Goa University choir steals the show at the Monte Music Festival Nigel Britto,TNN | Feb 12, 2014, 02.08 AM IST
The words of Mahatma Gandhi were set to Gregorian chant, and Christian texts to litanic 'Bhakti'; a crop of Goa's finest orchestral talents provided the accompaniment, and two of its most promising sopranos, the solos. As a contemplative piano began the Goa University Choir's concert at the Monte Music Festival on Sunday night, a row of lit candles lent an air of sanctity to the setting. A sitar, tabla, bansuri and percussion only added to the mystique. On the festival's third and final day, the choir, in only its sophomore concert, indelibly stamped its mark as the defining performance of the 12th edition of the festival. Its programme was heavily-themed and well-structured - titled Da Pacem Cordium (in English, 'Give peace to every heart'), it was presented as a dialogue between the musical traditions of the East and the West, and was divided into three parts - The Inner World, The Ravages of War Between Men, and The Peace. For instance, the title piece, Da Pacem Cordium, and another Gregorian chant, Ubi Caritas, were performed thrice, differently, in each of the sections. Rarely in the history of the Monte Music Festival has the chapel been so packed. On a normal day, there are inevitably people who leave performances midway, thus making room for those prowling about outside. But Sunday was not a normal day; the choir held the audience spellbound, notwithstanding minor problems in tuning and coordination. Listening to their masterful interpretations of fare ranging from Jenkins to Rutter, it was a little difficult to believe that the choir is only a few months old. Under the guidance of Santiago Lusardi Girelli, who holds the Anthony Gonsalves chair at the Goa University, it has with astonishing speed achieved a level of refinement out of reach for many nascent ensembles. This was especially evident when the choir hit its peak in the second section, 'The Ravages of War between Men'. Here, the ensemble was emphatic in its operatic grandeur, and executed it with unremitting intensity. The choruses rang out spectacularly and cleanly. During its Dies Irae of Britten's majestic War Requiem, the ensemble's flinching staccatos and soaring power threatened to peel the paint off the walls of the 16th century Capela do Monte, before sparing and exploding past them to spill on to the large flight of stone steps that lead up to the chapel. The choir also seemed especially proficient in singing from Jenkins' The Peacemaker. It cropped up several times in the repertoire, and appropriately so, considering this concert's theme - in its full form, the Welsh composer's work features texts from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Anne Frank and Mother Teresa, apart from Gandhi. That the Goa University choir has a flair for the avant-garde was evident from its debut concert, 'Hanacpachap', in August, when it sang in quaint tongues like Quechua and Nahuatl. This time, Girelli's use of Indian instruments was exquisite, limited to embellishing the choir rather than announcing their presence with garishness. Even the other instruments kept a nuanced low profile throughout, whether the piano (Ingrid-Anne Nazareth), or the chamber orchestra (led by Ashley Rego). Commendable performances by the two sopranos, Chriselle Mendonca and Kim Costa, also left a significant mark on the concert. The choir's concert was the final act of the three-day Monte Festival, which saw a number of performances from Goan and Indian artistes. Other highlights of the festival were a Portuguese guitar recital by Franz Schubert Cotta and Siddharth Cota, a violin concert by Anupriya Deotale, the Cecilian choir from Bangalore, a Bharatnatyam recital by Sharanya Chandran and a mando presentation by Goenchim Kirnnam and Porvorechim Sobit Fullam. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Goa-University-choir-steals-the-show-at-the-Monte-Music-Festival/articleshow/30239585.cms
