Cantus
Sequenza21 - December 2007
Steve Hicken

Cantus is a small (nine voice) men’s chorus celebrating its tenth season with this release. They are a talented group—the voices are fine, they blend together well, and have impeccable diction and intonation.

As is often the case, this celebratory program includes selections spanning Cantus’ widely eclectic repertoire. There’s something for everyone here, as well as something that will cause most to thank God for Her invention of the “skip” button. My cringe reflex was triggered by the inclusion of jazzish vibraphone licks in the Gregorian chant number (Introit), but that has subsided somewhat on subsequent hearings.

It’s all beautifully performed and recorded. But there are three pieces that really stand out for me (and make the disc well worth having). Francis Poulenc’s "Quatre Petit Prières de Saint François d’Assise" are gemlike devotionals, communicating humanity and brotherhood. Morten Lauridsen’s "Ave Dulcissima Maria' is an expressive setting of a text celebrating Mary. Lee Hoiby’s "Last Letter Home" is a heartbreaking setting of Army Pfc. Jesse A. Givens’ final communication with his family before his death in Iraq in 2003. Hoiby’s clean, unadorned setting is a perfect match for Pfc. Givens’ message of love and hope.