Concert Review: First Inversion’s “Harmonic Splendor”

Concert-goers
got a chance to hear one of Rochester’s newest local choral organizations last
weekend when First Inversion gave a strong performance of a demanding program
at Downtown United Presbyterian Church. If the January 23 performance is any
indication, First Inversion will be a strong addition to the musical culture of
the city.

The
First Inversion ensemble was founded and is conducted by Lee Wright, director
of music ministry at Downtown Presbyterian Church. Its members include both
professional and non-professional singers, and the size of the ensemble varies
depending on the music being performed. Friday night the group numbered 45, but
many smaller groups were pulled from the larger group to provide variety among
the program’s pieces — men’s chorus, women’s chorus, and soloist, singing a
cappella or accompanied by piano and organ.

The program’s
opening work, Brahms’ “Warum” (“Why?”) tells of songs breathing warmth from
the heavens down on us, and First Inversion performed it with a full-voiced
sound, warm phrasing, excellent German diction, and an energy that started the
concert with a fresh-sounding vitality. This is a difficult task to pull off in
the performance space of a large church or cathedral: the text of the vocal
lines can be easily lost in the reverberance of the
space. But this was not the case here.

The
major work on the program was the Mass for Double Chorus by Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839-1901), whose lasting influence was as a
teacher, not a composer. This was a rare opportunity to hear a work that is
performed infrequently, and I have never come across it myself.

As a
setting of the Catholic Mass, it reflects the great and old traditions of the
sung mass. This one was written in the late 19th century, making its harmonies
richer, warmer, and less austere than in early church music. First Inversion presented
it beautifully throughout the six movements, moving effortlessly between
sections and exercising a wide range of dynamics and blended tone. If I were to
pick out a single movement for special mention, it would be the “Gloria,” for
its sheer full sound. The only slight concern about this work, and this is a
small one, was a tendency for the choral sound, although beautiful, to remain
the same regardless of the text.

The
accompaniment by pianist Orlando Diaz and organist Jason Cloen
enhanced the group’s performance. And in Franz Schubert’s “Serenade,”
mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Sharonov gave a delightful
portrayal of the flirting girl to the amorous attentions of the Men’s Chorus.

Max Reger’s piece “Comfort” was the surprise of the evening for
me. Reger’s early 20th century style is generally
angular, sharp, and arresting. This song was nothing like that, providing
comfort and consolation with hushed tones and long sustained lines.

In
all, this was a rewarding performance, a warm, comforting way to spend a cold
January night.  Applause must go to Lee
Wright for providing us with a choral ensemble of real value. This is an
organization that needs the support of the community, and unfortunately the attendance
was slight, perhaps two in the audience for every one singer on the stage.

First
Inversion’s next performance is April 24 and 25 at Downtown United Presbyterian
Church in a program with a completely different perspective: “Spirituals and
Folk Songs.”

This article appears in Jan 28 – Feb 3, 2015.