San Francisco Classical Voice

Sunday's program featured traditional carols, hymns, and folksongs from Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Armenia, Moravia, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, and other Balkan, Baltic, and Russian regions. The eight-woman choir achieves considerable variety by carefully-arranged sequences of songs that feature different sub-groups — solos, duos, trios, tutti — and different orchestrations. Some numbers were done a capella, others accompanied by varied instruments played by the singers and by special guest Rumen Shopov, Bulgarian drummer and tambourista.

The most remarkable source of variety, however, was the continual shifting of languages and vocal styles as the caroling bounded across Eastern Europe in seven-league boots. This vocal virtuosity caught my attention dramatically in the third number, an Alleluia from Georgia, for which the women became not only Southern Russians but also, for these few minutes, men. From the full-bodied sound of that Georgian Men's choir, the sound next shifted to Bulgarian mountain-song, for a seamless medley of duos showcasing the “high lonesome sound” of the region, with tight throats and spine-tingling half-step dissonances that put you in touch with your inner peasant. A more polished, bel canto style nicely complemented songs from Armenia and some of the traditional hymns.

One highlight of the concert was a Winter Solstice song from Latvia sung by the whole ensemble, each woman also playing an accompaniment. The instruments included two tambouras (strummed long lutes), two fiddles, and percussion. Helping the audience to follow along, just in case they didn't speak all the languages, members of the ensemble introduced each group of songs. With great good humor and seasonal cheer, some introductions contextualized the songs, others detailed the ensemble's experiences learning them. The introduction to this Latvian song was a demonstration of scholarly dedication and persistence — the singer relating her research on the internet to figure out what the quirkily symbolic song was all about, resulting in a charming three-minute lecture on Indo-European mythology.

At times the second half of the concert seemed to drag a bit, due to the slow tempos and more “serious” nature of some of the older hymns. But perhaps this is just due to my expectation of the energetic dance-impelled rhythms that usually suffuse Eastern European folksong. Nevertheless, enthusiasm, passion, and joy shine through the music of Kitka.

Perhaps I can best conclude by stealing another quote (Pete Seeger on the Pennywhistlers): “It is always a pleasure to hear a group of singers who know what they like and stick to it. The clear voices and harmony of these young women are a joy to hear and their repertoire is brand new to most of us.” Kitka's Wintersongs is a delightfully alternative holiday concert, particularly for those who welcome an escape from celebrating with red-nosed reindeer.