06.02.08
Cantus and Trio Mediaeval
Washington Post
Cecilia Porter

In the best of times, collaboration between two first-rate vocal ensembles doubles the fun. On Friday, Minnesota-based Cantus (nine men) teamed up with Norway's Trio Mediaeval (all women) for a sold-out concert at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, part of the "A Cappella: Singing Solo" festival. The program was a motley mix of 13th-century English sacred motets, Norwegian and African folk arrangements and contemporary fare.

Cantus took the stage first, opening with Eric Whitacre's "Lux Aurumque" in ultra-smooth legato style. Rather than singing directly to the audience, the singers faced each other, moving in small, constantly changing groups, acting out texts visually and blending at times in close harmony rivaling the finest barbershop technique. Bob Chilcott's cynical, dissonant "5 Ways to Kill a Man" was sounded out with dramatic crescendos; a drummer (from the ensemble) hammered out a repeated ostinato figure that energized the vocal texture. Thomas Tallis's "Lamentations of Jeremiah," Part 1, was delivered with exalting finesse, and Bobby McFerrin's updated "Psalm 23" was cleverly voiced.

Much of the time, Trio Mediaeval offered seamless counterpoint and expressive dynamics; but after intermission it sailed through a slew of Norwegian folk songs with no explanation or translation. Also, the two ensembles linked up only rarely, and when they did the women merely sang solos in strained, edgy timbres against the men's expressive power.

The performance was one of the center's Fortas Chamber Music concerts.