Reviews
Chanticleer: An Orchestra of Voices
by David Ortmann
Originally appeared in Q San Francisco magazine, September 2001
It is a Saturday night and the Mission Dolores Basilica is filled to capacity. People have been waiting for over an hour, and they've been waiting in long lines. There is a charged energy in the air reminiscent of the anticipation prior to the Pope's 1987 visit to this same Basilica. We are not, however, here for the Pope. This evening, the Mission Dolores will host the harmonies of the twelve men who comprise the "orchestra of voices" known as Chanticleer, acclaimed as the only full-time classical vocal ensemble in the United States. The Dallas Morning News heralds Chanticleer "among the most versatile and virtuoso singers anywhere. They have style and they have class. They also have an infallible sense of pitch, a very flexible ensemble, and deeply ingratiating sound."
It is, perhaps, their sound that distinguishes Chanticleer the most. Experiencing their concerts is more than simply listening to beautiful and exquisitely performed music. There is an aura of spirit and soul that fills whatever space they sing in. Far more than a concert, Chanticleer is a multi-sensory experience.
I look at the collection of folks around me. There are men, women, and remarkably well-behaved children. The very elderly lady behind me is either meditating or sleeping. The couple in front of me is older, two men who have seen Chanticleer over fifteen times, they say. The adorable hippie boy in the Buddy Holly glasses to my left must be about nineteen. He's wearing more patchouli than the pot dealers on Haight Street, but with the church incense burning, it feels somehow right. He smiles over in "peace man" sort of way and I can see that Chanticleer is the kind of Bay Area Grammy Award-winning a cappella ensemble that has the power to draw crowds from all age, gender, sexual, economic, and social demographic groups, and this is no small feat in San Francisco where there always seems to be something to choose from. Perhaps this is because their music encompasses everything from European Renaissance choral pieces to traditional African spirituals to the twentieth century compositions of Maxwell Anderson and Kurt Weill. The group has something for everyone and, with their innovative harmonies and presentation; they are a thrill to experience.
I put my arm around my date for the evening. He's seen Chanticleer before, several times. He grins up at me and whispers, "You're not going to believe this."
¡Alegria!
When the twelve artists swaggered onto the stage with a command of male stylistic refinement absent in America since the 1920s, I knew Chanticleer was somehow. special. In black tailcoats and white tie, the men formed a semi-circle across the Mission Dolores altar and began.
Chanticleer is bringing its 23rd season to a close this evening with ¡Alegria! Music With A Beat, a concert celebrating five centuries of music from Spain, Cuba, and Argentina. As is their custom, the initial part of the show is dedicated to more traditional arrangements, specifically the 14th and 15th century compositions of Sebastian de Vivanco, Francisco Guerrero, and Tomás Luis de Victoria. The ensemble seamlessly weaves a musical tapestry of the Spanish Renaissance as influenced by the folk melodies and thriving rhythms of Spanish heritage and constructs a platform from which they spring, following intermission, to Argentina and Cuba where these Spanish influences both flourished and evolved.
The syncopated rhythms and folk melodies of this Spanish music clearly show their indebtedness to Spain's multiple dance and musical forms. As Spain ventured abroad to Cuba, the music was infused with a distinct Afro-Caribbean flavor, while Argentina developed its own musical language from her native ritual melodies and indigenous populace.
If Chanticleer's first set paid homage to the Spanish music of the 14th and 15th centuries, then their second set honors the folk rhythms of more recent eras. The audience members tap their feet and hands in time with the music and the ensemble even garners a mid-song "Bravo" from one thrilled aficionado. With an appreciation for both the old and the new, Chanticleer manages to pay musical tribute to both Cuban and Argentinean cultures while recognizing their debt to the Spanish styles and ancestry that helped to birth them. Tania León's epic Sol de Doce, uses text from the distinguished Dominican writer Pedro Mir. The poem dates from Mir's youth in Santo Domingo during the surge of social activism against the Trujillo Regime.
Meaning literally "Ballad of the Sun at High," Sole de Doce, tells the story of a mother dreaming in the bright afternoon sun of the man her child will grow to be, even though the whispers on the wind tell her the child will not live to adulthood. Ms. Leon, who dedicated this piece to Chanticleer founder Louis Botto, creates a vocal tour de force for twelve separate vocal parts showcasing energetic cross rhythms, harmonies and lively syncopation.
