25
Nov
2003
The Holiday Pops concert inspired Christmas spirit in a near-capacity crowd of about 8,500 people at The Mark on November 22 with an array of dazzling sights and sounds of the season. The Sanctuary Choir of First Presbyterian Church in Davenport, the Holiday Pops Children’s Chorus, traveling medieval performers Tapestry, and skaters from the Figure Skating Club of the Quad Cities joined the Quad City Symphony Orchestra for a Christmas program impressive in texture and depth.
The groups each lent an element of beauty and spirit to the performance. The Quad City Symphony, which served as the glue holding the program together, filled the huge expanse of The Mark with its renditions of holiday favorites. The symphony’s guest conductor, Michael Butterman, also acted as MC, introducing each piece and performing group in addition to leading the orchestra and adult chorus for most of the evening.
The orchestra accompanied the Sanctuary Choir of First Presbyterian and the Holiday Pops Children’s Chorus for a moving arrangement of “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” The vocalists began at the rear of the auditorium, and the adult choir, as they sang, slowly walked with (battery-operated) candles to their place behind the orchestra. After the adults found their spot, the children’s chorus followed to their place in front of the orchestra.
Both together and individually, the two groups sang with feeling and filled The Mark with the combined sound of their voices. The contrast of young and mature singing was powerfully beautiful. The children, who memorized an impressive amount of music for the performance, were articulate and accurate. I especially enjoyed their renditions of “Pat-a-Pan” and “Fum, Fum, Fum,” which I usually find a bit repetitive, but the youngsters sang with feeling and made the sad-sounding carols come alive. The Sanctuary Choir, which according to Butterman will be featured on a PBS special later this year, performed “The Holly & The Ivy” with the orchestra, and it’s easy to see how it is nationally appreciated. The smooth crescendos and phrasing, the well-sung harmonies, and the balance of the group made the music soothing and relaxing.
Adding texture to the performance, the medieval performers of Tapestry performed two chants and three selections from a modern piece by Benjamin Britten. The pieces added variety of language and style. Actually, the change was so drastic that I felt the flow of the program was a bit interrupted by their performance. The two chants the group first performed were in themselves powerful, beginning with deep, full vocals and joined by the dumbeck, a period drum-like instrument, and the vielle, an instrument similar to the violin. The vielle player performed a solo in the middle of the chant, and its expressively passionate sound is like a human voice. The group’s second set, three selections from Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols,” was a bit disjointed from the rest of the program. Following a medley of Christmas favorites, the trio of women’s voices accompanied by the marimba didn’t quite pull off the performance of Britten’s modern piece, which was written for a full choir.
The visual performance by skaters from the Figure Skating Club of the Quad Cities was an unexpected delight. The skaters visually enhanced several orchestral pieces as young and experienced skaters performed twirls, twists, jumps, and throws. During the medley of carols, couples and individual skaters took turns gracing the ice. The skaters performed during “The Toy Trumpet,” playing a mock hockey game (sans puck) to the playful tune.
From the medley of familiar carols to the Quad City Symphony’s performance of the “Waltz Finale” from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, the evening held beautiful music fit to inspire even the most stolid Scrooge to Christmas spirit. The program was enhanced by the performances of the groups, each adding a special element of talent. The audience appreciated the evening’s performance, giving a standing ovation to the performers following the traditional farewell piece, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
The groups each lent an element of beauty and spirit to the performance. The Quad City Symphony, which served as the glue holding the program together, filled the huge expanse of The Mark with its renditions of holiday favorites. The symphony’s guest conductor, Michael Butterman, also acted as MC, introducing each piece and performing group in addition to leading the orchestra and adult chorus for most of the evening.
The orchestra accompanied the Sanctuary Choir of First Presbyterian and the Holiday Pops Children’s Chorus for a moving arrangement of “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” The vocalists began at the rear of the auditorium, and the adult choir, as they sang, slowly walked with (battery-operated) candles to their place behind the orchestra. After the adults found their spot, the children’s chorus followed to their place in front of the orchestra.
Both together and individually, the two groups sang with feeling and filled The Mark with the combined sound of their voices. The contrast of young and mature singing was powerfully beautiful. The children, who memorized an impressive amount of music for the performance, were articulate and accurate. I especially enjoyed their renditions of “Pat-a-Pan” and “Fum, Fum, Fum,” which I usually find a bit repetitive, but the youngsters sang with feeling and made the sad-sounding carols come alive. The Sanctuary Choir, which according to Butterman will be featured on a PBS special later this year, performed “The Holly & The Ivy” with the orchestra, and it’s easy to see how it is nationally appreciated. The smooth crescendos and phrasing, the well-sung harmonies, and the balance of the group made the music soothing and relaxing.
Adding texture to the performance, the medieval performers of Tapestry performed two chants and three selections from a modern piece by Benjamin Britten. The pieces added variety of language and style. Actually, the change was so drastic that I felt the flow of the program was a bit interrupted by their performance. The two chants the group first performed were in themselves powerful, beginning with deep, full vocals and joined by the dumbeck, a period drum-like instrument, and the vielle, an instrument similar to the violin. The vielle player performed a solo in the middle of the chant, and its expressively passionate sound is like a human voice. The group’s second set, three selections from Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols,” was a bit disjointed from the rest of the program. Following a medley of Christmas favorites, the trio of women’s voices accompanied by the marimba didn’t quite pull off the performance of Britten’s modern piece, which was written for a full choir.
The visual performance by skaters from the Figure Skating Club of the Quad Cities was an unexpected delight. The skaters visually enhanced several orchestral pieces as young and experienced skaters performed twirls, twists, jumps, and throws. During the medley of carols, couples and individual skaters took turns gracing the ice. The skaters performed during “The Toy Trumpet,” playing a mock hockey game (sans puck) to the playful tune.
From the medley of familiar carols to the Quad City Symphony’s performance of the “Waltz Finale” from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, the evening held beautiful music fit to inspire even the most stolid Scrooge to Christmas spirit. The program was enhanced by the performances of the groups, each adding a special element of talent. The audience appreciated the evening’s performance, giving a standing ovation to the performers following the traditional farewell piece, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
