Remarkable Voices Blend in Rose Group
By Elaine Schmidt - Special to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Nov. 2, 2002
Variety was the watchword Saturday as the Minneapolis-based Rose Ensemble performed early vocal music from Poland, Russia and Bohemia to a capacity crowd at All Saints' Cathedral.
Presented by Early Music Now, the 12-member vocal ensemble used divisions and pairings within the group, the unique qualities of various members' voices, and the occasional addition of a vielle, to create a tremendous diversity of timbres and textures.
The program, which included Eastern European music from the 11th through 17th centuries, crossed boundaries into the realms of secular and folk music, as did music of the day in that region. Several spoken explanations described the legends that inspired some of this music.
A single voice, duos, trios, all-male and all-female small choruses, and the rhythmic and harmonic complexity of 12-part pieces from the Russian Orthodox Divine Service in Baroque Moscow all were part of the afternoon's fascinating fare.
The use of different pairings within the group, and the use of unison to 12-part writing, was key to the variety of sounds on the program. Each piece had a unique sound and effect. Part of the group's depth of sound comes from the great diversity in voices within the larger ensemble. A counter-tenor, a contralto, and the standard soprano, mezzo, alto, tenor, baritone and bass voices create a colorful palette. But the differences run deeper than just voice ranges. The timbres of the various singers are also quite different. A pure, almost reedy voice has a distinct sound on its own, but paired with similar or dissimilar voices, it becomes another sound altogether.
Founder and artistic director Jordan Sramek, who also performs as a tenor within the group, does a masterful job of varying and balancing the program, as well as mixing and matching the various voices within the ensemble. Musically, the group is cohesive and expressive. They are constantly aware of one another, quickly fixing little pitch deviations and matching dynamics, attacks and the like.
Languages, too, are part of the variety of the group's sound. They perform
in Latin, Polish, Russian and Czech, switching between them on a dime.
The group also creates visual variety by making good use of all the space
allotted to them. Part of the group processes down the center aisle to open
the concert. The vielle player leaves the chancel, and then the church itself,
playing all the while.