Some colleges and universities refer to "chamber" ensembles as any group with less than fifty people. Richard Tang Yuk, Director of Choral Activities at Princeton University, took the concept of chamber down to the bare minimum on Sunday afternoon as he led the fourteen-voice Princeton University Chamber Choir in a program representing the best of the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Dr. Tang Yuk bravely placed the singers across the Richardson Auditorium stage, not only showing their solid musicianship in achieving vocal blend while standing so far apart, but also requiring them to be as diligent in their listening as in their singing.
In music of the Renaissance period, conductors often seek a light and ethereal soprano sound which floats over the other vocal sections. The four sopranos in the Chamber Choir sang with a decisive tone over the softer sound from the lower voices. It was refreshing to hear real bass voices (especially from students), and Dr. Tang Yuk obviously spent a great deal of time this semester on tuning and vowel blending with these singers. Dr. Tang Yuk drew out the imitative style of the first piece, the landmark Josquin Ave Maria, and although the individual vocal lines could have used more ebb and flow (especially around suspensions), the phrases were tapered well and the choral sound was solid.
The other Renaissance selections on this program were from the fully developed Renaissance period of the 16th century, with opportunities for word accents and dynamic variety as voices come and go through the musical texture. In Thomas Tallis' Audivi vocem di caelo, the sopranos were in a lower part of their register, and were not quite as edgy as in some of the other pieces. An interpolated chant for men in this piece could have been sung with a smoother flow, but the men's sound was well blended.
The height of the vocal texture came in Orlando Gibbons' Hosanna to the Son of David, a six-part anthem demonstrating the apex of Renaissance choral writing. This is a piece which could have used an ethereal soprano sound; some of the sopranos may have been hampered by the recessed alcoves in which they were standing at the back of the stage. However, the piece well demonstrated the choral agility of this chorus of accomplished singers.
For some reason, the audience was reticent to applaud between the shorter pieces, and credit must be given to the singers for not being thrown by the disconcerting feeling of wondering when and if someone might applaud.
Unfortunately, Richardson stage staff deserves a couple of hisses for allowing late-comers to enter during the Tallis work; surely people who are more than ten minutes late to an hour-long program should be relegated to some sort of balconian purgatory.
A short but solidly performed Baroque work comprised the second half as the choral ensemble was joined by a small group of instrumentalists for Vivaldi's Magnificat. In this work, Dr. Tang Yuk achieved a nice full sound with the orchestra, with especially accurate string playing. Although most of Vivaldi's choral works were written during his tenure as music director at a charitable institution for orphaned girls (and thus for female voices), the larger works exist in several settings, and the version that Dr. Tang Yuk chose for this performance was for SATB chorus with soloists.
The sound and vocal style from the soprano section was especially clear in this piece, in which a little vocal edge is welcome. Several small solos come from the vocal texture, including three in the "Et exultavit" section and a duet for two sopranos as the "Esurientes" movement. Mezzo-soprano Clare McNamara led the way in the first trio with a clear sound, followed by mezzo-soprano Catherine Lee, who also sang well. Tenor Zaafir Kherani was a little too far back on the stage to fully appreciate his contribution to the vocal trio, but certainly was effective. Soprano Faaria Kherani joined Ms. McNamara for the later duet, marked by a nice match between the voices. A very elegant piece of orchestration was the entrance of the two oboes (played by Kait MacNichol and Dana Sperber) in the "Sicut locutus" section.
Throughout the work, Dr. Tang Yuk maintained a good balance between the chorus and orchestra. The pulsating rhythms in the "Et misericordia" section were perfectly smoothed out against the strings, and the choral sound was consistently solid.
Other than performances with other universities around key football games this fall, this concert appeared to be the first stand-alone appearance by the Chamber Choir this year. Dr. Tang Yuk obviously has taken care to develop the vocal sound and precision in the fall for the very challenging works to come in the spring: Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass (with the Glee Club) and Bach's St. Matthew Passion.
The next Princeton University Chamber Choir concert will be December 9 at 8 p.m. and will be in conjunction with the Princeton University Glee Club. Admission is free.