]A committed artist will from time to time test the limits of a particular area of expertise, hopping from one discipline to another. The best of them are often quite successful.
Composer Aaron Copland, who gave the world his gifts of the opera, “The Tender Land,” the ballet, “Appalachian Spring” and “Fanfare for the Common Man” was one such artist, in spite of himself.
“For someone who admitted he was uncomfortable writing for chorus, Copland’s [“In the Beginning”] is a brilliant job of tone and text painting of a piece,” said Edward Polochick, director of the Peabody Singers. “[There’s] drama involved … in the book of Genesis, which we consider a straightforward story.”
On Tuesday, the Conservatory ensemble, consisting of 50 voices, will present — in addition to Copland — choral works by Benjamin Britten, as well as songs by Leonard Bernstein and Chris DeBlasio’s “Walt Whitman in 1989” written for the “The AIDS Quilt Songbook 1992.”
Closing the concert are choral arrangements of selections from Copland’s “Old American Songs,” written in the 1950s and including “The Boatman’s Dance” with soloist and baritone Jorge Ramirez-Sanchez, and the popular Shaker folk song “Simple Gifts.”
Laura Reaper, a mezzo-soprano and junior voice student, will solo on “In the Beginning.” The work, she said, is a real test given its huge history and Biblical theme.
“Musically, it’s difficult,” she said. “The Bible is so universal [and] to bring about the meaning and heavy material is a challenge.”
Like most artistic disciplines, however, Polochick advises audiences not be afraid of choral presentations.
“If you’re new to the art form, it’s best to experience it live,” he said.
As for soloist Reaper, her challenge is not much different from Copland’s when first contemplating a choral work. And, since the composer didn’t flinch, would she walk away from that challenge?
“No,” she said emphatically. “It’s beautiful, it’s Copland!”
IF YOU GO
The Peabody Singers
Venue: Peabody Conservatory, Leith Symington Griswold Hall
17 E. Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Tickets: $15 adults
Info.: 410-659-8100 ext. 2; www.peabody.jhu.edu
