The Rose Theater, Brampton: May 30th, 2010

Overview

Congratulations on a wonderfully dynamic concert and it was truly special that so many were in attendance at the Rose to experience it.  I was tremendously impressed by the depth of preparation, thought and practice that was clearly evident from your performance.   The choir really did an outstanding job tapping into the groove and spirit of this music; no small accomplishment for a choir that also excels in the very different world of classical master works.  It was a great treat to see so many on and off stage having such a wonderful time

A tremendous job was done planning the program for the evening.  Through the incorporation of a solo, chamber choir and various band configurations, a wide range of sonic diversity was presented though the music was pretty much from a single source.  In addition, the costumes, media projection and choreography did wonders to create a true sense of occasion and spectacle.   

General Points

From a purely musical perspective the concert also a success, the full and chamber choir`s sounded terrific.  Balance, intonation and the difficult phrasing requirements were all well attended to.  A few things to consider would first of all be to put more of the choir in the PA mix; there were some times when it was difficult to hear you in the mix.  Also, there seemed to be  general tendency to drastically reduce the dynamic on low pitched sections of rising lines, this created the impression at times that sections of the choir were dropping out.  

Specific Points…

Disco Survives!—Medley Arr. Tenna Chinn

a) –excellent energy to start
-great balance with the band
b) –good work with the transition
-fantastic full choral sound
-as a group you are clearly demonstrating a genuine feel for this music
d)-intro into this section was a bit shaky but you quickly found the groove after a few bars
e)-nice work with the dynamics
-even more volume from the choir would have been nice
f)-in this section, at the low end of the pitch spectrum, the sound from the choir seemed to cut out.  It is possible because the notes were past the lower range of a few, but something should be done to compensate for this.
g)-excellent!  Great energy and groove
-nice precision ending
-really fantastic work with all the dancing and physical energy—it helped lift your voices

As Good As New—Andersson and Ulvaeus

-great start from the band—love the synth lead
-excellent energy and phrasing
-you all did a very good job engaging the spirit of this music
-excellent job digging into the somatic rhythmic potential of the lyrics
-good work with the rits at the ending


The Winner Takes it All—Andersson and Ulvaeus

-lovely tender start
-great intonation and balance with the harmonies
-some are a little late in the response entrances—a bit flat also, more confidence is needed here
-the controlled build throughout the song was superb
-articulation, phrasing and diction were great
-goose bump factor 10
-your energy and engagement was touching
-slightly scattered entrance @ mp after ff section
-powerful ending—nice work

Our Last Summer— Andersson and Ulvaeus

-great start
-this solo, while very nicely sung, should have been memorized as your presence and projection seemed to be directly related to the degree you were relying on the score for the words and notes.
-great tone and power—lovely vibrato

Super Trouper—Andersson, Anderson and Ulvaeus

-excellent idea to create a chamber choir—this adds a tremendous amount to the sonic diversity of the concert
-fantastic choral entrance
-some alto harmony notes are incorrect
-excellent balance and articulation
-great balance of the harmonic structures
-the start of the low and quickly rising lines need more focus at the bottom end of the phrase
-great work weaving the various parts together

I do, I do, I do-- Andersson, Anderson and Ulvaeus

-nice groove from the band to start
-great choral sound
-excellent work with the phrasing
-drums and rhythm guitar are having tempo problems
-nice work saxes
-guitar is really pushing the tempo—need to relax more into the groove
-the tempo problems in the band are affecting the ability of the choir to articulate the phrases

Does Your Mother Know—Andersson and Ulvaeus

-good start from the band
-great choral start
-sp’s classical roots are starting to expose themselves
-excellent projection from the men
-balance here was slightly top heavy, too much from the sp’s
-great finish

Dancing Queen—Andersson and Ulvaeus

-great start
-words “jive” and “life” were not held the full value
-seem to be having some general phrasing problems
-bass/guitar/drums are having a problem keeping a steady tempo
-“oh yeah” was a bit square
-the groove was firmly established by the middle of the song—good job pulling it together
-the ending could use some more precision

Fernando—Andersso, Anderson and Ulvaeus

-lovely start with flute and piano—great tone and feeling
-excellent choral entrance
-great work with the phrase structure, very difficult in this song
-good entrance with the harmony
-nice job with the dynamics
-shift at chorus was well done
-some of the entrances could be slightly tighter
-men need to sing out more
-speeding up

Voulez-vous—Andersson and Ulvaeus

-great start from the band—synth was fun
-good balance from the choir at the entrance
-more precision on entrances would really punch this
-good work with the builds
-good energy on stage, could loosen up slightly though
-seems like some are sure of their music here, I see many faces buried in the folders
-“ah ha” was great, nice energy and precision

Chiquitita--—Andersson and Ulvaeus

-lovely start on the keys
-beautiful choral entrance—fantastic balance and intonation
-very good work and precision with unison articulations
-good work with the dynamics
-excellent job sustaining the precision and level of engagement through the whole song
-nice ending

Money, Money, Money—Andersson, Anderson and Ulvaeus

-Very good choral entrance
-fantastic clarity and precision
-great projection and balance
-good work with the punctuation
-pre chorus could be a bit more aggressive and declarative



Mamma Mia—medley—Arr. Mac Huff

a)—guitar out of tune in the intro
-lovely start from the choir
-great work with the choreography
b)—excellent start, fantastic energy
-great balance and power
c)—great work with the start of this section
-you are all really getting into the groove here—good work
-more volume from the choir would be nice
d)—great start
-seemed a bit square when the drums entered—caused by some problems coordinating the beat
-sound like some parts are missing here
-guitar was really pushing the beat
e)—great balance and tone
-the shift into the section was great
-the guitar is really out of tune now
-very nice work with the swells
-some intonation problems
f)—great entrance here
-fantastic energy
-this was much more successful than the song presentation of Dancing Queen that you did at the start of the set
-again, lower pitched notes dropped in level dramatically—sounded like ½ the choir stopped singing
g)-guitar tuning problems are a serious issue now
-nice tender choral entrance
-good groove
-excellent work with the phrasing
h)-great energy to start this section
-fantastic projection and balance—this was really well done
-excellent work with the choreography
-you all did a wonderful job projection joy and exuberance into the theater
-terrific ending

ENCORE: Disco Survives!—Medley arr. Teena Chinn

-you know it is a good show when the whole theater is up and dancing for the encore!
-lots of fun
-great energy on stage
-would have been nice to have more sound from the choir pumped into the theater
-as difficult as it is, I believe the goal should be to start a concert with the same energy and enthusiasm that you displayed here.  That is not to say that you began poorly, quite the contrary, but a full show with this energy would be truly outstanding.
-excellent groove from the band, saxes sound great

Voulez-vous

-another wonderfully fun performance with a terrific lively energy—congratulations on a great show

Jason R. M. Saunders
Adjudicator 2009-2010 Season