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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2010 > December > 13 > Entry
Review: Texas Early Music Project
Packed tightly under the wood beams of the First English Lutheran Church, the crowd settled in Saturday nigh for the city’s most moving and intriguing holiday commemoration.
Utterly removed from the commercial trappings of modern Christmas, the Texas Early Music Project transports you to a church in ancient Europe, when songs were a more integral part of the season, and caroling with friends more vital than a letter to Santa.
This concert highlighted the traditions of northern Europe, drawing from as far back as the 15th century.
A series of French Noels were an auspicious way to begin. “Noel Nouvelet,” was sublime, with harmonies from Jenifer Thyssen and Meredith Ruduski that had the audience holding its breath in silence.
The Irish traditionals showed just how far back folk songs go, and gave us a chance to brush up on our Irish Gaelic.
The Wexford traditional, “Ye Sons of Men With me Rejoice,” featured the rousing male voices singing a lively carol with excellent unison.
When Scott Horton’s five-foot-tall lute (a theorbo) let out a troubling crack just prior to intermission, the crowd let out a gasp. But the show went on, and later, when Horton was asked to say something about his instrument, he allowed that it was a “Pain in the butt,” to great laughter.
This is part of the appeal of the TEMP. Everything feels handpicked: a select cadre of outstanding singers, visiting soloists who specialize in period instruments and concert notes with lyrics that gently guide you through each song.
The TEMP’s supporters patronize its work because it consistently proves that this “otherworldly” music is also staggeringly beautiful. That reverence for the music and the group’s unpretentiousness quickly envelopes newcomers too.
After intermission, the German carols took over, most notably with the wondrously complex “In Dulci Jubilo,” which united several different versions in a single tune. Beginning with a canon of little imitating verses that swirled amongst each other, the piece then shifted to the whole chorus, tying the tune together.
By the time the crowd was sent off with a plea for God to “send us a merry new yeare,” everyone seemed grateful to have this pleasant interruption from a hectic season.
Luke Quinton is an American-Statesman freelance arts critic.
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