THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 19, 1996 TAG: 9605190081
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Music Review
SOURCE: BY PAUL SAYEGH, SPECIAL TO THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
The McCullough Chorale performed its final program of the season on Friday at Norfolk's First Presbyterian Church.
The occasion marked director Donald J. McCullough's last appearance with the group he founded as Norfolk (later, Virginia) Pro Musica and has directed for the past decade.
This fall, McCullough will move to Washington to take over the Paul Hill Chorale, while the group will revert to its former name and perform under a series of guest conductors. A search for a new music director is underway.
Farewell occasions can often turn into events that do no artistic credit to those they honor. This was emphatically not the case Friday night. The chorale performed a demanding program with its customary high level of accomplishment.
Titled ``Mystery and Majesty,'' the evening brought together a varied group of compositions. Short works opened the concert; those by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gerald Finzi were very much in the Anglican tradition, emphasizing stateliness and pomp. A quieter piece, by American composer Ned Rorem, was more impressionistic and French in its sound.
Two works by Leonard Bernstein formed the heart of the program.
The ``Missa Brevis,'' a late (1983) adaptation of music written three decades earlier, was an eclectic mix of styles that didn't quite seem to jell, although there were some lovely moments. One of these was the smooth mezzo voice of Teresa Guion weaving in and out of the ensemble.
Bernstein's ``Chichester Psalms'' was the concert's high point. Here, the composer's eclecticism was matched by his emotional response to the psalm texts he set. The chorale's performance was superb, as were the contributions of organist J. Thomas Mitts, harpist Barbara Chapman and percussionist Robert Cross.
The concert concluded with another Psalm setting, from Patrick Doyle's film score for ``Henry V.''
The chorale's refined sound was a pleasure to hear. Attacks were sharp, the balance between sections was admirable, and the sound free from any stridency or harshness. At a few points, the men overpowered the women, but because the latter avoided the wide vibrato that often accompanies big, loud voices, it was a worthwhile trade-off. MEMO: CONCERT REVIEW
Who: The McCullough Chorale
Where: First Presbyterian Church, Norfolk
When: Friday; the concert will be repeated at 8 tonight.
Tickets: $12.50, $11, and $6.
For details, call 627-8375. by CNB