Concert Review
Rose Ensemble brings ancient faith music to life
By Samuel Black, Duluth News-Tribune
October, 26 2009
Finally, the Rose Ensemble brought “Cantigas From the Land of Three Faiths” to Duluth. Sponsored by the Oreck-Alpern Interreligious Forum at the College of St. Scholastica, Sunday afternoon’s performance at Mitchell Auditorium was warmly attended and applauded. These “Voices of Ancient Mediterranean Jews, Christians and Muslims” were part of a concert-lecture series that brought many new listeners into the world of the Rose Ensemble. I think they went away satisfied and enlightened.
The program opened and closed with paired settings of a famous song about King Nimrod and the birth of Abraham. The Moroccan setting told the whole story with abundant detail. The Balkan setting was lighter with a bubbly refrain. All nine singers enthusiastically told the story, along with Ginna Watson and David Burk as instrumentalists for the afternoon. An early 26th century musician, Juan del Encina, was included three times. His “Hymn to the Queen of Heaven” blended images of Queen Isabella with the Virgin Mary. The women sang the story and the men joined the refrain. Later, the whole ensemble sang a rousing drinking song, preparing for a fast day on the morrow. Most poignant was “Una Sanosa Porfia,” a terrible struggle, as Juan sang about King Ferdinand’s defeat of the last Moorish stronghold in Spain. This beautiful lament began and ended in unison, shifting to two, three and four parts with the men and women taking turns. At the shouts of victory, Tim O’Brien thumped a large drum, fading out as the song drifted away.
Jordan Sramek, founder and artistic director, always creates powerful combinations of voices and instruments, since the music itself rarely offers specific instructions. The high, light voices of sopranos Kathy Lee and Kim Sueoka are matched by the warmth of altos Kristine Kautzman and Linda Kachelmeier. John Bitterman and Scott Sandersfeld keep the lower end of the musical spectrum vibrant, while O’Brien sings baritone and plays a lot of percussive instruments. Dustin Wirth sings a very high and light tenor, while Sramek keeps the tenor center rich and clear.
In “Koplas de las Flores,” each of the women sang the part of rose, carnation, lily and jasmine, each praising God and proclaiming “there is none better than me.” These songs from the Sephardic traditions of Jewish music are at times Spanish, at other times Balkan or Turkish, as their lives were driven around the Mediterranean during the Renaissance. Sueoka and Sramek sang a lovely song about a young man who went to sea, but was fortunate enough to return seven years later.
Throughout the afternoon, Watson bowed her vielle and rebec and plucked her harp. Burk strummed and plucked his ’ud, providing accompaniment and rhythm. The harp was especially effective in “Christian Hymn to the Heavenly City,” which the women sang, followed by an English instrumental piece about Judea and Jerusalem.
The Rose Ensemble is never disappointing. The beauty of this ancient music comes back to life in their performances. Famous musicians like Palestrina are joined by nameless ones across the ages, whose music has to be recreated from manuscripts. Reawakening the ancient becomes a beautiful experience whenever the Rose Ensemble offers a program.
Samuel Black is music director at Duluth Congregational Church and pianist with the Gichigami Trio.