When Anonymous 4 announced in 2003 that it was giving up full-time performing and presenting its final New York City concert the following year, it appeared that was the end for the beloved a cappella quartet.
But as they say, appearances can be deceiving. It turns out the four singers left themselves the option of reuniting for special projects, and just such an initiative has taken them back on the road, with a stop tonight in Boulder.
“We never used the word ‘disband,’ although that’s the most obvious word for anyone to use when a group is not going to be full-time anymore,” quartet member Susan Hellauer said from her New York home.
“We were just going to stop the development of new programs and come together for special projects, like if somebody wrote a piece for us that we were really attracted to or somebody said, ‘Here, sing in this movie,’ or something.”
What reunited the foursome was the idea of a sequel to their wildly popular 2004 Harmonia Mundi album “American Angels,” a collection of folk songs dating from the American Revolution to the 20th century.
The release was a daring departure for the all-female, directorless vocal ensemble, which established its international reputation performing often obscure music from the Middle Ages.
Because “American Angels” was so different from from the group’s usual repertoire, the singers were not sure how it would be received.
“And lo and behold, it got to No. 1 on the Billboard classical chart, which none of our other CDs had ever done,” Hellauer said. “They’d all gotten into the top 10 or top 5, but that’s the first time that Harmonia Mundi and we had a No. 1.”
“American Angels” remained on Billboard’s classical chart for 76 weeks, well past the date Anonymous 4 had set for at least temporarily giving up touring.
“When that happened,” Hellauer said, “Harmonia Mundi said, ‘This really seems to be going over. Your own fans love it, and a new audience is starting to find you. Maybe we should do something else like that.”‘
Anonymous 4 agreed. Then, the question became what the ensemble should try next.
“We loved the experience of doing ‘American Angels,”‘ she said. “It was so different. And we thought we could do better – get into more into it, loosen up a little more even toward the folk or bluegrass style or roots styles, whatever you want to call it.”
Marsha Genensky, another member of the quartet, found inspiration for a follow-up during a visit to the Arkansas Ozarks with vocalist Almeda Riddle, who performed with Joan Baez and Judy Collins in the 1960s. Genensky conceived the idea of a collaboration with traditional instrumentalists.
What resulted was “Gloryland,” an album focusing mostly on later folk songs than those heard on “American Angels,” including more gospel songs and what Hellauer called “old-timey” tunes straddling the fence between gospel and folk hymns.
Anonymous 4 teamed with noted “new-grass” performers Darol Anger (fiddle and mandolin) and Mike Marshall (mandolin and guitar), longtime collaborators who frequently perform together as a duo.
“Gloryland” debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard classical chart and has remained in the top 10 for 10 weeks.
After making the album, the quartet had little choice but to hit the road in support of it, a commercial necessity with almost any release.
“You’ve got to tour it,” Hellauer said. “It’s part of the deal. We’re not the Beatles and can sit in the studio and make records.”
Anonymous 4 is in the midst of a series of concerts that began Sept. 22 at the Americana Music Conference in Nashville, Tenn., and ends in May at the Virginia Arts Festival.
The group is joined by Anger and guitarist Scott Nygaard, another well-known traditional performer. The latter is substituting for Marshall, whose performance schedule did not permit him to join the tour.
The six performers appear in the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Macky Auditorium as part of the CU Artist Series.
For some concerts, the vocal quartet and its two instrumentalists are performing with microphones – another major departure for the all-acoustic vocal ensemble.
“Some spaces we’ll go acoustic,” Hellauer said, “and other spaces that are more your black-box theater or very, very large, we are going to use amplification, because the instruments need to be amplified so they can hear each other and we can hear them.”
Although the Anonymous 4 seems to be back together like old times, those appearances can be a little deceiving.
“We meant that we’re not going to be full time anymore,” Hellauer said. “Everything is one at a time. I’m not just saying this, we really have no plans beyond ‘Gloryland.”‘
Whatever happens, it seems a sure bet that Anonymous 4 will be back in one way or another.
Anonymous 4
Vocal quartet with fiddler Darol Anger and guitarist Scott Nygaard|Macky Auditorium, University of Colorado at Boulder; 7:30 tonight|$10-$50, limited seating available |303-492-8008 or cuconcerts.org
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
