CCS review online

The Washington Post review by Grace Jean for the Bach Consort/CCS concert is now online.

She begins by stating the obvious: "Rarely will you find a program that pairs Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" with three of J.S. Bach's most popular cantatas." She goes on to say:

But on Tuesday evening, the Washington Bach Consort and the Cathedral Choral Society gave such riveting performances of the composers' works at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall that it was difficult to imagine any better combination.

This is what she said about the chorus:

The Cathedral Choral Society's 230 energetic voices, with the Children's Chorus of Washington, followed Lewis's every command in an exhilarating and cinematic "Carmina Burana." The driving rhythms, alternately earthy and clangorous, held steady at impressive expanses of volumes and relented only for a few key solos.

Not a lot of newspaper space for a review, but all of it was complimentary. I'm not sure other reviewers would have been so overly laudatory, but what came across (at least to me) from the performance is the incredible emotional energy that the orchestra, soloists, and choruses brought to the performance. It was a sell-out crowd--indeed, Carmina sells. We had both organizations' subscriber bases to draw upon, and performing outside of our main venue gets ourselves in more of a public eye.

And if you thought Carmina is a good piece, wait until you hear Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. The Cathedral Choral Society will be performing next on Sunday, May 21, 2006 at 4:00 p.m. at the Washington National Cathedral. I hope folks in the area can make it. You can order your tickets here. Our soloists include soprano Marina Shaguch, tenor Robin Leggate, and baritone Jochen Schmeckenbecher.