The Kansas City Chorale presented a satisfying program of music by 20th– and 21st-century composers at Village Presbyterian Church on Friday, March 13. The Chorale and its longtime director Charles Bruffy have long been known as specialists in this repertory, even before their 1995 Nimbus CD release Fern Hill. But it was this signature recording that was remembered and reprised at Friday night’s performance as the concert featured the title track—John Corigliano’s “Fern Hill.”
A setting of the Dylan Thomas 1945 poem, the music was composed in 1961 (revised in 1999) and reflects Thomas’ nostalgic recollection of his youth with lovely musical lines and opulent harmonies. The performance began with a rocky start, though. The instrumental ensemble of eight strings and piano overbalanced the singers and the first violins displayed faulty intonation. The ship soon righted itself, though, and the chorus and instrumentalists delivered a dramatic and heartfelt rendition of the work.
In particular, Mezzo-soprano soloist Kristin Newbegin displayed a rich and burnished tone in the lengthy portion of the third and fourth verses of the poem. Near the end of the final verse, the chorus presented a beautifully blended and warm sound to the reminiscent text “Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means.” After the performance, Bruffy identified several audience members who sang on the 1995 recording.
One of the most compelling works in the concert was the opening composition, “Dark Night of the Soul,” a setting of the poem of St. John of the Cross by Norwegian-born composer Ola Gjeilo. Written in 2010 for chorus, string quartet and piano, it is an extraordinarily beautiful work, and was performed with clarity, precision and rich musicality by the ensemble.
The music opened with the singers featured in beautifully blended vowels alongside tempestuous instrumental lines. The string players were incisive and balanced, and pianist Kurt Knecht was very effective in helping to set the mood of the piece. Director Bruffy poignantly stretched phrases at times. Soprano soloist Melanie Melcher Cuthbertson beautifully floated her haunting line over the chorus and instruments. After a reflective central section, the turbulent opening music returned, followed by an incredibly rich choral sound to the text “dark night of the soul.”
Equally impressive but very different musically was Eric Whitacre’s “Five Hebrew Love Songs.” The work was written in 1996 and set brief poems written by his soon-to-be wife Hila Plitmann. The opening movement, “Temuná” (“A Picture”), featured women’s voices alongside consonant strings, and was simply lovely.
The next piece was one of the most delightful selections of the entire concert. “Kalá Kallá” (“Light Bride”) alternated male-voice slower sections with rapid dancelike passages by women’s voices and tambourine, ably played by Asher Tillman. Perhaps the most intriguing and creative of the set was “Éyze Shéleg!” (“What Snow!”). It opened with bell-like vocal sounds that the composer explained in the program notes “are the exact pitches that awakened us each morning in Germany as they rang from a nearby cathedral.” Soprano Ariel Morris intoned a lovely floating vocal line. The closing string section echoed the music heard at the outset of the opening movement.
Composer Terry Schlenker, who was in the audience, set “The Waking,” a poem by Theodore Roethke. A somber reflection on life and inevitable death, Schlenker’s work is comparably serious, employing consonance and free dissonance. The noteworthy sense of foreboding throughout the piece is resolved at the end with a major chord in the strings. The audience acknowledged the composer’s work with appreciation, and Bruffy announced that the ensemble will record some of Schlenker’s music in May of this year.
The concert ended with “Rejoice in the Lamb,” one of the best-known choral works of English composer Benjamin Britten. Composed in 1943 and setting a text by 18th-century Englishman Christopher Smart, the music portrays a variety of moods and ideas and contains some rather humorous lyrics.
Several soloists featured some of the wittier texts. Soprano Rachel Field sang with bright fervor of the author’s cat Jeoffry. Mezzo-soprano Katherine Crawford was excellent in the depiction of the mouse as “a creature of great personal valour,” particularly capturing the humor of the piece. Tenor Bryan Pinkall effectively displayed a variety of vocal colors. Bass Asher Tillman elicited a very rich and resonant sound. Organist Elisa Bickers was marvelous throughout the work, playing a difficult accompaniment in seemingly effortless fashion.
The Kansas City Chorale has two remaining programs in three performances this season. For information or tickets, visit www.kcchorale.org.
This performance was reviewed on Friday, March 13, 2026.
