SP Osteuropa 17.11.06, Layout 1

Singer Pur _________________________________________________________________________________ The vocal vocation of Singer Pur Mark Lowe This German vocal group gave a very well-received concert last Tuesday evening. A packed audience heard magnificent singing in highly entertaining songs. The admirable hall (which also has superb acoustics) was an added bonus-the beautifully refurbished Rustaveli Theatre. The concert started with magical soft singing in Danny Boy, otherwise known as The Londonderry Air. We then heard a medley of German folk songs and romantic part songs by Brahms and Mendelssohn-all very gemutlich and pleasing to the ear. The group specializes in Renaissance music, so the group included a piece from that period: a little gem by Adrian Willaert, Vecchie Letrose, full of exciting, razor-sharp cross-rhythms. The group also sang an intriguing new work: Time Piece by Paul Patterson. This is a skit on time and clocks, making extended use of modern choral techniques developed by composers like Penderecki and Ligeti (whispering, unusual vowel sounds, and so on). It was a hit with the audience. In the second half, we heard arrangements of popular songs. They included Cheek to Cheek by Irving Berlin, Englishman in New York by Sting, Good Night, My Angel by Billy Joel and Bad, Bad Leroy Brown by the American Jim Croce. For these songs the singers dispensed with their music scores, and sang in old Barber's Shop close harmony style. These songs received especially happy applause - they were obviously loved by the audience, and they were performed with matchless skill. The concert ended with an immaculate performance of a Georgian folk song - learned by the group that afternoon. It brought the house down. It was a fitting conclusion to a very successful event. The concert left me with many questions. Who are these singers? Where does this expertise come from? Where did they learn to sing so perfectly in tune, in so many different styles, and with such flawless tone? I learned that three of the six singers started their singing careers in the same Boys'Choir in Regensberg: that one came from the famous Vienna Boys'Choir: that one learned his singing in Namibia, where a flourishing folk music tradition survives: that one studied music at Cambridge University in England, bringing to Singer Pur a particular love of English 16th and 17th century madrigals: and that the soprano, Claudia Reinhard, comes form the German Lutheran Church Choir tradition. I learned that Singer Pur is the fruit of a great vocal tradition, nurtured by German cathedrals and churches, and blossoming today into a wide range of musical idioms-some a very long way from traditional Church music, but rooted in the great tradition of Schutz, Bach and Brahms. The group has made brilliant recordings of Renaissance music, with motets and madrigals by composers like William Byrd, Schutz, Monteverdi and the like. It has also made much-praised recordings of contemporary music by Arvo Part, John Tavener and others. Perhaps the admirable Goethe Institute can bring the group back another time to sing some of this wonderful music, too? They might arrange a special concert in the Tbilisi Conservatoire next time. It would be great to hear the whole range of the group's repertoire. Any problems? Yes. Some of the early items were spoiled for the audience by a mobile phone going off again and again. Thank you, Goethe Institute, for a lovely concert. Please bring the Singer Pur group back again soon. But let those wretched mobile phones be switched firmly off next time. The Messen ger (Georg ia/ Georgie n), Frid ay, Novem ber 17, 200 6, #219 (12 39) .

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