11.11.06
Cantus charms audience with diverse repertoire, harmonious sound
Lawrence Journal-World
Sarah Young

Songs of sailors and Sufis echoed through the Lied Center on Thursday night as Cantus ended its week-long residency with a well-received evening of song. A male vocal ensemble of nine voices, Cantus is based in Minneapolis, Minn. During its 10-year existence, it has become one of the most exciting professional ensembles in the world of classical music. Its variety of repertoire and successful execution of multiple styles are part of the reason for its success.

That variety was certainly on display during Thursday's program. The opening trio of pieces, titled "You Who are Thirsting," included prayer chants from the three great religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The hauntingly beautiful Renaissance motet "Duo Seraphim," by Tomas Luis de Victoria, effectively demonstrated Cantus' skill with harmony and tone as well as its effectively blended sound. Having just established the group sound, the next number featured tenor soloist Shahzore Shah in the Hebraic chant "Mah Tovu." An arrangement by Ethan Sperry of a Sufi prayer by A.R. Rahman completed the opening section. From rumbling bass voices to ululating tenors, this beautiful piece revealed the range of which Cantus is master. It is an exciting sound when revealed in its extremes.

The next group - "There Lies the Home" - featured songs of the sea, including a rollicking version of "What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor," arranged by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw. The arrangement allowed for new configurations of the voices, as tenor paired with bass on differing verses. Notable here as well as throughout the evening was the singers' absolutely precise diction and their sense of fun.

Then "Incantatio Maris Aestuosi," by Veljo Tormis, revealed the pain, fear and desperation of those lost in the storms of the seas to which they are inexorably drawn. Sounds of the wind, whistling and wailing through the shrouds were woven around high tenor pleas to God.

"Jonah's Song," by Peter Schickele, based on material from "Moby Dick," and Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," featuring bass soloist Tom McNicols, were audience favorites. However, the most stunning piece of this section was Cantus member Timothy Takach's arrangement of Sting's "Valparaiso," full of rich, beautiful harmonies.

The centerpiece of the second act was Lee Hoiby's "Private First Class Jesse Givens," a piece commissioned by Cantus and based on the letter written by Givens to his family and sent to them following his death in 2003 in Iraq. Neither political nor extreme, the song's power lies in its simple, heartfelt expression of a father and husband's love for his family. Rendered in an almost chant-like arrangement, Hoiby's composition is well-suited to the Cantus sound, as one after another voice picks up phrases of Givens' letter.

Cantus ended the evening with the popular spiritual "Witness," arranged by Moses Hogan, and Bill Withers' "Harlem," arranged by Erick Lichte and featuring a standout solo performance by new Cantus member E. Mani Cadet.

Cantus's stated mission is largely the promotion of choral music and music education, and it is a truly inspirational example for students and audiences.