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REVIEW: Christmas with the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus
Published: 12/7/2008 3:53 PM
Last Modified: 12/7/2008 3:53 PM

This is the time of year when we talk a great deal about traditions. So let us take a moment to talk about the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus’ tradition of presenting consistently excellent concerts.

I’ve been saying this practically from the moment the chorus began performing, but I have never come away from a Tulsa Oratorio Chorus concert feeling dissatisfied. First under founder Ed Byrom, and now led by Donald Studebaker, the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus has maintained a standard of excellence that is never less than impressive. A good deal of this success is due to the dedication of the 100-plus singers, who volunteer their time to rehearse and perform.

Saturday, the chorus presented “Christmas with the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus,” an intermission-less evening of familiar works of the season, featuring as soloist Sarah Coburn.

This was Coburn’s second performance this year in her home state – in February, she made her debut with Tulsa Opera, singing the title role in “Lakme” – and it’s likely that her presence did a lot of draw one of the larger crowds we’ve seen of late at a TOC performance.

And Coburn did not disappoint, opening the evening with a bright and brilliant performance of the aria “Rejoice greatly” from Handel’s “Messiah,” to the “Balulalow” section of Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols,” through an English version of “Gesu Bambino,” and concluding with a stirring “O Holy Night.” If there was one moment that did not register as well, it was her performance of Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” where she sounded oddly muted. It was not a bad performance, but it paled in comparison to the other pieces she sang.

For our money, the Handel was the best thing Coburn did. Her performance was not only full of life and sparkle and real joy, but it also showed a fine attention to detail – each note distinct and crisply enunciated, in much the same way that the chorus itself performed “And the Glory of the Lord.” These were to very properly Baroque performances, and they were wonderful to hear.

Equally enjoyable were the performances of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Bach, followed by the orchestral piece, “Fantasia on Greensleeves” by Vaughan Williams. The Tulsa Symphony Orchestra was in two places at once on Saturday – some of the orchestra’s players were in Midwest City accompanying Tulsa Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” – and many of the names in the orchestra’s roster for the TOC concert were new to me. But there was nothing “second string” about the ensemble’s performances, whether providing sensitive accompaniment to Coburn’s lone voice or cutting loose in Leroy Anderson’s “Christmas Festival.”

Harpist Ineta Bebb did exemplary work in the “Ceremony of Carols,” and the TOC audience acquitted itself well in its brief performances during the carols “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “The First Noel” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”





Reader Comments 1 Total
Ron Roberson (4 years ago)
I am relatively new to TOC but have been involved in many other arts organizations. As far as I am concerned, TOC is a hidden jewel. They have consistently been top notch whether the music was familiar like most of the Christmas pieces from this concert or something many may have never heard before such as the recent Rossini "Stabat Mater" or the upcoming Verdi "Requiem". I encourage all who like to listen to serious music to pay attention to their performance schedule and just go; you won't be sorry.
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ARTS

James D. Watts Jr. has lived in Oklahoma for most his life, even though he still has people saying to him, "Don't sound like you're from around these parts." A University of Oklahoma Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Watts has received the Governor Arts Award, Harwelden Award and the National Conference of Christians and Jews Beth Macklin Award for his writing. Before coming to the Tulsa World, Watts worked for the Tulsa Tribune.

Contact him at (918) 581-8478.

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