San Francisco Classical Voice

On Saturday, yet another outstanding performance of the Kitka ensemble. As lights illuminate the Advent wreath or the Hannukah menorah in this season, Kitka conveyed sonic light in their performance of Wintersongs from around Eastern Europe, entrancing the audience in Oakland's Lake Merritt Methodist Church. After 22 years of painstaking research and work with master musicians from Eastern Europe, the Kitka singers have attained a level of excellence and breadth of repertoire that may be out of reach for their counterparts.

It's hard to select highlights of the evening, because of the immaculate execution and interpretation of each number. Kitka's performances of the Bulgarian choral pieces “Koledni Pesmi” (Christmas songs) and “Vetar vee” (Winter blows) followed the traditional arrangements with meticulous precision, so one might easily mistake Kitka for one of the leading traditional ensembles from Bulgaria. Similarly, in their execution of “Vrlichko kolo” and “Bog daj Bog,” one could experience the raw power of female voices that is believed to scare off evil spirits residing in the mountain ranges of Croatia. Kitka's performance of polyphonic pieces from Georgia, “Alilo” and “Metskhvaris Simghera” in particular, was impressive in voicing and rhythmic execution. These numbers are the roots that Kitka have been mastering ever since their inception in 1979. Their performance lacks nothing in authenticity, diction, style, or vocal technique.

Not depending on strict imitation of Eastern European models, Kitka's members are also creative musicians and accomplished arrangers who further develop the traditional songs of the region. They construct their own expression by combining these seemingly disparate ethnic and regional traditions in, shall we say, “classical/international folk choral idiom. In her arrangement of Rachmaninoff's “Bogoroditse devo” from his Vespers, Deborah Dietrich adds a Bulgarian twist with peculiar ornaments and voicing, a choice that gives a refreshingly imaginative interpretation of this piece and maybe even brings it back to its roots. Janet Kutulas' arrangement of an Afghan lullaby “Aa lalo bacha lalo” weaves distinct timbres of high, medium and low voices in the tapestry of restrained cries that provides a soothing background to this haunting folk song.