MUSIC REVIEW : Larsen Premiere Tops Chorale Program

If there is one thing that Bob Phibbs, artistic director of the South Coast Chorale, has taught his amateur ensemble, it is to create rapport with the audience, as it did Sunday afternoon at Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.

Most of the program--titled “Christmas Stories” because of childhood anecdotes written by the singers and read between vocal pieces--seemed aimed at establishing a sense of community. In this category, Randall Thompson’s setting of the Robert Frost poem “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” and a piece by Libby Larsen stood out.

The chorale had commissioned Larsen, who attended the performance and introduced her work. She took her cue, Larsen explained, from a Chinese ideogram that translates “Clean out your ears and prepare to listen respectfully” as she set “Sonnet,” by Elizabeth Bishop, about the need for music “that would flow over my fretful feeling fingertips . . . with melody deep, deep, clear and liquid slow.”

The result, “Invitation to Music,” premiered here, pays close heed to its text in long, fluid phrases and simple textures, often beginning with brief imitative flirtations that come together into gently dissonant homophony. With additional support by a small, anonymous group of string players, the choral performance proved warm in sentiment, if not always secure in technique.

Though securely backed by accompanist Bob Klase, the choir showed many weaknesses--thin soprano and alto sections, an inability to adapt to different styles, limited dynamic range--but Phibbs wisely highlighted strengths like the group’s soft-edged legato and clear enunciation. Often, he chose undemanding works, distinguished by little musical merit but plenty of fun.