MUSIC REVIEW : 50 VOICES SING NOELS WITH GUSTO

Hearing a male chorus perform is a nostalgic experience. It conjures memories of well-scrubbed collegiate ensembles in matching blazers, singing with hearty abandon. At St. Paul’s Cathedral on Sunday night, the San Diego Men’s Chorus gave a concert in that undergraduate tradition. But if this 50-voice chorus provided generous portions of musical gusto, the remainder of the musical gamut was unexplored.

To their credit, the year-old choral organization displayed laudable discipline and clarity, making an articulate impression in the cathedral’s highly reverberant acoustics. Director Ken Caton demanded a military precision from his charges, and they responded with the enthusiasm of a platoon just out of boot camp.

Caton chose Benjamin Britten’s Christmas cantata “Ceremony of Carols” as the major work. Although the cantata was originally written for treble voices and solo harp, it is frequently sung in an authorized arrangement for mixed voices. Performing the piece with only men’s voices--dropping the musical center of gravity an entire octave--was not an unmitigated success, but Caton’s interpretation of the cantata was as much at fault as his revoicing of the work.

Caton mistook the religious, even mystical, ardor of Britten’s setting of late medieval carols for the decidedly earthy medieval lyrics of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” Not that there weren’t a few moments of gentle lyricism in the cantata, but the overall impression was forced, and harpist Gordon Grubbs was frequently overwhelmed by this hearty crew.

A more liturgical feeling, with smooth vowels and limpid vocal lines, was elicited by assistant conductor Gary Holt in Anton Bruckner’s anthem, “Inveni David,” and in David York’s recent “Hanukkah Blessings.” Not surprisingly, these were among the few programmed works originally scored for men’s chorus. Though this repertory is not extensive, it would behoove this chorus to depend less on arrangements and more on the music written for men’s voices.

Carols of a more popular nature filled the second half of the program, including a selection from the ubiquitous Alfred Burt carol collection. In that group, tenor David Davenport delivered a radiant, sensitive solo in “Some Children See Him,” transcending its sentimentality and elevating its simple piety.

Beethoven’s “Hallelujah” from the oratorio “Mount of Olives” closed the evening with an air of operatic grandeur to which the substantial audience that filled the cathedral’s nave gave its hearty approval.