by Daniel Hathaway
In an era accustomed to sensory overload, when stage productions are hard put to compete with the technological wizardry available to film makers, it’s refreshing to spend a couple of hours in a vivid world created simply through the interaction of words and music.
The Rose Ensemble
The Rose Ensemble, founded in Minneapolis-St. Paul by Jordan Sramek in 1996, specializes in themed programs of extraordinary variety. The group produces a season of four to five subscription concerts every year, and tours programs exploring such wide-ranging repertory as ‘Voices of Ancient Mediterranean Christians, Jews and Muslims’, ‘Slavic Wonders: Feasts and Saints in Early Russia, Poland and Bohemia’, ‘Music from the Soul of the Hawaiian Saga’, and ‘A Mexican Baroque Christmas’. Their latest production explores the life of Francis of Assisi during the 800th anniversary year of the saint’s birth.
On Sunday afternoon, The Rose Ensemble brought ‘Il Poverello’ to the Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus in Cleveland’s Slavic Village. Subtitled ‘The Life and Deeds of Saint Francis of Assisi’, the two-hour program was presented only a week after the 13th century saint’s feast day in a church run by the Franciscan Order. It was fun to be able to witness the production in the company of brown-robed Friars, who were delightful hosts. Father Michael Surufka, in his introductory welcome, noted that the designers of the Franciscans’ robes were forward thinkers; lifting his lapel to reveal a pocket, he noted that it was the perfect size for a cell phone; “Now I’m going to take mine out and make sure it’s turned off!”.
‘Il Poverello’ is the result of three years of research into a rich treasure trove of material about Francis. Drawing on narratives (including ‘The Little Flowers of St. Francis’, Christian Bobin’s ‘Le Tres-Bas’ and the writings of Thomas of Celano), music of Francis’ time and music inspired by his life composed well into the 17th century, the program skillfully wove readings and vocal and instrumental music into a rich tapestry that both delighted and informed the large audience (even the Franciscans admitted that they had learned some things this afternoon!)
The production featured 12 singers (including Sramek), Ginna Watson, a versatile string player who switched between harp, vielle and rebec, and a special guest from Italy, Isacco Colombo, who began his career as an oboist but has become a phenomenal player of early wind instruments, including shawm, bagpipe and pipe and tabor. The informally dressed singers (jackets and pink shirts open at the neck) doubled as readers and made cameo appearances as percussionists.
The Rose Ensemble immediately made a strong impression by opening the program with Tomaso Graziani’s Matins Responsory, ‘Franciscus ut in publicum’, sung from memory. The singers’ perfect intonation, clarity and blend and attention to the acoustics of the space boded well for what was to come. Graziani was immediately followed by one of several ‘Laudae Spirituali’, non-liturgical religious songs which became popular during Francis’ lifetime.
Isacco Columbo
The ensemble went on to tell us how Francis was named (Costanzo Porta’s motet ‘Voce Mea’ followed), and what he looked like (an eyewitness account by Thomas of Celano, matched with a double-texted Ciconia motet and followed by ‘Ballo Anello’, an amazing pipe and tabor piece in which Isacco Colombo (left) played one instrument with each hand). Then we heard the story of Francis on trial in the bishop’s palace (accompanied by another Graziani piece, the strikingly named ‘Dum seminudo corpore’), and the tale of how St. Francis made Brother Masseo twirl around (succeeded by some musical twirling in a 14th century Trotto played by bagpipe, riqq — tambourine — and rebec, and a School of Notre-Dame conductus). Then we witnessed an astonishing performance of a well-known 14th century Saltarello — demonstrating Colombo’s excellent shawm chops in an extended conversation with the rebec and frame drum.
The Rose Ensemble, founded in Minneapolis-St. Paul by Jordan Sramek in 1996, specializes in themed programs of extraordinary variety. The group produces a season of four to five subscription concerts every year, and tours programs exploring such wide-ranging repertory as ‘Voices of Ancient Mediterranean Christians, Jews and Muslims’, ‘Slavic Wonders: Feasts and Saints in Early Russia, Poland and Bohemia’, ‘Music from the Soul of the Hawaiian Saga’, and ‘A Mexican Baroque Christmas’. Their latest production explores the life of Francis of Assisi during the 800th anniversary year of the saint’s birth.
