Reviews

"Year in Review"
By D.S. Crafts
The Albuquerque Journal
25 December 2011

A concert recording artist, Thévenot is a musical force to be reckoned with wearing many musical hats locally, as music director for St. John's Cathedral, director of the UNM Women's chorus Las Cantantes, and if that is not enough, founder and director of the chorus Polyphony.

A group made up entirely and proudly of New Mexico singers, Polyphony, Voices of New Mexico, has quickly become the area's premiere chamber chorus in no small part due to Thévenot's direction. As a conductor, Thévenot knows exactly what she wants and precisely how to get it from the performers. And she does it with deceptively minimal effort. The group has just issued their first CD, a selection of season music, Winter: An Evocation. 

Review by D.S. Crafts
The Albuquerque Journal
16 December 2011

Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico has in only a few years established itself the state’s premiere chamber chorus. That is due in no small part to the group’s founder and director Maxine Thévenot, a musical force to be reckoned with. Besides Polyphony, she also directs the UNM women’s chorus Las Cantantes, music at St. John’s Cathedral and is a concert organist with several solo recordings to her credit.

Friday night the women’s contingent of Polyphony performed its seasonal concert concurrent with the release of its first CD, Winter: An Evocation. The center piece of the concert and the CD is Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, most usually done with a boys choir, but here, as it was at its premiere in 1942, sung by women’s voices. It would be hard to overpraise this performance. Not only was the sound crisp, clean and with razor-point intonation, but there was an exuberance and vivacity of spirit making each piece glow with colorful sonority. As a conductor, Thévenot knows exactly what she wants and precisely how to get it from the performers. And she does it with deceptively minimal effort.

The group began at the back of St. John’s moving forward singing the Procession, as is traditional. The resonant acoustics of the cathedral are precisely what this work was designed for. Wolcum yole! ended with a beautifully sculpted pianissimo. This Little Babe, sung in close cannon, creates its own “stadium echo” except that the resulting harmonic effect is precisely crafted to result in exquisite music, not sonic noise. Deo Gracias sparkled with electricity until the group retreated to the back singing the final Recession. Harpist Lynn Gorman DeVelder[cq] accompanied the voices in perfect compliment. Her solo Interlude was the sound of delicate gossamer. If heaven is said to be filled with celestial harps, this was Heaven indeed. ndividual voices also came to the front, especially several solos from the gorgeous soprano of Jennifer Perez[cq] including the memorable major-to-minor shifting of Balulalow. Rebecca Hellbom[cq] and Meredith Wilder[cq] blended seemlessly in duets. The CD recording of this work, which I recommend most highly, can be obtained through Polyphony’s website  www.polyphonynm.com/ The second half of the program featured lyrical, melodic contemporary works as well as traditional carols. Winter: An Evocation, the title of the CD, is taken from the poem by Walter de la Mare, heard here in an atmospheric setting by Canadian composer Andrew Ager. Its lengthy instrumental prelude provided another welcome opportunity to hear DeVelder’s harp. Salve Regina by Miklos Kocsar of Hungary clearly reflects the exceptionally rich Eastern European choral tradition. Its outburst of the voices in highest register in close harmony is most effective. The gentle I sing of a Maiden by Patrick Hadley led into three traditional carols, The Holly and the Ivy, the Carol of the Bells with its charming transformation of voices into pealing bells, and finally Silent Night in which the audience was encouraged to sing along.

"Vocal ensemble is pitch-perfect, with panache"
By D.S. Crafts
The Albuquerque Journal
27 May 2011

The a cappella vocal group Polyphony — Voices of New Mexico prides itself that all its members are residents of the Land of Enchantment. Indeed, from the concert given on Sunday, hosted by the Placitas Arts Series, there is certainly no need for imported “ringers.”

I had not heard the group sing before, but certainly I will make every effort to hear it again. The ensemble boasts a unified blend of voices top to bottom with impeccable intonation.

But what most impressed me was the enthusiasm and vivacity with which the group sang. There is a great sense of camaraderie and surely no shrinking violet voices here. Founded in 2006, Polyphony carries as many as 35 singers. A somewhat smaller group sang at the Las Placitas Presbyterian Church.

Maxine Thévenot directs the chorus. In addition to her many achievements she also is the Organist and Director of Cathedral music at the Cathedral Church of St. John. She elicits huge and brilliant sounds with a minimum of conducting movement — the mark of one who has the utmost confidence in her singers.

The afternoon began with “Kua Rongo,” a traditional Maori (Native New Zealand) welcome song, which the group chanted as it proceeded up the main aisle to the stage. The singers were dressed in black with each individual ornamented in a colorful scarf or tie. From then on the program offered a heavy emphasis on the English/Irish pastoral tradition, more acclaimed for its art than its music, yet there is much of great beauty here as the selection amply demonstrated.

In addition to the more well-known composers such as Holst, Elgar and Vaughan Williams, the secondary figures of this turn-of-the-century school still enjoy an active performance life in the British Isles particularly. Frank Bridge (a teacher of Benjamin Britten) was represented by two disparate songs. The amusing and playful “The Bee” preceded a very touching setting of Shelley’s famous poem “Music, when soft voices die,” using chromaticism to reflect emotional depth.

Edward Elgar’s ardent “As Torrents in Summer” brought a luxurious sonority. Two “bird” entries by C.V. Stanford completed the earlier begun “birds and bees” metaphor with “The Swallow,” and “The Blue Bird,” a very moving and atmospheric song that also featured excellent soprano singing.

A quick trip east opened the second half with Paranjoti’s “Dravidian Dithyramb,” based in Middle Eastern scales. Vaughan Williams’ setting of Desdemona’s “Willow Song” from “Othello” fully exploited the rich, sonorous blend of Polyphony as it traversed the flush and characteristic harmonies of the style. Here, quite imaginatively, Vaughan Williams sets in duple time a verse essentially in beats of three.

Two American spirituals completed the afternoon, most impressively, a haunting rendition of “Steal Away.”

By all means expect to hear much more in future from this outstanding young ensemble.

Polyphony will perform Henry Mollicone’s Beatitude Mass for the Homeless at 6 p.m. June 18 at the Cathedral Church of St. John. It benefits the Barrett House women’s and children’s shelter. Tickets are $30 general admission, 12 and under free.

Concert Sponsor, Dr. Catherine Harris

It was a stunning performance Polyphony gave on Sunday (May 22, 2011) at the Placitas Artists Concert! The perfect blend of voices, perfect pitch and timing, and pure unaccompanied singing is hard to beat. You are the best!

I attended the concert you gave for our church benefit over a year ago and was deeply moved. I love the voice. To me it is the most perfect instrument.

I hope we can have a return performance with the PAS in the future.