Pioneer Press

May 2007

By Dorothy Andries, Classical Music Critic

When was the last time you sang at a concert? We all did Friday night when the Lakeside Singers presented "Spring Mix" at the Music Institute of Chicago's Nichols Hall in Evanston complete with audience sing-a-long. "Mix" is the operative word for this group of two dozen voices, which presented classic -- though not always classical -- choral music in the first half and pop music after intermission. As an illustration of how the lines blurred, Gershwin's "Summertime" was firmly on the first half, indicating its tilt toward the classic.

The 12 men and 12 women who make up the ensemble are versatile singers. The evening opened with short songs from 16th and 17th century Italy and England. Everything came together in Robert Pearsall's "Lay a Garland," the voices reverberating just faintly in the butter-colored hall, and falling gently one upon another, as instruments in an orchestra. Artistic director Robert Bowker conducted the singers and spoke to the audience frequently. At times the ensemble sang a cappella, though they were also accompanied by a pianist or two. In Rossini's "I Goldolierei" the four-handed accompaniment overpowered the soloists, but most of the time, a proper balance was maintained. The program included "The Water is Wide," often known as "Wally, Wally." "I asked myself, does the world need another arrangement of this song?" said Bowker, laughing. But he couldn't resist, and the result was a fresh and beguiling rendition of that timeless melody. Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara's settings of two texts by Federico Garcia Lorca -- "El Grito (The Scream)" and "Malagueña" were challenging and stretched the considerable skill of the singers.