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Irish choir gives voice to Christmas
By Earle Hitchner - Irish Echo, New York.
December 2002
Within the hushed, high-vaulted splendor of St. Bartholomew's, a Romanesque-style Episcopal church that's been a Manhattan landmark since 1918, the Dublin-based choir Anúna performed carols, hymns, and other songs with themes and messages wholly appropriate to this time of year. Monday's concert was an appealing, mostly well-executed program for a yuletide concert, sponsored by another well-respected New York City institution, the Irish Arts Center.Since their founding in 1987 by Michael McGlynn, Anúna has become known for their eclectic material and delicate, layered singing, and this concert, ranging from ancient chants to recently composed songs, reflected that in the church's candlelit nave.
A number of selections came from "Winter Songs," the choir's latest recording. They sang the original melody, written by U.S. composer William Kirkpatrick, of "Away in a Manger," lending it a new sheen of reverence. The choir also gave gossamer-gentle renditions of "The Wexford Carol" and "The Coventry Carol," an exultant quality to the 18th-century carol "Christmas Day Is Come," and a tender, thought-provoking arrangement of "Pie Jesu," intended to commemorate the dead after the tragic Omagh bombing in August 1998. The male singers in Anúna gave a sinewy rendition of the Spanish-language "Ríu Ríu," and their take on "Dúlamán," an Irish-language song about seaweed, wisely avoided glossing Clannad's memorable version from 1976.Not to be outdone, the female singers in Anúna expertly negotiated the call-and-response structure of "Sanctus." Another hymn showcasing the women was "Jerusalem," sung while they slowly walked up and down the main aisle, a decision adding spatial heft to their vocals. Other concert highlights were "Gaudete," which did invoke Steeleye Span's 1972 hit single of this 16th-century Latin hymn, and "Angels Are Singing," performed in a fun, breezy style reminiscent of the Manhattan Transfer...the night truly belonged to the radiant vocals of Anúna, shining a spotlight on the real reason for the season through a repertoire selected and sung with an inventive spirit.