MUSIC REVIEW : CURRIE LEADS YULE ‘PARTY’

“This is not really a concert,” John Currie told his audience Saturday night at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. “It’s more a party.” Alas, a very intimate party.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale’s annual Christmas events have, in the past, drawn turnaway crowds--but not this year, the Scottish conductor’s first as music director here. Both balconies were closed (likewise, reportedly, at the Saturday matinee) and empty seats abounded downstairs.

The unflappable Currie seemed unconcerned as he enthusiastically led the choir, 20-piece Sinfonia Orchestra and, for roughly half the evening, his audience in a program of carols from around the world.

Currie proved an amiable host, particularly in the sing-alongs. He even provided one--”Christmas Scene” No. 1, a brief work for orchestra and audience. Nothing too challenging here: a bit of humming, two or three simple melodies, all supported by a busy orchestral accompaniment. The crowd seemed to favor “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and the like.

The Chorale, as expected, handled its unchallenging assignments with robust tone, exemplary enunciation and a wide dynamic range (the latter was impressively demonstrated in a setting of “In Dulci Jubilo”). Repertory included familiar staples, including “Still the Night,” Currie’s elegantly restrained arrangement of “Silent Night.” Novelties were scarce: “The Little Door” by Herbert Howells and a Celtic melody, “Child of the Manger,” which inspired Cat Stevens’ pop hit, “Morning Has Broken.”

Currie, his chorale and orchestra, and, one hopes, a larger audience, will gather for the final holiday program, Saturday afternoon.