Pioneer Press: Light-hearted highlights, lovely premiere in VocalEssence 'Welcome Christmas'

By Rob Hubbard
Special to the Pioneer Press
December 7, 2009

Have you seen that Target commercial in which Philip Brunelle leads the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers in a Minnesota-fied version of "The 12 Days of Christmas"? Well, the group's sense of humor also emerges in the latest incarnation of its annual "Welcome Christmas" concerts.

To mark the 200th anniversary of composer Felix Mendelssohn's birth, the VocalEssence Chorus sings his most familiar melody, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." But there were no angels in Mendelssohn's original version, which was a tribute to Johann Gutenberg, the man invented the printing press.

It was among the light-hearted highlights of Sunday's concert at Minneapolis' Plymouth Congregational Church, a breezy and beautifully sung program of seasonal fare, with a special emphasis on the music of English composer John Rutter.

VocalEssence is known for performing contemporary choral music, so devoting a hunk of the program to Mendelssohn was somewhat out of character, but nevertheless welcome. Far more in keeping with the three-decade-old "Welcome Christmas" tradition were world premieres of new carols by Michael Glasgow and Robert Sieving. The lush harmonies of the latter made it clear that Sieving is an experienced choral composer, as his program bio confirmed.

Another premiere (in the U.S., anyway) was a new work by Rutter, "The Carol of the Magi," that was the loveliest thing performed Sunday afternoon. Rutter has a reputation for making the orchestra an equal player in his choral compositions, and it came out on this piece — especially in cellist Dale Newton's melodious melancholy — as well as in an orchestration for "Joy to the World" that sounded straight out of Handel's "Messiah" (as is much of its melody). However, the voice is still Rutter's instrument of choice, and the VocalEssence Chorus displayed his gifts to marvelous effect.

Rob Hubbard can be reached at rhubbard@pioneerpress.com.

Who: The VocalEssence Chorus, Ensemble Singers and Chamber Orchestra with conductor Philip Brunelle, violist Charles Gray and narrator Louis Porter II

What: "Welcome Christmas" with works by Felix Mendelssohn, Michael Glasgow, Bob Chilcott, Benjamin Britten, Robert Sieving and John Rutter

When and where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Normandale Lutheran Church, 6100 Normandale Road, Edina; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Trinity Lutheran Church, 115 N. Fourth St., Stillwater; 4 p.m. Sunday, Plymouth Congregational Church, 1900 Chicago Ave. S., Mpls.

Tickets: $40-$20, available at 612-371-5656.

Capsule: A celebration of the season ... and of Rutter's tremendous talents.