SAME-DAY REVIEW: Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles at Los Angeles Theatre Center

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
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Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles; Cristian Grases, conductor
A Mighty Voice
Saturday, March 26, 2011 • Los Angeles Theater Center
Next performances: Tonight at 8 p.m.; tomorrow at 3 p.m.
Information: www.gmcla.org
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The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles entitled its concerts this weekend A Mighty Voice, and with 162 male singers in the 500-seat Tom Bradley Theater (part of the Los Angeles Theatre Center complex on Spring St. in downtown Los Angeles), the title certainly was appropriate. Happily for those who showed up, the chorus produced more than just power under the polished leadership of guest conductor Cristian Grases.

Since it was founded in 1979, the GMCLA has served several purposes. Formed just as the AIDS crisis was beginning to unfold, GMCLA has been a bulwark in the fight against what is now officially labeled as a pandemic, commissioning music that helps the community to mourn, to celebrate, to dream, and to prepare for victory, as GMCLA states on its Web site. It also serves as a close-knit fellowship group for the singers and others connected with the chorale.

Equally important, during its more than three decades the chorus has grown into one of the nation’s premiere male choral ensembles. It was the first gay men's choir to perform for a sitting president (Bill Clinton), has released 14 compact discs, commissioned more than 300 new works and arrangements, and has guest-starred on such TV shows as $#*! My Dad Says, Will & Grace and Six Feet Under.

Two years ago it underwent a comprehensive strategic planning process led by an outside facilitator and is beginning to implement what it learned. This January, the group appointed Thom Lynch, former CEO & president of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center and COO of Project Open Hand, to the position of GMCLA executive director. The chorus is in the midst of a search for a new artistic director and, based on what we heard this afternoon, Grases —assistant professor of choral music and director of the Concert Choir at the USC Thornton School of Music — would have to be considered a strong candidate.

Grases, a native of Venezuela, displayed the same kind of beautiful hand gestures and podium excitement that we see from Los Angeles Philharmonic Music Director Gustavo Dudamel. The chorus, all of whom are volunteers, sang with impressive diction throughout nearly all the program and has strength through all four vocal sections, including some impressive deep bass sounds. It also delivered some beautiful softs as well as powerful louds during the performance.

The program spanned nearly eight centuries of music, was sung in five languages (often from memory), and featured both the full chorus and a 28-member chamber ensemble drawn from its members.

Most of the program was a cappella, although three pieces were accompanied by a brass ensemble. Pianist Michael Alfera (who made the brass arrangements) was a stylish, sensitive accompanist throughout and showed off his chops in the afternoon’s final work, the first performance of Grases’ arrangement of Sensemayá, a work by Canadian composer Sid Robinovitch that brought down the house with its intricate, exuberant choreography and the chorale’s powerful singing, aided by Steven Young’s dramatic lighting design.

Grases certainly knows how to end a concert; the conclusion of the first half was a rollicking rendition of In Taberna Quando Sumus, the drinking song from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana that used Alfera’s effective new arrangement for piano, brass and chorus.

Other highlights of the afternoon were Franz Schubert’s Nachtelle, which featured the soaring, lyrical tenor solo voice of D.J. Pick; Randol Alan Bass’s rhythmically intricate setting of the Gloria portion of the Roman Catholic mass; and the concluding set of four songs by Latin American composers.

The lone encore was a powerful get down performance of the gospel song Didn’t the Lord Deliver Daniel? with fine solo work from Peej Celiz and Chris Etscheid.

Hemidemisemiquavers:
• The program had a slip sheet with printed translations. Unfortunately, the lights were turned off during the performance, which rendered the texts useless. You'd think a group as tech-savy as GMCLA would project translations.
• Fifth and Spring (the location of the Los Angeles Theatre Center) is quite a happening place during the daytimke! The center is housed in an old bank building (35 years ago, my wife worked in the building — small world).
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(c) Copyright 2011, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

Comments

[vibram five fingers]

Pianist Michael Alfera (who made the brass arrangements) was a stylish, sensitive accompanist throughout and showed off his chops in the afternoon’s final work

[גופי תאורה לגינה]

GMCLA is a bulwark against what has now been officially labeled a pandemic, the introduction of music that will help the community to mourn, to celebrate, to dream, and prepare for victory as GMCLA says on its website. It also acts as a small group of singers, etc. Choral Society.

[Zara Miller]

Pianist Michael Alfera (who made the brass arrangements) was a stylish, http://www.playerassist.com/worldoftanks/worldoftanks-power-leveling.php

[buy essays]

I didn't visit this concert in Tom Bradley Theater but I've listened to the gay men’s chorus of Los Angeles earlier. And I really love it!

[Timberland Boot Shop]

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