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REVIEW: HOLIDAY POPS

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Anchorage Daily News

Posted: December 17, 2007 - 11:29 am

By Maia Nolan

The Anchorage Concert Chorus rang in the season Sunday afternoon with its annual Holiday Pops concert. Artistic director and conductor Grant Cochran guided the chorus through a program packed with familiar melodies and new twists on old favorites.

The performance opened with the Concert Chorus Chorale in the aisles of Atwood Concert Hall to sing “A Glimpse of Snow and Evergreen” by Vijay Singh. Placing singers in the aisles holding battery-powered candles is a nice visual; however, in this case, as often happens, it diminished the acoustic effect somewhat. Individual voices were left exposed, which meant even minor variations in tone and tempo stood out. The arrangement also seemed to make it more difficult for the chorale to function as an ensemble: The sopranos nearest me were just a touch behind the rest of the group at several points in the piece.
While the chorale was still in the aisles, the entire ensemble performed “All Is Well,” written by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Christian contemporary artist Michael W. Smith. No insipid spiritual pop song, “All Is Well” is a lovely, melodic seasonal choice. Like “A Glimpse of Snow and Evergreen,” though, it did lose a little sound quality due to the placement of the chorale.

Once the chorale joined the full ensemble onstage, the chorus delivered plenty of holiday cheer on pieces like “In Dulci Jubilo,” Tim Heavner’s arrangement of “Three Kings of Orient,” and “A Feast of Carols,” a medley of traditional songs. Each classic selection featured the velvety, satisfying choral texture demanded by classic Christmas carols — perfect for setting the holiday mood.

The program also featured a number of Cochran’s own arrangements, including “O Holy Night,” “Welcome Christmas” (the Who song from Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”) and the robust “Boar’s Head Carol,” a song that originated in English universities and was presented in an arrangement for the full chorus rather than just for the men, as has been done in the past. The addition of the high voices gave the carol a full, celebratory sound.

I could have done without “Let’s Go Caroling,” which was well-sung but had a too-glossy feel, reminiscent of the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, that seemed out of place among the sincere pieces that made up the bulk of the program.

The chorus’s festive sound was augmented by the Holiday Pops orchestra, a pared-down version of the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra that had its own moments in the spotlight with two contemporary pieces. John Williams’ “The Flight to Neverland” from “Hook” is not, strictly speaking, a holiday song, but it does have a glittery, wintry feel.

“ ’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” Randol Alan Bass’ orchestration of Clement C. Moore’s classic poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” featured amiable narration by chorus member Jon Sharpe.

Christmas is a time for tradition, and the Holiday Pops concert wouldn’t be complete without its own tradition. “The moment to embrace, or the moment to fear,” Cochran said, “is the sing-along.” Or, as the young woman sitting in front of me whispered to her seat mate, “the only corny part.” Corny or not, ’tis the season, and even the coolest concertgoer would have been hard-pressed to resist the temptation to sing along to tunes like “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.”

The program closed with Cochran’s plaintive arrangement of “What Child Is This?” presented beautifully and lyrically by the full ensemble — a perfect end to the afternoon.

Maia Nolan lives and writes in Anchorage.

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