St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

by Michael Caruso

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Chestnut Hill, hosted a Festival of Choirs Sunday, April 17, that culminated in a Choral Evensong sung by the combined choral ensembles of St. Paul’s Church, Christ Church (Alexandra, VA), Church of the Redeemer (Bethesda, MD) and St. Peter’s Church (Lewes, DE). The 120-member super-choir was conducted by Frank Boles and accompanied by St. Paul’s organ scholar, Joseph Russell.

Evensong began with a lovely rendition of Stephen Paulus’ setting of the Introit text, “Tell me, where is the road I can call my own.” The choral writing recalls the sounds of African American spirituals, the harmonies flowing like a gentle stream. The singing was most notable for its seamless legato that crossed over the bar lines, linking one measure to the next without interruption.

S. Walford Davies’ Anglican chant setting of that most famous of all of David’s Psalms, the 23rd, followed in a performance that glowed with tonal warmth and moved with lilting rhythms.

David Hogan’s settings of the traditional texts for the “Magnificat” (My soul doth magnify the Lord) and the “Nunc Dimittis” (Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace) offer a daunting challenge for even the most seasoned professional choruses; therefore all the more so for an ensemble brought together for a single weekend each year. The former piece is highly energetic while the latter work is deeply reflective; the “Magnificat” boasts tricky antiphonal counterpoint while the “Nunc Dimittis” requires a flawless balance between the vocal ranges and an immaculate blend between all the individual singers to be molded into one expressive voice.

That there were occasional lapses of ensemble Sunday afternoon came as no particular surprise, considering the short rehearsal time available. This was especially the case when the singing was slow and soft, which suggests that ensemble might have held more tightly had tempi in both works not dragged every now and then.

Herbert Sumsion’s anthem at the Offertory, “They that go down to the sea in ships,” however, received a reading that needed no apologies. The singing matched its quality word for word and note for note, especially during those short passages when the organ cut out altogether and the choir sang a cappella.

Prior to the Choral Evensong, St. Paul’s music director, Zachary Fritsch-Hemenway, performed a solo recital on the church’s magnificent Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ. In Franck’s “Chorale No. 3 in A minor,” Alain’s “Variations on a Theme by Clement Jannequin,” Dupre’s “Antiphon III: I am Black but Comely” and Tournemire’s “Improvisation on the Ted Deum,” he displayed not only the instrument’s innumerable tonal attributes but his own peerless technical proficiency.

St. Paul’s Church will host its final “Five Fridays” recital April 22, 7:30 p.m. The featured performers will be Project Fusion Saxophone Quartet. The entire series raises money for Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network and Face-to-Face Germantown. Visit www.fivefridays.org.

BAROQUE BONANZA

Chestnut Hillers will have the opportunity to experience two of the region’s leading baroque instruments ensembles this coming weekend. Camerata Ama Deus will present “Brilliant Baroque” Friday, April 22, 8 p.m., in the Chestnut Hill United Church. Two days later, Tempesta di Mare will perform “A Tale of Two Italian Cities: Chamber Music from Venice and Naples” on Sunday, April 24, 4 p.m., in the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill.

“Brilliant Baroque” will feature concerti by Albinoni, Vivaldi, Telemann and Sammartini. For more information, call 610-688-2800 or visit www.VoxAmaDeus.org. “A Tale of Two Italian Cities” includes music by Vivaldi, Castello, Scarlatti and Falconieri. For more information, call 215-755-8776 or visit www.tempestadimare.org.