On Sunday afternoon, The Rose Ensemble brought ‘Il Poverello’ to the Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus in Cleveland’s Slavic Village. Subtitled ‘The Life and Deeds of Saint Francis of Assisi’, the two-hour program was presented only a week after the 13th century saint’s feast day in a church run by the Franciscan Order. It was fun to be able to witness the production in the company of brown-robed Friars, who were delightful hosts. Father Michael Surufka, in his introductory welcome, noted that the designers of the Franciscans’ robes were forward thinkers; lifting his lapel to reveal a pocket, he noted that it was the perfect size for a cell phone; “Now I’m going to take mine out and make sure it’s turned off!”.
‘Il Poverello’ is the result of three years of research into a rich treasure trove of material about Francis. Drawing on narratives (including ‘The Little Flowers of St. Francis’, Christian Bobin’s ‘Le Tres-Bas’ and the writings of Thomas of Celano), music of Francis’ time and music inspired by his life composed well into the 17th century, the program skillfully wove readings and vocal and instrumental music into a rich tapestry that both delighted and informed the large audience (even the Franciscans admitted that they had learned some things this afternoon!)
The production featured 12 singers (including Sramek), Ginna Watson, a versatile string player who switched between harp, vielle and rebec, and a special guest from Italy, Isacco Colombo, who began his career as an oboist but has become a phenomenal player of early wind instruments, including shawm, bagpipe and pipe and tabor. The informally dressed singers (jackets and pink shirts open at the neck) doubled as readers and made cameo appearances as percussionists.
The Rose Ensemble immediately made a strong impression by opening the program with Tomaso Graziani’s Matins Responsory, ‘Franciscus ut in publicum’, sung from memory. The singers’ perfect intonation, clarity and blend and attention to the acoustics of the space boded well for what was to come. Graziani was immediately followed by one of several ‘Laudae Spirituali’, non-liturgical religious songs which became popular during Francis’ lifetime.
The first half of the concert concluded colorfully with Isacco Colombo’s reading from Dante’s Paradiso XI in the original early Italian, and the Vespers hymn ‘Plaudat Frater’.
Part two of the performance was called to order by the bagpipe (a very effective way of getting a intermissioning audience’s attention). No less attention-getting was basso profundo and Avon Lake native Mark Dietrich’s intonation of Ciconia’s ‘Gloria in excelsis Deo’, a piece which displayed some fine choral pyrotechnics toward the end. The medieval sequence Stabat Mater was attractively ‘orchestrated’ for the ensemble, who passed solos around, sang ‘discantus’ parts around the melody and were sometimes accompanied by harp.
Did you know that Francis traveled to Egypt? So the ‘Little Flowers’ told us in an earthy little tale about the conversion of a woman of ill virtue, with music to match (a 14th century Italian ‘Ghaetta’ played on the middle-eastern rebec and riqq). Francis own, famous ‘Cantico delle Creature’ was read charmingly in English by Colombo accompanied by an indeed radiant performance of another laude, ‘Radiante lumera’ by soprano Kim Sueoka and harpist Ginna Watson.
The story of Francis’ receiving the stigmata and his gradual blindness was matched with the lovely plainchant ‘Fidelis servus et prudens’ sung by the sopranos, then the mostly monophonic motet ‘Beatus Franciscus’ by Grenada composer Jerónimo de Aliseda, proving that Francis’ reputation was thriving in Spain in the 16th century.
Finally, we heard funny descriptions of three animals from Christian Bobin’s ‘Bestiary’, and a final, striking Lauda from the 13th century Laudario di Cortona involving Sramek and Dietrich as soloists joined by the whole ensemble in another colorfully orchestrated version of a popular ode to the saint: “You were such a friend to God that the beasts obeyed you; the birds used to come to your hand to hear your sermons”.
Though as long as a symphony orchestra concert, ‘Il Poverello’ held the audience’s attention from beginning to end through the Rose Ensemble’s clever arrangement of materials and the near-perfection of their execution. Beautiful, in-tune and well-balanced singing was matched with astonishing instrumental playing. This show should tour widely and enchant many more audiences just as it did at St. Stanislaus on Sunday afternoon.
Mike Telin contributed to this report. Group photo by Michael Haug.