Review and More

Our Review

The Peninsula Women's Chorus ("PWC") is an amazingly otherworldly set of 50 female voices. Just astounding, really. The sweet, soaring arcs of the sopranos never sound harsh or forced; in fact, the four vocal parts (first soprano, mezzo soprano, first alto, second alto) magically meld into one fabulous instrument. This is quite challenging fare for those who adore classical choral music, but if you do, you will love this release.

With the exception of Silent Night, the final track, you will not likely be familiar with any of these selections, but great music is all about adventure and discovery, and Winter Patterns provides that and more. These wonderful women master this repertoire with seeming ease. I especially enjoyed the Talvemustrid Winter Patterns, a series of four pieces depicting different winter moments (Winter Morning, Cold, Blizzard, Northern Lights); the atonal Tuisk (Blizzard) is particularly bracing! Perhaps half of the tracks are presented a cappella; for the rest, accompanist Susan Soehner provides able support. Interestingly, the album was recorded at relatively low levels, so you can crank this baby up to full steam and still not blow out your speakers. As is often true with classical releases, the substantial liner notes (16 pages!) provide helpful details regarding the musical selections.

As the angelic harmonies on Silent Night brought Winter Patterns to a close, I could not help but think how truly lucky I am to review such beautiful music by remarkable groups like PWC. This is an exceptional--and timeless--release!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2007)

More

From the liner notes:

Peninsula Women's Chorus

Martin Benvenuto, Artistic Director

First Soprano: Stephanie Batties, Mardie Daul, Sue Hnilo, Deanna Knickerbocker, Shaula Kumaishi, MaryLouise Meckler, Mercy Navarro, Marina Orzano, Orit Parnafes, Danni Redding Lapuz, Kyle Sofman, Judy Sweet, Tricia Tani, Mary Tusa
Mezzo Soprano: Sara Asher, Vicki Brown, Cindy Cutts, Beatrice Fanning, Stacey Lewis, Kelly Macatangay, Andra Marynowski, Carole McCreery, Robin Mulgannon, Kyoko Oishi, Jill Painter, Barbara Pforzheimer, Bonnie Senko, Carey Shetfield, Peggy Spool, Charlotte Wilson
First Alto: Priscilla Bates, Ruthellen Dickinson, Sarah Etheredge, Sharon Galayda, Ann Hillesland, Amy Hunn, Emily Jiang, Betsy Landegren, Kathy MacLaury, Roselena Martinez, Jennifer McDonald, Penny Phillips, Kathy Plock, Gail Schwettman, Julia Shelby, Claire Taylor, Deanne Tucker, Kathie Underdal, Drew Wandermann,Marsha Wells
Second Alto: Mary Ager, Anne Anderson, Maya Bernstein, Lisa Collart, Beverly Colquhoun, Amanda Duncan, May Goodreau, Lynne Haynes-Tucker, Deborah Holmes, Valerie Hornstein, Sue Irvine, Elena Melendez, Kim Mortyn, Jenni Murrill, Gerri Roe, Laurel Sarmento, Barbara Saxton, Mary Shaw, Kristina Underdal

Susan Soehner, Accompanist

From the Website:

The Peninsula Women's Chorus (PWC) is a Palo Alto-based, 50-voice women's choir performing high-quality classical and contemporary music in the Bay Area and many parts of the world. Committed to excellence in the performance of diverse and challenging choral literature for women's voices, the PWC has come to national and international attention through live performance and recordings and has added significantly to the choral literature by commissioning new music. The chorus inspires and enriches its audiences in the Bay Area through its concert series, its ongoing program of premiering new works, and its numerous collaborations with other Bay Area performing groups.

Winter Patterns (2006): This holiday-themed CD is our first release with Martín Benvenuto as executive producer. The title is the English translation of Talvemustrid, Estonian composer Veljo Tormis's blustery series that depicts moments in winter. Also featuring Willaim Mathias' joyous Salvator Mundi, A Carol Sequence, Einojuhani Rautavaara's haunting "Suite" de Lorca, and Daniel Pinkham's lively Christmas Cantata, this holiday CD will become a favorite all through the year!

Peninsula Women's Chorus

Winter Patterns

Artist link

Track List