Wrestling With The Future

4 Wvc Stamdouts Again First-team All State

Monday, December 18, 2000 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 7A 





Variety makes Lyric Consort's &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Christmas concert fulfilling &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; By ROBERT MINER &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 bminerbwv244@cs.com &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 SCRANTON Every year more and more area music lovers are making the Lyric
Consort's Christmas concert part of their holiday tradition. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The tradition continued when the professional vocal ensemble offered
concerts Friday night at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Scranton and Saturday
night at St. Stephen's Procathedral in Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The ensemble sopranos Susan Kelly and Leslie Mason Moran, alto Jennifer
Adam, male alto P.J. Waskiewicz, tenors Alan Baker and Frank Spencer, and
basses Christopher Gallo and Francis McMullen offered a somewhat different
program, featuring carols with narration by WVIA radio's Erica Funke. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At Friday's performance, Funke spoke sometimes using biblical passages and
other times offering tidbits about Christmas traditions while the ensemble
moved from singing verses to humming. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The group sang the 13th-century plainsong "Of The Father's Love Begotten"
and "O Come, All Ye Faithful" to fit narrations promising Christ's coming.
They sang "Jesus Christ The Apple Tree" and "Adam Lay Ybounden" to go with
text about Adam's fall from favor in the garden. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Virgin Birth narrations were accompanied by mystical pieces such as
Michael Praetorious' "Lo, How A Rose," the Basque carol "Gabriel's Message," a
15th-century plainsong to "Ave Maria" and John Rutter's luscious "There Is A
Flower," a piece highlighted by voluptuous solos by Kelly and Gallo. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Nativity texts were augmented with tender settings of "Away In A Manger";
R.R. Terry's touching arrangement of "Myn Liking," a piece that was accented
by mesmerizing solos by Kelly and Moran; and Salli Terri's arrangement of the
American carol "Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head," a piece that was accentuated by
Adam's comforting solo. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The ensemble's rendering of Stephen Paulus' arrangement of "The First
Nowell," a work that has become somewhat of a signature piece of the group,
and McMullen's solo work on Peter Cornelius' "The Three Kings" highlighted the
adoration section. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sections dedicated to pagan customs that eventually became part of
Christian Christmas celebrations were celebrated with a number of fine works,
including Gustav Holst's cold yet comforting setting of "In The Bleak
Midwinter": "The Holly And The Ivy"; and Geoffrey Keating's clever arrangement
of "The Twelve Days Of Christmas," a piece that featured ornamental clips from
"Ding Dong Merrily On High," "Angels We Have Heard On High," Beethoven's
"Minuet in G" and "Three Little Maids" from Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta
"The Mikado." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The tradition of ringing bells was acclaimed with an invigorating
performance of "Carol Of The Bells." And the tradition of singing carols was
distinguished with a rousing rendition of Ralph Vaughan Williams' ebullient
"Wassail Song." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Exhilarating! &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Variety Makes Lyric Consort's