Occasionally I get distracted by a delicate vocabulary distinction. Maybe it’s my age, maybe it’s my linguistic background . . . As December unfolds, I use the word Christmas to refer to the sacred Christian contribution to the world’s religious spirit. Here in the upper midwest USA, a holiday festiveness takes place which is much broader than one particular religion can embrace. The importance of the solstice, the crossing over from shrinking to lengthening daylight hours, and the presence (more or less this year) of winter, is far more celebrated than any religious concern. So it goes:  the arts thrive in our region, regardless of the reason for any season.

Remembering the power of The Three Tenors

The movies presented at Zinema, as part of the Zeitgeist collection of arts energies, are frequently very special. A new production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is coming soon, for example. Check local listings for it’s arrival.  Coordinator Andy Bennett was promoting it last week as I dropped in to watch the December,1999, concert featuring The Three Tenors, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, and Luciano Pavarotti. This glorious music was partly Christmas and partly secular holiday, all sung back to back without any particular sense of the disparity. For me, the most powerful song was Un nuevo siglo (a new century) composed by Placido Domingo, Jr, and sung by his passionate father.

Once again the Metropolitan Opera was in Duluth

In December, 2006, the Metropolitan Opera began a new decade of opera brilliance by introducing live Saturday matinee performances via the technology known as HD transmission. Today, at more than 2,000 movie theaters in 70 countries around the globe, these live broadcasts are featured. A very special, abridged, version of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) was the first offering, though it was not presented in Duluth at that time. Last Saturday we got to watch a recording of that inaugural opera right here at Marcus Theaters in Canal Park.

What a treat! Puppets, gymnastics, and glorious singing about love, wisdom, and the ability to follow through on crucial decisions. Next up for this season is Bizet’s opera, The Pearl Fishers, which will be broadcast live on Saturday, January 16. I’ll be there, and I hope you will be, too.

How many flute players can fit on the platform at Holy Trinity Lutheran?

On the near west side of Duluth, at Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity, I enjoyed the music of nineteen flute players (piccolo, flute, alto, bass) playing together as the North Wind Flute Choir under the direction of Melanie Sever. This was definitely holiday music, mostly secular and seasonal, with a few Christmas pieces on the program as well. The highlight of the afternoon was A Renaissance Noel, a collection of four  Christmas songs from the seventeenth century, arranged for flute ensemble by Catherine McMichael.

During the program, flutes were in both side lofts, the rear loft, and at the front of the church. We were surrounded by flutes all playing together like a well-balanced choir.

Choral bliss from the youthful world of The College of St. Scholastica

My high moment of the past week, however, was the Christmas choral celebration, O Holy Night, provided by the choral ensembles at The College of St. Scholastica. I attended the Saturday night performance at St. Michael’s Catholic Church on E. Superior. Approximately sixty singers were joined by eleven different instrumentalists, on keyboard, string, winds, and percussion.

Twenty different Christmas compositions were featured from composers all around the world between the seventeenth century and the present year. Director Bret Amundson, and his new assistant, Sarah Cohen, shared the podium, as the different choral groups processed, recessed, and even sang in the aisles. Most of the music was relatively new, richly choral, and very exciting. Of course, choral music has been my life, so hearing these recent works by so many wonderful composers and a host of talented young singers was better than a vintage wine.

Moving on toward Christmas week itself

As you read these words, Arrowhead Chorale will be ready for their holiday concert on Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th at Weber Music Hall on the UMD campus, and the choir at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will offer Christmas Lessons and Carols on Sunday afternoon the 20th on Superior St. This is a rich season for music, holiday and Christmas. Please take advantage of the celebrative spirit.