Another highlight of the first set is Javier Zentner's light-hearted poem of love, Mi Lumía, with text from Argentine playwright and poet Oliverio Girondo. A significant figure in the surrealist movement, Girondo experimented with the use of language as a world of sound unto itself, without reference to traditional meaning or intellectual interpretation. His poetry was radical in that it allowed words to take on a sensual rhythm and cadence, particularly when linked with other words with a similar linguistic tone. Zentner's English translation of Girondo's original poem lends harmonic faithfulness to the Spanish version, with the word lu as the quintessential term of endearment.
mi lu
mi luar
mi mito
demonoave dea rosa
mi pez hada
mi luvisita nimia
mi lubísnea
mi lu más lar
más lampo
mi pulpa lu de vertigo de galaxies de semen de misterio
mi lubella lusola
mi total lu plevida
mi toda lu
mi lumía
Oliverio Girondo, 1956 (© 1968, Losada)
my lu
my place
my myth
my devil-monkey-bird, goddess, pink flower
my fish fairy
my very little lowest lu
my 'lubísnea'
my lu more home-loving
more illuminated
my core lu of dizziness of galaxies of seed of mystery
my beauty lu alone lu
my absolutely lu of life
my whole lu
my lu
Translation: Javier Zentner, © 2001
Following the lighthearted frolic of Mi Lumía, Chanticleer explores the syncopated rhythms of Cuban, Argentine, and Latin music and the how these rhythms were influenced by the tango, the milonga, the zamba, the chacarera, and the dance forms of the aboriginal Indian cultures. The ensemble's humor and appreciation for both the ancient rhythms of the earth and for the beat inherent in dancing feet, is showcased wonderfully in their interpretations of Drumme Negrita (Sleep, Little Black Girl) and El Manisero (The Peanut Vendor). At the close of their two-hour concert, Chanticleer gracefully acknowledges the audience's ovation and foot stamping with an encore.
It is difficult to leave the Mission Dolores Basilica this Saturday night, not because there are insufficient exits. Rather, everyone chooses the one exit that displays Chanticleer's multiple compact disc recordings for sale. They go quickly. I even buy one myself entitled Reflections, which features a sampling of the groups' interpretations of everything from traditional Gregorian chants to the works of Irving Berlin.
Chanticleer: A history
Named for the lucid-voiced and clear singing rooster in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Chanticleer was founded in 1978 by tenor Louis Botto, who sang with the group until 1989 and served as Chanticleer's Artistic Director until his death in 1997. That evening at the Mission Dolores was a homecoming of sorts, for the ensemble debuted there to a capacity audience on June 27, 1978.
Twenty-three years later, Chanticleer continues to actualize its mission of performing diverse and innovative repertoires, reaching audiences worldwide through live concerts, electronic media and education.
Since 1994, Chanticleer has made nearly two-dozen recordings for Teldac Classics International, including the Grammy Award-winning Colors of Love. When not performing more than 100 concerts a year in their native San Francisco and throughout the world, the ensemble brings music into the lives of urban youth through their education and outreach programs. With Chanticleer's Youth Chorus Festival, School Residency Program, Youth Ensembles, and the Singing In The Schools program, the ensemble works with students new to vocal music, and provides expert training for more experienced young singers.
Chanticleer's 2001/2002 Season
When not engaged in performing, outreach and education, Chanticleer is busy commissioning new works, experimenting and mastering their art. Their upcoming 24th anniversary season (2001/2002) will feature the world premiere commission of Lamentations and Praises, composed by renowned British composer Sir John Tavener.
"Chanticleer's upcoming season celebrates the ensemble's incredible range and endless inventiveness," commented Chanticleer President and General Director Christine Bullin. "We are particularly proud that one of the world's leading composers, Sir John Tavener, has agreed to write his first major American commission - a full length work - for us. This is truly great recognition of Chanticleer's place on the international stage." This premiere will be the second program of the ensemble's four-program season.
In the spirit of their annual tradition, the ensemble will christen its season with A Chanticleer Christmas, a blend of medieval and Renaissance sacred music with joyful spirituals and traditional holiday carols. Following Lamentations and Praises, the ensemble will perform the Divine Tapestry: A Mass for All Time, which has been compiled by Music Director, Joseph Jennings. The season will draw to a close with Between Two Worlds: The Art of the Comedian Harmonists, an homage to the German male sextet the Comedian Harmonists known during the 1920s for their inventive arrangements, sophisticated harmonies, and musical humor. Forced to disband in 1934 under the wave of Anti-Semitism, their spirit lives on and will provide a poignant and humorous finale to Chanticleer's 24th season.
As I leave the Mission Dolores I am left with the words to the Cuban traditional Son de la loma (From the Hills), as arranged by Jose Castillo, performed by the ensemble this evening. "Mamá you quiero saber de donde son los cantantes, que los encuentro galantes y los quiero conocer, con sus trovas fascinantes que me las quiero aprender. Ya verá, lo verá.
In English: Mama, I want to know where the singers are from, 'cause I find them so charming, and I want to meet them, with their fascinating songs that I would like to learn. You'll see soon, you'll see them.
Indeed.
For more information, please visit www.chanticleer.org