The award for most evocative concert theme of the season certainly goes to the Knoxville Chamber Chorale and its conductor John Orr for their latest outing this past Thursday evening, “Alone in the Night.” Happily, though, the superlatives did not end with the theme—the concert revealed a 29-member, well-matched and enthusiastic ensemble performing with a comforting timbre, seemingly effortless diction, and a beautiful tonal balance.
Orr’s program of a dozen selections had a feeling of serene timelessness, with a mix of older and contemporary works that seemed to flow one into the next. The program also evoked a wealth of nocturnal impressions and emotions, with that title apparently springing from the text of one of the ensemble’s selections, “Stars Tonight,” a recent choral work by Judith Herrington from a poem by the early 20th Century poet Sara Teasdale:
Alone in the night, on a dark hill
With pines around me, spicy and still
And a heaven full of stars, over my head,
White and topaz, and misty red;
…
Among the many gems on the program was the enchanting “Goodnight Moon” by Eric Whitacre, with text from Margaret Wise Brown’s children’s book. On similar ground was “Ballade to the Moon” by Daniel Elder and “Nachtlied” by Max Reger. Jake Runestad’s recent “Let My Love Be Heard” found a more cerebral level (and an intriguing final chord), as did “Bright Morning Star” with Ian Everbach as soloist and a rich, ear-opening men’s harmony.
Probably a mandatory inclusion in the program was Dolly Parton’s “Light of a Clear Blue Morning”, arranged by Craig Hella Johnson with significant poignance. Lynn Oberloh offered a beautifully soft clarity in the piece’s solo.
Concluding his first year as the music director of the Knoxville Choral Society and the Chamber Chorale, Orr has previously indicated his intention to take the ensembles in a different direction. This evocative well-performed concert, with an impressive attendance in the nave of Church Street United Methodist, was certainly an optimistic indicator that he and the KCS are poised to make a difference in Knoxville’s choral music scene.
