Chanticleer – probably the best men’s chorus on the planet (the New Yorker calls them ‘the world’s reigning male chorus’)- was at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral on Friday night. St. Peter’s has a yearly series called Great Music in a Great Space. Someone gave me a Chanticleer Christmas album years ago that I have loved ever since.
The program was called Out of This World! and all the music (with words and poetry in the program) was of nature, the sky, and ‘our eternal fascination with the beyond’. Some of the music was ancient and sacred, some was modern, some commissioned. The members are listed as soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass. None listed as countertenors.
Chanticleer sings everything – all of the above, plus jazz and pop and experimental playful stuff. They are fun to watch, interacting with each other while singing. And all the different hair was fascinating in and of itself. A mohawk, a semi mohawk, a shaved head, an Italian-looking full head of hair and full beard, a buzz cut, a few gray heads, a couple of red heads.
Mostly, though, I wasn’t watching. I had my eyes closed and followed them where they led, whether to the stars or inside a Tibetan monastery, with the over and undertones. A wonderful place to spend an evening in meditation.