Crowded with eager singers, shrouded in soft blue lighting, on Friday, April 11, Sage Chapel came to life with the voices of Cornell’s Chorus and Glee Club. Having gone on their Alps Tour over spring break, singing in Geneva, Salzburg and Vienna, the two vocal ensembles came together for their Return From Tour Concert. Directed and conducted by Dr. Joe Lerangis and Dr. Yen-Hsiang Nieh, the concert featured 10 pieces sung together by Chorus and Glee Club, along with two arrangements from their respective a cappella groups, After Eight and The Hangovers.
The members’ excitement was evident on their faces as they took to the risers and even as they sang. As a member of Cornell’s Chorale, a coed ensemble directed by Dr. Nieh, and The Key Elements a cappella, I am familiar with the joys of performing. It was beautiful to witness the product of these ensembles’ hard work, the brilliance of their voices amplified in Sage’s acoustics.
With the sweep of Dr. Lerangis’s hand, the concert opened with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Blazheni Yazhe Izbral,” a stunning composition in which the treble voices soared in a lilting legato. Seamlessly, the choir transitioned to “Ego Flos Campi,” composed by Rafaella Aleotti, the first piece drawing from the text of the Song of Solomon, completed by the resonant harmonies of Edward Bairstow’s “I Sat Down Under His Shadow.”
In a climax of emotionality, accompanied by deep red lighting, the vocalists transitioned to “and the swallow” by Caroline Shaw. Wanting to vocalize the displacement and devastation of the Syrian Refugee Crisis, born of the Syrian Civil War, persisting after 14 years, Shaw draws from the text within Psalm 84, describing a swallow meeting her home once again. With family from Syria myself, I was struck by this piece, by the longing that poured forth from the vocalist’s voices, and the tenderness with which the choir uttered “the sparrow found a house, and the swallow her nest, where she may raise her young.” The sustained chords, closing the piece, left me with the time to process the gravity of this poignant composition and the constant search for a homeland. I was deeply moved.
Transitioning from choral music to the unique realm of a cappella, After Eight and The Hangovers shared their skillful arrangements. The dynamism and evident joy within their performances were wonderful to watch, and it was fascinating to hear how these singers could showcase their vocal talent across a broad range of compositions.
Joined then by larger ensembles once more, Dr. Nieh joined the stage to lead two compositions, “Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal" by Alice Parker, in which Adedayo Perkovich’s stunning soprano led the rising vocals of the ensembles. Nieh then conducted “Selig Sind die Toten" by Heinrich Schütz, the conviction of the vocals culminating in the middle of the song, then releasing. The energy continued to build, filling Sage with Cedric Dent’s playful composition “He’s Got the Whole World,” the passion and emotion evident in Amy Mojica’s solo.
Venturing into another contemporary composition, the Chorus and Glee Club performed “Pal-So-Seong” (8 Laughing Voices) by Hyo-won Woo, in which, seemingly at random, soloists would break out into laughter, interrupting the flow of melody and harmony. With each bout of laughter, ranging from lighthearted to vehement and booming, the audience was, in a sense, in on the joke with the vocalists, anticipating the next laughing fit. It certainly kept the listeners on the edge of their seats!
As the concert drew to a close, the vocalists soothed the audience after the previous festivities, performing the heartfelt creation “Aquí te amo” by Modesta Bor, whose love for music persisted despite any physical barriers. The warmth and yearning of her lyrics and melody were handled with care, as, in soft lighting, the students’ vocals savored each harmony. It was evident how much the singers had come to internalize and appreciate the lyrics they were singing.
Having performed this arrangement in composer Frank Martin’s hometown, Vienna, Austria, the ensembles closed the concert with the multipart piece “Mass for Double Choir.” As Dr. Lerangis described, the score for this composition remained hidden away in a drawer for nearly 40 years, so to hear each chord resonate freely with meandering arpeggios within the chapel was even more meaningful.
It would not have been a Cornell choral concert without the familiar melodies of our Alma Mater and Evening Song. Sung through smiles, the singers swayed back and forth through the verses as past members joined them on stage. Having sung these closing songs with Cornell Chorale, it was lovely to hear the audience enjoying this post-performance tradition as well.
Through the familiar faces from Chorale and a cappella on both stage and audience, the connection between conductor and vocalist, and the awed hush that fell over the listeners, I am reminded yet again of the lively music community at Cornell and the healing and love that exists at its core.
Alessandra Giragos is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at asg287@cornell.edu.
