There wasn't much action during a silent auction Thursday evening at Calvary Baptist Church in Little Rock. That may be because the audience was more interested in what followed: Arkansas Choral Society's spring concert of two works by Franz Joseph Haydn.
Haydn in the Heights, a fundraiser for the Choral Society, pumped up the volume when it moved from the auction into the church's acoustically lively worship center to present two choral masses.
The Choral Society, joined by the University of Arkansas at Monticello Concert Choir, four soloists and musicians from the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, presented a confident, balanced performance with an exquisite sense of timing under the taut direction of Kent Skinner.
Opening the evening was Haydn's Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo, commonly known as Little Organ Mass, an elegant 20-minute composition in B-flat major. The piece's brevity is due in part to different voices simultaneously singing different sections of long texts. The sopranos ruled here, dominating without overwhelming, while the bass vocals could have turned up the volume a few notches. Attention focused on the assured delivery by soprano soloist Suzanne Banister, along with the pastoral organ phrasing of Adam Savacool.
The headliner was the powerful Missa in Angustiis in D Minor (Mass in troubled times), popularly known as the Lord Nelson Mass. Its 12 movements were announced by an aggressive timpani and vocal entrance that set the tone for the rest of the exuberant piece -- robust with introspective moments, many provided by the impressive range of alto Diana Salesky, the touching tenor of Christian Feazell, and the polite bass of Kevin Richard Doherty.
Arkansas Choral Society's claim to fame is the performance of Handel's Messiah every year since 1930. Don't think that's all these singers can do. Thursday evening shows that they are capable of much more.
Metro on 04/15/2016