B of I Arts Centre
The DIT Chamber Choir has won many prizes at choral competitions in Ireland and abroad. That alone suggests that it and its conductor, Bernie Sherlock, have met some of the challenges of maintaining a student choir: challenges which include annually changing personnel, and voices mixed in quality and experience.
The programme for last Wednesday's lunchtime concert in the Bank of Ireland Arts Centre recognised the choir's limitations and aspirations. It included four pieces by Byrd, Schutz and Morley, three recent Irish compositions, Bartok's Four Slovak Folksongs from 1917, sung in English, and Seiber's Three Nonsense Songs from 1956.
The choral sound was never less than solid and was often pleasing. The ensemble was disciplined and words were usually clear. Highlights included some snappy singing of Morley partsongs, by the women's sections and three soloists.
Schutz's O dolcezze amarissime, from the madrigals of 1611, requires levels of control, experience and communal discipline which were just beyond the choir. The contrast with the more recent compositions was striking.
Seamas de Barra's A Chraobh Chrom and Michael McGlynn's Alleluia are calculated for atmospheric effect. Seiber's songs have that sort of cleverness which can be irritating and engaging. But this specialist choral music knows its target, has the means to hit it, and homes in on the stronger possibilities of a choir of this kind. In several of these pieces the DIT Chamber Choir did themselves proud.