Schnittke: Concerto for Choir (Irish Premiere) & Tchaikovsky: Liturgy of St John Chrysostom.
RESURGAM, DIRECTED BY MARK DULEY
The Tchaikovsky came first and for me it was something of a disappointment: it seemed very choir-mastery, very drilled, and not particularly sympathetic to the music. The Schnittke, which I'd never heard before came out blazing in glory. Extraordinary sonorities (at one point it sounded like electronic instruments were being used (it was in fact purely voices). The text is a bizarre intensely religious one, from The Book of Lamentations by the 10th century Armenian monk Grigor Narekatsi.
This was unbelievable: sounds of great delicacy pulsating against one another, devastatingly loud climaxes (almost painful under the reverberant City Hall dome: maybe a bit of a miscalculation here!) laser-sharp dissonances. Resurgam had brought in some extra members including at least one Russian-style bass with full weight in the lower pitches (glorious). The music was unfamiliar (Rautavaara's Vigilia is the nearest I've heard, and that only at some parts) but easy enough to follow and understand. A wonderful new discovery for me, and the second excellent Resurgam concert I've attended. I must keep an eye on them!
