Greetings readers,
Day #3 of Podium was a self-indulgent one. It was a
particularly gorgeous summer day in Ottawa and a leisurely morning blogging and
chatting with friends meant that I only caught the end half of the Toronto Children’s Chorus Chamber Choir (TCCCC) performance. I should preface my
following comments with the fact that I am not a fan of choirs that don’t sound
like they’re singing with their full range. I just felt like the TCCCC had so
much more sound to offer but it remained buried beneath a very proper choral
façade. Don’t get me wrong, the notes were all there, the rhythm was there, but
I just found their interpretation of the music to be too clinical. I find that
when children’s voices are not used to their full range they just sound like
they’re in a stunted state of childhood. Childhood should be the time to
experiment with our vocal instruments. I understand it’s a completely choral
sound aesthetic preference; it just so happens that theirs doesn’t appeal to me.
The Hamilton Children’s Choirs and High Park Choirs (HCC/HPC) were
stunning. It made me wish I was 13 again so that I could go and sing in these
choirs. They have such control over a wide range of vocal colours and it resulted
in such a unified voice. Their show-stopping pieces for me were definitely Hatfield's "Las
Amarillas" and Rajaton's "Pakkanen". The TCCCC performed Las Amarillas earlier in the day;
however, the HCC/HPC performance re-calibrated my quality bar for the
performance. My favorite part of the HCC/HPC is what when they use
choralography, it does not take away from the singing. In many ways, it doesn’t
even appear as if you’re watching movement, it just feels like you’re viewing
an organic entity that visually and aurally embodies the music. Brava HCC/HPC, brava!
