BOULDER — The Ars Nova Singers’ annual Christmas concerts have become a not-to-miss tradition among audiences seeking unusual, little-heard holiday music far from the overplayed tunes on television commercials and mall soundtracks.
Each season, the ensemble’s artistic director, Thomas Edward Morgan, assembles a fresh, fascinating yule program that transports listeners around the world and centuries back in time.
This year, he has done himself proud again, with a diverse, appealing lineup beginning with medieval and Renaissance selections and ending in the musical present.
As usual, Thursday evening’s concert, in the fetching setting of St. John’s Episcopal Church, managed to be at once exotic and mysterious, moving and festive.
It opened with the evening’s most obscure selections, some of the earliest English carols. Highlights included an intimate, transparent trio version of Walter Frye’s 15th-century “Ave Regina Caelorum” and a lovely small-ensemble take on Robert Parsons’ “Ave Maria.”
Closer to our time were a trio of 20th-century Slavic works, arguably the heart of the concert. Here, all the qualities long associated with Ars Nova could be heard to rich advantage — flawless intonation, exacting precision and nuanced dynamics.
The set opened with Pavel Chesnokov’s “Salvation Is Created,” with the 36-voice choir’s sublimely hushed realization of the lingering conclusion. It ended with Krzysztof Penderecki’s “Song of Cherubim,” a haunting, ultra-complex 1986 work that sounded strangely medieval, bringing the first half full circle.
“Byla Cesta,” a folk-flavored Moravian carol, began the second half, with three fine soloists — sopranos Shannon Johnson and Karen Ramirez and countertenor Robert Sussuma — backed by an all-female ensemble.
Next came an unexpected pairing of surprisingly well-matched antiphons by two contemporary composers from opposite sides of the world, one world-famous, the other known locally — Arvo Pärt of Estonia and R. Anthony Lee of Boulder.
The evening ended suitably on a lighter note, with Morgan’s handsome new arrangement of “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” featuring stunning solo work by soprano Tana Cochran, and two other favorites as encores.
There are two more opportunities to hear this program this weekend. Tickets are still available, but be aware that these concerts typically sell out.
“InnerLight: Christmas With Ars Nova”
An unconventional holiday program by the 36-voice a cappella ensemble. 7:30 p.m. today, St. Elizabeth’s Church, Auraria campus; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, St. John’s Episcopal Church, 1419 Pine St., Boulder. $20, $16 seniors and $12 students. 303-499-3165 or . 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Stanley Hotel, Estes Park. Donations will be accepted. Proceeds benefit the Estes Park Performing Arts Center. 970-481-6142 or .
