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Our Review

Cantus, an outstanding a cappella male ensemble, has done it again! Following up last year's outstanding Comfort and Joy: Volume One (reviewed here), Cantus has just released a brand new offering of equal excellence: Comfort and Joy: Volume Two. Magnificent!

The two volumes have many features in common. Like the earlier release, Volume Two boasts handsome packaging: here, a glorious blue tri-fold case with elegant silver lettering, all tucked into a lovely silver sleeve. Ah. . . another glorious gift-giving moment! Both demonstrate superior sound production values (recorded in surround to very demanding specifications). Both reflect outstanding musicianship and a grand mix of ancient classical pieces and more contemporary carols. The two volumes also have excellent liner notes that spell out the lyrics, giving translations when necessary, and other helpful information. And both are a cappella, although Volume Two does thrown in some percussive flourishes and other instrumentation on a few numbers.

So what's different between Volume One and Volume Two? The primary distinction is one of tone. Whereas Volume One embodies the sentiment of Christmas comfort, relatively introspective and subdued, Volume Two exudes the season's joyful expression, bursting with excitement. Although both offerings are first class, I slightly prefer Volume Two for its more exuberant content.

The ten men of Cantus define professionalism in a cappella male ensembles. Their singing is everything I love about choral music; it is emotional, textured, warm, and sublime, while also be technically top notch. This album excels on every level. Favorite tracks include the Georgian wassailing song "Alilo," which explodes with effervescent intensity, the rhythmically wonderful "Riu Riu Chiu," the booming and dramatic "Betelehemu" (sung in Yoruba dialect), and the very jazzy closing number "Deck the Halls." Cool!

Cantus is a remarkable ensemble. If you love excellent choral music, then Comfort and Joy: Volume Two is an outstanding seasonal selection.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)

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From the liner notes:

Tenors:
Brian Arreola
Bradley Cramer-Erbes
Michael Hanawalt
Albert Jordan
Peter Zvanovec

Baritones:
Kelvin Chan
Alan Dunbar
Adam Reinwald

Basses:
Tom McNichols
Tim Takach

Cantus is a full-time professional male vocal chamber ensemble based in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN, and is dedicated to exalting the human spirit through the performance of innovative and engaging musical programs. The ensemble seeks not only to sing the finest literature of the past but also to present new music either created by its members or commissioned for the group. Cantus reaches its audience through concerts, recordings, clinics and by making new musical scores available. In addition to performing, Cantus champions male choral singing and encourages people of all ages to sing.

Producer: Erick Lichte.
Engineering and digital editing: John Atkinson.
Package design and layout: Tim Takach.

From the Web site:

Vocal Philosophy

The most revolutionary way in which Cantus makes music is the way we sing and our vocal ideal. As may be obvious by the way we rehearse and reach our musical decisions, Cantus is all about letting each individual contribute to the whole. This idea is carried over into the way we sing. We believe that the most exciting, honest, healthy, and beautiful sound for our ensemble can only come from each individual singer creating his most exciting, honest, healthy and beautiful sound.

Cantus strives to sing in the bel canto tradition which means that if we had to pin our singing down to one overriding principle it would have to be that we strive to sing with engagement. We mean this in every sense of the word - we strive to sing with emotional, mental and physical engagement. At all times we try to sing freely and colorfully in our changed male voices - from the loudest passages to the most intense quiet singing.

Many choral groups and choral singers tend to sacrifice the individual singer to the whole of the ensemble for the sake of blend or ensemble clarity etc. I liken this to a violin player in the orchestra. This violinist has spent a good part of his or her life developing technique, the facility to play difficult passages and, most importantly, the ability to play for long periods of time without hurting the body with tendonitis. Just as no orchestral conductor in their right mind would ask the violinist to change technique for the worse for the sake of the orchestra, so should no choral conductor ask the same from his or her singers. In an orchestra, rich palettes of sounds are available to the violin section - all within the context of a good technique. Again, rich palettes of sounds are available to the tenor section of a choir and, again, all should be created within the context of a good, healthy, engaged technique. For the singer especially, sound and technique are inseparable. The best choirs create their sounds in the context of a free, healthy technique and this is the vocal context in which Cantus strives to operate.

Cantus

Comfort and Joy: Volume 2

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Track List