Eric Holtan breathed deeply, raised his baton, and with a swift nod took his fledgling Tucson Chamber Artists to a whole new level Saturday night.
The 3-year-old professional ensemble shed its youthful naivetΓ© when it turned in a near flawless performance of Mozart's Mass in C-minor. No longer can we use words such as "fledgling" to describe these artists; they're now in the big leagues.
Only big-league choirs have the tenacity and talent to pull off the C-minor Mass, a work that tests the mettle of a chorus and a masterpiece that is usually tackled by groups at least two times the size of Holtan's 30-member ensemble.
So to see the Tucson Chamber Artists do it in such fashion was a triumph worthy of the standing ovation the group received from the standing-room-only crowd packed into St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church.
Size didn't matter Saturday night. The small group of singers created complex, delicious layers of sound β angelic soprano, commanding bass, mesmerizing tenor β that filled the hall. I found myself wanting to close my eyes and let my ears take over.
But the Chamber Artists are best seen and heard. The energetic, dynamic group of singers, following Holtan's lead, put its whole being in the performance, fairly bouncing in place and swaying to the music.
Holtan appeared to have the entire Mass memorized, singing along as he conducted the choir and a 26-member orchestra. Holtan led the group in a tightly focused performance; no movement or breath was wasted.
Part of the genius of the C-minor Mass lies in Mozart setting it for a double chorus, which allows at times for splitting the soprano, alto, tenor and bass into eight parts. The result, as we heard it Saturday, is more complex, tighter harmonies that you can distinguish separately before they melt seamlessly into one another.
There were goosebumps-inducing moments throughout the concert, but none as captivating as the mesmerizing solo turn by Kathryn Mueller in the "Et incarnatus est" ("And was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary. And was made man"). Mueller, who teaches music to Tucson first-graders with Opening Minds Through the Arts, exhibited a rich, lyric soprano. At times you held your breath waiting to see where those glorious high notes would land.
All the soloists β sopranos Kimberly Chaffin, Molly Holleran and Maureen Papovich; mezzo-soprano Robyn Rocklein; tenor Jonathan Ng; and bass Nathan Krueger β were exceptional. The pairing of Holleran and Papovich on the Domine was inspired for the beautiful complement of their voices.
The chamber orchestra, which featured several Tucson Symphony Orchestra players and concertmaster Steven Moeckel, along with a host of University of Arizona music students, was superb.
The Tucson Chamber Artists in concert at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Saturday.
