02.08.06
Cantus is one supersonic harmonic voice
La Crosse Tribune
Terry Rindfleisch

The nine-member, all-male vocal ensemble based in Minneapolis captured the hearts of a full house Friday night at First Lutheran Church in Onalaska in its first appearance in the La Crosse area. The group sailed around the world, singing music from all parts of the globe and all musical time periods.

It’s easy to understand why Cantus is considered one of America’s best all-male vocal ensembles when you hear the group in person. Cantus sings with lush harmonies and a warm, rich and joyful sound. It’s a full vocal sound, with a varied tone quality and emotional power.

The first half of the concert featured a cute Norwegian song about a cat going to Denmark and Stravinsky’s four peasant songs, sung in Russian. No matter what language, Cantus displays precise musicianship with good contrast and vocal effects.

My favorite song was Franz Biebl’s “Ave Maria,” which Cantus sang with sweetness and beauty. Cantus can be quite different. The group sang a pseudo-yoik, poking fun at the Lappish yoik and then switched to Inuit layered rhythms.

Crowd favorites were “Shenandoah” and a spiritual, “I Can’t Tarry,” which showed off Cantus’ full choir sound.

You never know what to expect from Cantus, so the final pieces included the pop classic “How Can I Be Sure” by the Young Rascals and a classical Indian love song in an unusual Indian scale.

Cantus provided a lot of different musical styles to show its versatility, but most of all the ensemble was extremely entertaining.

Kudos to Tom Skogen and his family for bringing this fabulous ensemble to Onalaska. It was one concert worth braving subzero temperatures. If you still want to see Cantus, the ensemble has a concert April 20 at Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minn.