Carnegie Hall 2013 Review: King's Singers Put On Dynamic Concert That Features Humor And Great Singing

The King's Singers gave a terrific performance at the Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall on Monday evening in a program that ranged from 16th century madrigals to modern fare from the American songbook. The wealth of material showcased throughout the two hour concert was not only well paced, but filled with moments of wit and humor that are often lacking in these kinds of recitals.

The sextet of singers is made up of two countertenors, two baritones, one tenor, and one bass but they all sound like one instrument. This was particularly evident in much of the baroque fare where the voices harmonized brilliantly with each vocal part blending beautifully with one another. The music in the first half was made up of early music with a few interjections of romantic pieces from Camille Saint-Saens and Francis Poulenc. The Saint-Saens "Saltarelle (Op. 74)" was a welcome addition after the program got started with two slow and stately 16th century works. The "Saltarelle" was performed by four singers (without the countertenors) and featured a back-and-forth dialogue between tenor Paul Phoenix and bass Jonathan Howard. This was the most energetic piece of the first half and showcased strong body language from its four performers. The other major standouts of the first section included "Bois meutri" from the Poulenc cycle and a gorgeous arrangement of Joby Talbot's "Leon." In the former, the group combined for a tragic cry of desperation, perhaps the most impassioned display of pain and sorrow from the performers during the entire evening. If the Poulenc was a heart wrenching performance, the Talbot was a spiritually engaging one. As one group of singers repeated a circular phrase in Latin, another set began a lengthy expansive melody that clearly depicted the long pilgrimage described in the text. The piece showcased some incredible breath control displays where individual singers were asked to sustain long pedals that the rest of the group would build on.

After the intermission, the King's Singers treated the audience to an antithesis of the serious music that dominated the opening section. The first piece by 20th century composer Goffredo Petrassi was aptly entitled "Nonsense" as it depicted four separate songs about nonsensical characters. At this point, the ensemble started to place emphasis on individual singers; no one owned the spotlight better than tenor Paul Phoenix. During the third song "C'era un vecchio di Rovigo (There Was An Old Man Of Rovigo)", Phoenix took on a slouched posture and sang with a nasal quality that brought the old man to life. It drew waves of laughter from the audience and seemed to inspire the rest of the group. Phoenix would get a number of solos in the ensuing pieces and continued to attract the audience's attention through terrific vocal display and exuberant body language. That does not mean that the other five did not have their stand out moments; they definitely did. The two countertenors mainly stood out for their tremendous vocal resources in most of the pieces while Howard imitated a snake at the end of one of the "Nonsense" pieces.

As the evening drew to a close, the King's Singers showed off four encores including the world premiere of Billie Holiday & Arthur Herzog's "God Bless the Child." The encore was sung with delicacy and warmth. Other encores included "I'm a Train," "You Are the New Day," and "And So It Goes."

The British group announced that it would be touring around the world, but would be back soon to perform in America once more. That day cannot come soon enough.