Sonus Cura

It means "Caring Sounds" and it's the name of a vocal/instrumental group that gives concerts to benefit social causes, directed by Daniel Ozment (pictured). Its members come from the National Symphony Orchestra and professional DC area choral groups. I went to a concert yesterday and heard them for the first time.

My two favorite pieces were instrumental, Copland's Quiet City and Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony for Strings. The ensemble played with great clarity and the trumpet solo by Tom Cupples brought out the best in the Copland piece.

I've never heard the Shostakovich and I'm going to get a recording. The music was inspired by the composer's visit to Dresden and he was shaken by the after affects of the allied bombing and utter destruction of that city in WWII. But the true nature of the piece is more autobiographical and has to do with his feelings of confronting life in the Soviet Union. The communists were rough on their artists in those years. The strings under Ozment played with great fire in the Allegro Molto and great delicacy and dynamic range in the three largos.

The program also included the world premiere of Terrance Johns' Vox in Rama for a capalla chorus. This was an effective setting of Rachel's lament from the New Testament, and the soprano solo -- sounding like a plaintive wail -- was chilling. I could have listened to this piece again. Not so the Martin Mass for Unaccompanied Double Chorus, which I thought was over long and after a while sounded like one solid line of sameness. My only other quibble with the concert was most of the music was on the grim side...perhaps fitting for a benefit for Darfur but a little wearying nonetheless. The Dona nobis pacem from the Bach Mass in B minor was a welcome bit of hope at the end (though the orchestra overpowered the chorus a bit).

Learn more about Sonus Cura.