21st Century Music - March 2000
World Choral Organization
MARK PETERSEN
The Esoterics present Beata, 24 works inspired by the Blessed Virgin Mary. December 16, Chapel of St. Ignatius, Seattle University, Seattle, WA. Through December 19, Tacoma, WA.
The city of Seattle played host to two remarkable global events in December 1999. The first -- the meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) -- is now referred to as "The Battle of Seattle" by the media. The second, which we’ll call the "World Choral Organization (WCO)," had a significantly different impact on the local environs. The meetings of the WTO attracted delegates from dozens of countries, representing six continents. The WCO had no delegates; however, the compositions on the program did hail from the "corners" of the globe. Europe was represented by Pierre Villette, Petr Eben, Antón Garcia-Abril, Pablo Casals, José Firmino, János Vajda, Trond Kverno, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Jan Sandström, Berg, Distler, Javier Busto, Pärt, Stravinsky, Andrzej Koszewski, Goffredo Petrassi, Hj&amul;lmar Ragnarsson, and Bax. Africa had two representatives -- Giles Swayne and John Joubert -- as did North America: Healey Willan and John Harbison.
Heitor Villa-Lobos and Peter Sculthorpe contributed on behalf of South America and Australia respectively. The WTO met at the Washington State Convention Center, on the west side of Seattle’s Capitol Hill. A major focus of the convocation was to establish the group’s agenda for future gatherings -- essentially a "meeting to plan more meetings." According to news reports, they were unable to complete the task. The WCO performed just a few blocks away at the recently dedicated Chapel of St. Ignatius on the Seattle University campus, on the east side of Capitol Hill. The latter’s agenda was clear: to present contemporary a cappella repertoire from around the world which celebrates the Blessed Virgin Mary. The musical and programmatic objectives were dispatched with aplomb. An unmitigated success.
In addition to its delegates, the WTO attracted tens of thousands of protesters roaming the streets of downtown Seattle. A few hundred, calling themselves "anarchists," bedecked the city with spray paint, broken glass, overturned newspaper stands, and dumpster fires; prompting lawenforcement to add pepper spray and tear gas to the ambiance. In contrast, the WCO enticed a few hundred visitors to spend 120 captivating minutes in a significantly more meditative environment. The Chapel of St. Ignatius, designed by New York architect Steven Holl, was selected by the American Institute of Architects as a 1998 Honor Award winner. The flowing lines and lights of the worship space profoundly complemented the musical offerings. No dumpster fires were observed... only candles on the altar and Advent wreath.
In their seven-year history, The Esoterics have consistently sought to perform challenging, virtuosic choral repertoire which is unlikely to be heard anywhere else: "to boldly go where no chorus has gone before." The Beata performance was no exception. Chronologically, the compositions spanned the 20th-century; from Bax’s epic Mater ora filium (1921) to Javier Busto’s bipartite setting of O magnum mysterium (1998). The performance also traversed much of the musical spectrum -- early works of Berg and Stravinsky, the quasiliturgical modalities of Hjälmar Ragnarsson’s Ave Maria, gratia plena (1985) and Trond Kverno’s Ave maris stella (1976), the atmospheric clusters of Rautavaara’s Canticum Mariæ virginis (1978), and Sandström’s Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen (1995), Petrassi’s serialism and much, much more. The group (or in several cases, sub-groups) came eminently prepared for a performance which could be considered the "Choral Olympics." Give them near perfect marks and a sweep of the gold medals.
There is one final comparison between the WTO meetings and The Esoterics’ WCO performance. Many of those involved in the WTO proceedings received free transportation (in school buses) to local jails or temporary incarceration facilities at the former Sandpoint Naval Air Station -- contemplating bail arrangements, sleeping accommodations and future protests. WCO attendees had to provide their own transportation after the event; reflecting on the ambrosial aural assemblage they had just experienced, and anxiously awaiting attendance at a future Esoterics performance.