Scholars intone Latin lyrics

Author: Andrew Throdahl

The Tallis Scholars was formed in 1973 (incidentally, the same year that the Academy of Ancient Music and Musica Antiqua Köln, two other renowned early music ensembles, were founded) by extant director Peter Philips. The Scholars became famous 25 years ago for their technically flawless interpretations of early vocal music, especially Allegri's oft-heard "Miserere," Tallis' 40 part motet "Spem in Alium" and Victoria's 1605 requiem. Their early performances featured interpretively extreme tempi which, as Mar. 1's concert in Mead Chapel proved, seem to have balanced out a bit.

Saturday evening's performance of Tomas Luis de Victoria's requiem offered the thoughtful interpretive shifts that twenty-five years of confidence building performances would probably incite. The performace was not as languidly paced as most popular recordings of the work. Overall, however, the singing was so characteristically polished and refined the effect was one of emotional detachment.

The premiere of Victoria's requiem would probably have been before the corpse of the deceased, and thus would have been an extremely moving experience. The requiem was composed for the funeral of the dowager Empress Maria, sister of Philip II of Spain, daughter of Charles V and wife of Maximilian II. The requiem was the last work that Victoria published. The composer died seven years later in a monastery. The work is remembered for its unusually flexible cantus firmus, sung by the second soprano. Philips chose to extract the expressive bass line (sung by the stunning and solid voices of Donald Greig and Robert Macdonald) rather than this curious line, although in music of this clarity one could easily focus on any particular voice, whatever the conductor's interpretation.

The precision of the Tallis Scholar's technique, thanks to the assiduous conducting of Philips, made the emotional undercurrents of the requiem somewhat puzzling. There was hardly any variety of timbre - all 10 singers were in complete, reedy agreement. The men blended androgynously with the women, partially due to one of the alto spots being filled by a man.

The first half of the program, comprised entirely of Portugese compositions, was equally suave in execution, although the slightly more daring nature of these shorter works called for more interpretive elucidation than the Victoria. In Diogo Diaz Melgas' "Ajuva Nos," the music was anachronistically chromatic - or rather, it sounded modern due to its colorful chromatics (chromato actually means "color"). The jolt of these harmonies could potentially call for a swell or a change in timbre - something, anything, to highlight the "color." The pairing of two tenors during the introductory phrases of Manuel Cardoso's "Magnificat secundi toni" was so eerily unified by George Pooley and Nocholas Todd - down to the very roll of their r's - one felt that every interpretive decision made was somehow justified.

This meticulous polish, in which breaths are as important as pitches sung, continues to single out the Tallis Scholars as authoritative interpreters and performers of Renaissance vocal music. From what group would one rather hear obscure Portuguese motets? Certainly, there is a sense of scholarly security when listening to the Tallis Scholars. Philips rewards listeners that place trust in his own musical integrity.

For once the decision to place a concert in Mead Chapel was justified. Although still an awkward venue, the acoustics complimented the music's intended effect. The chapel also generously occupied the especially large audience, comprised mostly of townsfolk and few students. The chapel would have been frustrating if the music had been faster or louder.

It seemed that some audience members tried to hide their bewilderment to this difficult music - difficult both for the performer and the listener - with affected nods and "hmms" during and after each work. Perhaps for others the music was not met intellectually, but rather experienced the way one might experience music in a spa. Everyone seemed to treat the program as one might treat a genre of 20th century music - that is, as superficially quirky.