Choir thrills cathedral with songs

I didn't think it could get any better than "Weeping Mary," the opener for the Westminster Choir concert in the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul.

The choir was split into three groups; two in the side aisles and one in the gallery, and their precision and attack was stupendous.

"Weeping Mary" comes from the so-called "Southern Harmony" or "singing school" tradition, and the performance was perfectly judged to fit all the parameters.

But then they capped it with tenor David Edmonds and bass Claude Cassion singing a Znamenny chant "Praise the Name of the Lord." This early Russian music, preserved through oral tradition, filled the space with thrilling roulades of sound.

And then — "Ave Maria, Gratia Plena" by Josquin Desprez brought the elegance of 16th-century polyphony, in a carefully decorated and nuanced performance.

This is not the standard "Ave Maria" text, but an extended adoration of the Blessed Virgin.

And then! — the Kyrie from Louis Vierne's "Messe Solennelle," with Tom Colao thundering forth on the organ. It wasn't exactly Saint-Sulpice church, but it was thrilling.

After that, almost before I could catch my breath, they sailed into "Fatise kolo," a Serbian wedding dance, and topped that with the Finnish "Laevas Lauldakse," composed by Veljo Tormis. Melissa Fajardo was the excellent soloist.

Eric Whitacre's "A Boy and a Girl" was beautifully sung, with every word of the heart-breaking text sure and clear.

Three spirituals, all in arrangements by Moses Hogan, were very much in the choir's tradition.

Alto Christina Dennis led the way on "Great Day," the best of the group.

"Deep River" somehow didn't quite work — at least not for me. And "Elijah Rock," though splendidly sung, was so overly arranged that the melody and words were hard to find.

Of course there were encores. "Shenandoah," which was a real "gumdrop," and Peter C. Lutkin's "Benediction" ("The Lord Bless You and Keep You"). Even on not-so-comfortable church pews, we would gladly have sat there for more.

The program will be repeated Tuesday.