Review: CircleSONG in the American Organist Magazine

A perfect clasp of hands across the sea has occurred in the collaboration of the Houston Chamber Choir with the British composer, singer, and educator Bob Chilcott in his Circlesong, an inspired cycle of choral settings of North American First Nations poetry. One of the finest professional choirs in the United States, the Houston Chamber Choir is joined here by the Treble Choir of Houston, two pianists, and four percussionists. 

Chilcott is a composer in multiple genres who has written major works and many smaller pieces. His list of commissions is long and impressive; it includes “The King Shall Rejoice,” composed in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee of the late Queen Elizabeth II. His skill in writing for treble voices, as heard in this recording, is also on full display in an altogether different and stunning work, A Little Jazz Mass. Examples of Chilcott’s compositional gifts and musical ecumenism abound, and his entire oeuvre merits examination by conductors of choirs of every ilk. 

Robert Simpson, canon for music at Houston’s Christ Church Cathedral and a member of the music faculty at Rice University, founded the Houston Chamber Singers - a 24-voice professional ensemble - in 1995 and has led it in countless performances and recordings since that time, earning a Grammy in 2019 for Best Choral Performance (complete choral works of Maurice Durufle). It was for Simpson’s choir that Chilcott revised the original Circlesong score from 2003. The first performance of the revision took place in Houston in February 2020, at which time the recording was made. 

Sung in English translation, chiefly from 19th - and early 20th-century sources, the texts of the “Circle” are indigenous poetry and songs from a host of tribes, including Comanche, Dakota, Inuit, Iroquois, Navajo, Pueblo, and Seminole. In every case, Chilcott captures the essence of the text, embracing an amazing diversity of styles as appropriate. Following suit, Simpson and his singers capture the essence of every moment. 

The role of the all-female children’s choir is significant; they are often heard along with the adults but also sing a number of movements on their own. They are led by Marianna Parnas-Simpson, who in 2006 founded the ensemble, which is also the children’s choir in residence at Christ Church Cathedral. The two solos in Circlesong are beautifully sung by chorister Ella Theurer. 

The instrumentation is for two pianos and four-member percussion section. Pianists Andreea Mut and Jessica Myers more than rose to the occasion, serving as “major players” and sturdy collaborative artists.  Percussionists RichardBrown, Matt Richards, Leonardo Soto, and Mark Stein are top-shelf players, contributing every beat, bounce, and nuance that the score requires. 

The 17 selections, lasting just under an hour, describe or adorn the cycles of life: birth, childhood, love, adulthood, middle and old age, death, and the time thereafter. The vast range of tone and emotion in the texts clearly set Chilcott’s mind ablaze with compositional possibilities, such that we hear ravishing beauty in the introduction (and elsewhere), rhythmic verve in “Song for Bringing a Child into the World,” a compelling attention-grabber in “Chinook Songs,” innocence of intent in “Give Me Strength,” aleatoric and evocative sounds in “In the House Made of Dawn,” some “welcome to Broadway” moments in “The Sunbeams,” and engaging funkiness in “Like A Rainbow.” Time and again, haunting loveliness is deftly juxtaposed with toe-tapping joy.

Special praise is due to the designer and producer of the disc’s handsome booklet, which is filled with illuminating notes, complete texts, credits, biographies, and photographs. 

As in all of its recordings, the Houston Chamber Choir displays extraordinary blend and balance, impeccable diction, and captivating timbres. The supportive acoustics of Houston’s South Main Baptist Church and the outstanding work of recording engineer Ryan Edwards (with Chilcott, the disc’s coproducer) combine with the vast talents here engaged to produce and an extraordinary and highly satisfying musical and spiritual experience. 

• Richard Coffey 

We are delighted to share with you a glowing review of Circlesong in The American Organist! The most recent album recording that Houston Chamber Choir had the pleasure to be a part of was Bob Chilcott's Circlesong, a musical portrayal of the human life cycle as captured in the indigenous poetry of North America. We had the pleasure to work with composer Bob Chilcott and the Treble Choir of Houston to bring this musical journey to life. Now, we are humbled and honored by this fabulous review by Richard Coffey in The American Organist. 

As we head into the holidays and the new year we are delighted to take a look back our most recent album recording. Bob Chilcott’s Circlesong is a musical portrayal of the human life cycle as captured in the indigenous poetry of North America. The most recent album recording that the Houston Chamber Choir had the pleasure to be a part of was Bob Chilcott's Circlesong. In collaboration with the Treble Choir of Houston, we had the opportunity to bring this musical journey to life. Now, we are humbled and honored to share with you a fabulous review of Circlesong by Richard Coffey in The American Organist Magazine. 

- Richard Coffey, The American Organist Magazine

source: https://www.agohq.org/current-issue/