Seattle Pro Musica’s Christmas concerts look to the Baltics and beyond
Last updated December 6, 2007 11:07 a.m. PT
By R.M. CAMPBELL, P-I MUSIC CRITIC
COMING UP SEATTLE PRO MUSICA PROGRAM: Northern Lights II
WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, 3 (shorter family concert) and 7:30 p.m., Town Hall, 1110 Eighth Ave.; Dec. 15, 3 and 7:30 p.m., the chapel at Bastyr University, 14500 Juanita Drive N.E., Bothell
TICKETS: $10-$32, with various discounts; 206-781-2766 or seattlepromusica.org
The group will present the first of several concerts this weekend at Town Hall, and they are looking to Russia, the Ukraine and the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for their repertoire. The program is supposed to evoke the lights of the winter season in these northern European countries, thus the title. Music of the 19th and 20th centuries will be performed by familiar and not-so-familiar composers—the most well-known being Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff as well as Arvo Part.“Three years ago,” said Karen P. Thomas, Seattle Pro Musica artistic director, “we did a Northern Lights program focusing on Scandinavia and the Baltic countries. This year it is the Baltic countries again joined with Russian and the Ukraine. The heritage is very rich.”
Of particular interest, Thomas said, is music from Estonia.
“Their choral tradition is extensive and fascinating. There is so much music, a good portion of which has only become available recently in the West, like works by Cyrillus Kreek,” she said. Born in the late 19th century, Kreek was trained at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and died in 1962. Similar to Bela Bartok in Hungary, Kreek spent a good share of his life collecting and writing down folk songs in part because they were in danger of disappearing. He also wrote what might be considered religious music and was a leading proponent of Estonian choral music.
“His music ran into trouble during the Soviet period and was suppressed,” Thomas said. “It was only in the late 1980s and 1990s his music was rediscovered. His choral music has a beautiful and complex sound. The score may look simple but it produces a rich sonority. He knows how to place the right key for the right voice. I heard his music first on a compact disc with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and thought it was stunning.”
Thomas sees a link between Estonian and Welsh choral music. Both countries have a strong vocal tradition. “It helps to deal with hardship in life. With the Welsh coal miners it was a way of keeping their culture going. And there is now a documentary film about the choral tradition in Estonia and how important it was during the Soviet years as a means to sustain life and traditions.
“Another composer of Estonian choral music is Veljo Tormis (born in 1930),” she said. “His music is well-known in Estonia and beloved. He was integral in keeping the music traditions of the country alive in the Soviet period, particularly those of small ethnic groups struggling to survive.”
The choral tradition in Latvia and Lithuania is strong but not as strong or extensive as Estonia,” she said. Seattle Pro Musica will sing settings of three carols by Latvian composer Andrejs Jansons and two examples from Lithuania: a traditional carol, done by candlelight, and Vaclovas Augustinas’ “Flax-picking Song,” scored for six singers and an instrumental ensemble.
The music will be sung in their original languages. Estonian, Thomas said, is a beautiful language to sing. The vowels are very Italianate and there are no odd sounds to master.
Seattle Pro Musica sings in multiple languages. For the lesser-known languages, Thomas seeks outside help with the text—faculty at the University of Washington or native speakers. In the case of Estonia, a member of the chorus spent a year in the country studying the music after receiving a Fulbright fellowship.
Thomas has spent the past two decades leading Seattle Pro Musica, where she developed the notion of theme programs. Perhaps she prefers these types of programs, she said, because, “It may be the way my brain works. I like the combination of organization and creativity. I like to organize my thoughts around topics. Programming draws on both of those skills. I like the way pieces can sound when there is some organizing factor around them. You think about them differently.”
Seattle Pro Musica has two principal Seattle venues for its concerts—Town Hall and St. James Cathedral, where it is one of the church’s resident ensembles. Thomas programs differently for each space.
“St. James has a big, rich cathedral sound blossoming around the building. You can sing from all different places and can’t tell where the sound is coming from. Music that works best in St. James is slower with less dissonant harmonies because the sound lasts so long. It is a wonderful space because there are so many options about where to perform. The full group usually sings in the east apse, while smaller ensembles, derived from the main group, circle the altar in the middle of the church. Singers even have performed in positions around the perimeter of the church. Town Hall is more directional in sound. It is a place where contemporary music works better.”
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P-I music critic R.M. Campbell can be reached at 206-448-8396 or .
