The River City Men's Chorus and its audience really got into the spirit Sunday afternoon at Little Rock's Second Presbyterian Church.
Chorus and orchestra were all set to have a blast, but the folks blowing stuff up where Cantrell Road and Interstate 430 meet apparently decided not to disturb the concert.
With Music Director David Glaze conducting from the keyboard (except for the a cappella numbers), the program, titled "In the Spirit 2," focused on sacred texts and gorgeous harmonies.
Two lively pieces, Craig Courtney's lively "Silence the Stones" (with text by Susan Bentall Boersma) and "O Sing to the Lord" by Dan Davison, with psalm-based texts, were among the first-half highlights.
The others were works Glaze warned would "stretch" things a bit: Michael Engelhardt's rocking arrangement of the medieval liturgical chant "Victimae Paschali Laudes" (with electric bass and drum pad accompaniment) and "Tarantella," a combination of an 18th century text, an Italian dance to defy spider venom and music by Z. Randall Stroope (hopefully the stomping was purely a rhythmic device and not an attempt to flatten spiders).
The second half shifted from "spiritual" to "spirituals," including fine performances of Aaron Copland's version of "Zion's Walls"; Howard Helvey's arrangement of "Steal Away" with a fine soprano saxophone obbligato; Courtney's nontraditional setting of "Amazing Grace"; Dan Forrest's almost militaristic arrangement of "I Know That My Redeemer Lives"; and Roy L. Belfield Jr.'s lovely arrangement of the spiritual "I Know I Been Changed," gloriously led by tenor Gates Smith.
Glaze and the chorus will repeat the program at 7 p.m. today and Thursday at the church, 600 Pleasant Valley Drive, Little Rock. Admission is free; arrive early to secure a seat and a place to park.
More information is available by calling (501) 377-1080 or at the website, rivercitymenschorus.com.
Metro on 04/24/2017