I am so impressed by this a capella group. I attended Vocalis's Christmas concert, Friday, December 1, at Saints Peter and Paul church in Williamsville. They sang a number of familiar Christmas songs and carols (Away in a Manger, I Saw Three Ships) along with pieces new to me. Everything about it was exceptional, the sound, the vocal dynamics, the pacing, the music selections. Marilyn and I had attended Blue Heron, Boston Baroque, Handel and Hayden, and other music and choral groups in Boston, and I think Vocalis is in the same league with them. They're a smaller group, fifteen singers I think. The director, James Burritt, pays enormous attention to all details.
Of the many beautiful pieces, I remember one song in particular, Winter Sun, by Don MacDonald, based on a poem by Malca Litovitz:
To light,
to water,
and the flow of birds
through ancient stars.
To the wild sun of winter
startling the dark green
trees: giants
of majestic silence.
To snow on roofs
and the peace of Sunday.
To quiet and certitude,
to breathing, to air.
To acceptance, to dreams.
To disclosures of the sleeping heart,
for air, for light.
This is good poetry. It's an interesting, bold choice for a Christmas concert. Many directors and choruses perform with an emphasis on the sound and the effect of the sound. The text is often secondary (and you often can't understand the words in the audience). But Barritt and Vocalis is different, and this song demonstrated that. The words were clear and emphatic, even to where I was sitting, halfway back in the pews. This was very good poetry, and it sounded great. It all matters to this group.
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