "Call to Remembrance" program. 

 

It features the "Requiem," four motets by Francis Poulenc and four sections from "Membra Jesu Nostri" by Dietrich Buxtehude.

 

The concert before only about 75 people was full of delightful contrast as well as good singing.  Poulenc (1899-1963) and Howells (1892-1982) were more or less contemporaries, yet the music at this show was far from similar.

 

The Poulenc motets were quite traditional in their approach, with "Tristis est anima mea (My soul is sorrowful)" having a distinct classical touch. (That piece also gave soprano Linda Shaw a brief solo spot, of which she took good advantage.)

 

The Howells' work, however, was full of 20th-century harmonic and vocal interplay. That allowed the various sections of the choir to display their strength as well as giving good spots to soloists. Tenor Joe Haughton, alto Kara Cornell and soprano Rebecca Ball, for instance, all had convincing outings on "Psalm 23" while bass Adrian Rollett stood out on "Psalm 121."

 

The choir performed this work well overall even if there were times its articulation was a little less clear than could be hoped. It handled the shift from the Poulenc work well, however, and obviously didn't let down Rollett's belief.

 

Her fascination with Howells, by the way, will continue next season when the Camerata will perform his "St. Paul's Service" Oct. 15, 16 and 23.

 

The other major element of contrast in this concert is the use of Chatham Baroque, the early-music quartet, to accompany the Buxtehude work. They were joined by Rollett on harpsichord and here husband, Anthony, on organ. Their presence created a vastly different second half.

 

While the quartet is dominated by the violins of Emily Davidson and Julie Andrijeski, the lower voices of Patricia Halverson's viola da gamba and Scott Pauley's theorbo added a fullness that in many ways mirrored the choir's sound.

 

Throughout the night, the basses and baritones of the Camerata offered a solid floor to the singing without ever showing too much muscle. Such was the case with the quartet, too.

 

The show is perhaps a week too late with its Lenten feeling, but Howells pushes aside any potential flaw.