Music Reviews : Pacific Chorale Makes Joyful Noise

Near the end of Sir William Walton’s oratorio “Belshazzar’s Feast,” the chorus enjoins: “Make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob!” The Pacific Chorale and Pacific Symphony did just that Friday night at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, for the designated deity and all incidental listeners.

The evening of praise-the-Lord choral works began with Brahms’ “Triumphlied,” followed by Vincent Persichetti’s “Te Deum.” John Alexander’s exigent, specific direction avoided the gravest danger inherent in this program--degeneration into hollow bombast--yet seldom stifled his forces’ decibel potential in extroverted passages.

Brahms and Walton call frequently for prodigal amounts of sound; the ensemble obliged unstintingly. Every fortissimo told without distortion or blatting, whether sopranos and tenors at highest tessitura, brass and percussion going full tilt, or both.

Only in the penultimate, pianissimo stanza of the Walton, after so much full-out singing, did chorus tone emerge breathy and diffuse. Even so, a cappella pitch stayed true and ample stamina remained for the joyous final affirmation.

From the opening “Alleluia!” of the Brahms to the closing one of “Belshazzar” (both stentorian outbursts), no element was missing from the gamut of musical-dramatic requirements for all three works. Jubilation, lamentation, solemnity, agitation, poignancy were uniformly available, to order and without disorder.

Persichetti’s metrical prosody substitutes Britten-esque pitch-verbal-rhythmic responsibilities for consistent demands on sheer volume. If precious, sung repeatedly, bounced staggered sibilants off every wall, diminuendos on the recurring word, praise, were wonderfully effective.

Soloist David Pittman-Jennings’ sorghum baritone roared handsomely mid-range, rang impressively on top and almost maintained resonance to the basso depths that Brahms and Walton sometimes dictate. He sang declamatory passages superbly, without barking, enunciating perfectly. An incipient tremolo, occasional unpleasant nasality and arrogant stage manners mitigated his positive impact.