The New Yorker magazine dubbed these guys “America’s favorite choral ensemble”. But if you’ve seen one men’s choir, you’ve seen them all, right? Wrong. Chanticleer is not your ordinary boy band.

This was not the first time Chanticleer has visited Hampton Roads, of course. Many of the people of this area already know that this is a must-see group, as evidenced by the full-to-overflowing parking lot at Great Bridge Presbyterian Church on Sunday, April 29. This church is a wonderful space for small music ensembles. Were the stage area not carpeted, I’m sure I would have literally been able to hear a pin drop, the acoustics are that good. Chanticleer’s twelve members were able to sing at an extreme pianissimo and still be heard clearly without any help from a microphone.

Whether you’re a fan of classical vocal music or not, you have to admit that these gentlemen are truly impressive. Their ranges and blend are almost inhuman. As I was listening, I got the strange impression that all twelve voices actually only belonged to one person with an incredible range and they’d just dubbed that one voice singing twelve different parts. Their blend was that good.

This is not to say that individual voices did not make an impression, but (as was appropriate) only when singing solos. Naturally, the voices that are the most memorable are the ones on the extreme ends of the spectrum. From the rumbley and impossibly low bass, to the clear, ringing tones of the sopranos. In all honesty, as a female soprano I found some of the their notes kind of high.

At one point, I thought I was hearing overtones until I realized that no, that was an actual voice up there.

This concert was more serious in tone than past performances in the area. With the title “Love’s Messengers”, naturally the pieces tended towards the romantic, dramatic, and religious. One of my three favorite pieces came at the end of the first set. “Epithalame from Le Cantique des Cantiques” by Jean Yves Daniel-Lesur showcased the group’s amazing talent for blend on complex, sustained chords. 

Another favorite piece of mine came towards the end of the concert. One of Chanticleer’s members arranged a spiritual named “Calling My Children Home”. Now, if you’ve read some of my other recent reviews, you’re thinking “Oh, how predictable that she liked the spiritual.” But what you don’t know is… I hate it when classical, legit, and (I’m just going to say it) extremely white groups try to sing spirituals. It always sounds so forced. This arrangement however, was perfect. A slow, mournful lament that grew to an emotional and expressive refrain, this arrangement was beautifully suited for this group.

My absolute favorite piece of the evening was “Village Wedding” by John Tavener. It was based on the ceremony for a Greek Orthodox wedding. If you’ve ever been to one, you know that everything is done three times, which makes for a rather long ceremony. Fortunately, “Village Wedding” was in no way tedious. And though hearing the phrase “Isaiah dance for joy” sung as solemnly and hauntingly as you might hear at a funeral, this piece can only be described as cool. Solo chromatic phrases were almost Islamic in feel, and the arrangement switched back and forth between unison and complex harmony to heighten the drama. It was just… really, really cool.

To prevent this article from sounding like just a press release praising Chanticleer, let me point out that if you were listening uber-critically (as I was, because well… that’s why I was there) you could tell that the sopranos were getting a little tired towards the end of the first half. As they should really, because those crazy guys had been singing up in the stratosphere for the past hour. Also a few entrances on the faster passages were oh-so-slightly muddy. Chanticleer is definitely better at long and sustained chords than fast runs, but that’s only if you’re being incredibly picky.

Even with that (one whole paragraph of) criticism, I bought their newest cd "And on Earth, Peace: A Chanticleer Mass" at intermission and listened to it on the way home. This 'boy band' is worth the repeated listening.

Chanticleer has one more performance as part of the 2007 Virginia Arts Festival on April 30^th, 7:30pm at First Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach.