Cogent introductions, and repositioning for vocal effect helped. Above all, scintillating singing made Sunday, Nov. 1, at Sechelt's Raven's Cry Theatre a most memorable afternoon.
Four sopranos, four altos, tenors and basses, musica intima sings as a single 12-voiced instrument. Their diverse program, called voyages, ranged from Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) to Eric Whiteacre, b.1970.
Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623) was first. His Thule, the Period of Cosmograph started proceedings A momentary misstep, 10 to 12 bars from the end, was about the only wrinkle in the whole program. The program itself, though, was inaccurate. Jonathan Quick (b. 1970) of Vancouver, for example, hasn't sung with the ensemble since 2006. Two new members joined this fluid group in September; musica intima is a musical miracle.
Quick left to pursue conducting and composing; his evocative setting of Sea Fever was musica intima's next selection. Finnish composer Aulis Sallinen, b. 1936 had great fun next, forecasting wind velocity. The audience enjoyed the Beaufort Scale too.
Much more sedate, the well-known Goin' Home was superbly sung
The highlight of the entire concert for this reviewer was Monterverdi's familiar Zefiro Torna (The Breezes return). Stunningly sung, it doesn't get better than this. In fact, it's seldom nearly so good and it moved me to tears.
Juxtaposing the Monteverdi with Whiteacre's Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine was inspirational programming. The singing was a tour-de-force. Whiteacre usually wrote for big choirs, and Leonardo was big! The Sunshine Coast Music Society had the 40-strong Canada Youth Choir singing it at the Raven's Cry in 2006. music intima sang it with exemplary musicality, crisp clarity and considerable heft, all 12 of them!
Among post-intermission selections were Shenandoah (traditional) and Northwest Passage by Stan Rogers who died tragically in 1983 aged only 33. The former is just about too familiar but not when sung so superbly. Mon Pays by Gilles Vigneault was a rousing encore. Let's not wait long before a complete musica intima encore.
