Scholars of London Hold Forth at Orange Coast College

In a program entitled “Five Hundred Years of Song” Saturday night, the Scholars of London expanded their reputation as a cappella interpreters solely of Renaissance vocal literature. But, for both positive and negative reasons, 16th-Century repertory still provided the artistic highlights.

On the positive side was the quartet’s wonderful clarity--transparent textures, cleanly enunciated, finely balanced and offered with impeccable intonation. During the concert in Robert B. Moore Theatre on the campus of Orange Coast College, this quality underscored the elegance of motets by Palestrina, Luca Marenzio, and Felicio Anerio.

Soprano Kym Amps, countertenor Angus Davidson, tenor Robin Doveton and bass David van Asch brought the same crystalline characteristic to lesser known but equally deserving Spanish songs by Renaissance composers Juan Vasquez, Juan del Encina and Pedro Ruimonte. The long, somber lines of Vasquez’s “Con que la lavare” (With what shall I wash away my sins) emerged most touching.

On the negative side was an indiscriminate application of the same quiet refinement that had served well in the older works.

Mendelssohn’s Six Songs, Opus 41, which include texts by Heine and Goethe, are too gutsy for such a pristine approach. They are, moreover, clearly choral works that suffered from a bare-bones reading, especially in such peculiar ensemble. Even the best countertenor cannot replace a female alto in 19th-Century music. The sound is wrong. The sight is strange. The practice is decidedly unscholarly.

A countertenor fit just fine, however, in “From the Doorways of the Dawn,” a setting of four American Indian poems by English composer Christopher Brown that was commissioned by the Scholars. This tonal piece created a vacuous impression of fun with word-painting, ascending notes for the words climb, lifted and peak, an ostinato for planted here , a staccato shower for comes the rain, and on and on and on.

Doveton provided classy arrangements of British folk songs “Scarborough Fair” and “The Ash Grove,” and gave the group some humorous mincing for “Oh No John.”