Diverse a cappella group visits UCLA

Diverse a cappella group visits UCLA

Chanticleer brings unique choral style to the Wadsworth

By John Mangum

Long gone are the days when performances of Bach and Handel
needed choruses larger than the Russian army.

The choruses of today, after some serious streamlining, produce
a refined and appropriate sound for the music of Bach and his
predecessors. One of these groups, Chanticleer, the only full-time
classical vocal ensemble in the United States, uses a 12-man attack
strategy in early music, often applying it to contemporary
works.

During its appearance at the Wadsworth Theater this Thursday,
the a cappella vocal ensemble will perform its holiday program. The
ensemble’s music director, Joseph Jennings, who also sings with the
group, shares his conducting duties with bass-baritone Frank
Albinder.

All the members of the group come from diverse backgrounds and
bring their own experiences to the ensemble’s highly unique
performances. Albinder, who worked as the director of Davidson
College’s choral activities in North Carolina, is no exception.

As part of the group, Albinder performs a daunting amount of
music, with a repertoire stretching from Palestrina to the present
day. The current interest in early music, exemplified by the
surprising success of Gregorian chant recordings, brings groups
like Chanticleer recognition.

"All that chant stuff, you’re probably going to ask me about
that," jokes Albinder. "I’ll say something mean about the Spanish
monks and you’ll quote me, and I’ll be in big trouble.

"I don’t know what makes (early music) particularly appealing,"
Albinder says seriously. "Chanticleer started out singing just
renaissance music.

"It was a group of friends and they wanted to try and sing the
music with the kinds of voices that might have been used at that
time." Albinder says. "So, in the Renaissance Period, most of the
choirs in churches were all men. There were some all female choirs,
but they were never permitted to sing together."

The program Chanticleer presents at the Wadsworth includes works
by Renaissance composers Andrea Gabrieli and Palestrina, along with
arrangements of Gregorian chant. For Albinder, the appeal of
Medieval and Renaissance music stems from the alternative it
provides for listeners to the pace of modern life.

"It’s certainly beautiful, and so much of it is peaceful,"
Albinder says. "It seems to allow people to enter a meditative
state.

"I like singing it. There’s nothing quite like it. Those
composers really knew how to write for singers because that’s
essentially who would perform their music. Most of the music
written was for voices."

As the centuries marched on, orchestral music developed to take
its place beside vocal music as an important genre. Even today,
though, composers continue to test their skills by writing for
voice. Chanticleer will perform Chinese folk songs arranged by
contemporary composer Chen Yi Thursday.

"She’s a native of China, and evidently music education there,
while it does focus some on Western music, also fundamentally
addresses Chinese folk music," Albinder says. "Students at
conservatories learn hundreds of folk songs.

"The first set of pieces that she wrote for us is actually a
suite of arrangements of 10 Chinese folk songs from different parts
of China, and they’re very popular," he said. "They’re nice pieces,
very skillfully written for us … which is always nice, when a
composer can make something especially for the ensemble."

The group ranges from countertenor to bass and sings a cappella,
without the accompaniment of any instrument. Albinder explains that
this tradition precedes the Renaissance, when strict rules governed
the performance of music in the church.

"The earliest music written was meant to be sung without
accompaniment, or a cappella," explains Albinder. "The term comes
from church music. A cappella literally means ‘in the chapel,’ and
in a certain period of history, instruments were not permitted to
partake in church services."

The a cappella 12-man chorus brings listeners closer to the
spirit of Renaissance music, along with performing familiar fare.
The program Thursday evening includes traditional English carols
and promises to offer Chanticleer’s own original slant on classics
and chant.

MUSIC: Chanticleer at the Wadsworth Theater, Thursday, 8 p.m.
TIX: $25, $22, $9 for students. For more info call (310)
825-2101.