Coro Austral | TANGO
April 10, 2022, Mosman Art Gallery
The Mosman Art Gallery and Community Centre has hosted many fine concerts. On Sunday 10 April 2022, the impressive stained-glass windows and soaring interior of the Grand Hall, formerly a Methodist Church, spread their finery over such an event. It was the concert that Margot McLaughlin, Artistic Director of Coro Austral, had been trying to present for two years, she said. The choir, which specialises in repertoire of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American origin, had their tenth anniversary in 2020. They were to celebrate by presenting the Australian premiere of the extraordinary contemporary work, MisaTango – Mass of Buenos Aires, written by Argentine composer Martín Palmeri in 1995-6. But COVID had other ideas and Coro Austral, like so many choirs, and their followers, faced one disappointment after another.
But it was worth the wait.
The first half of the program warmed up the packed house with a range of short pieces. These included dazzling piano solos by Thomas McCorquodale, formerly of TangoOz and other tango-related ensembles. Soprano, Paola Monroy, co-founder of Music from Iberoamérica in Australia and a passionate advocate for Latin American music, contributed sensitivity and beauty in her solo pieces. Coro Austral’s rendition of the haunting Alfonsina y el Mar by Ariel Ramirez contrasted with the sassy not-quite-tango Adijo Kerida. This Ladino folksong of the Spanish Jews, notated by Flory Jagoda (Serbia) and expertly arranged by Joshua Jacobson (US), was a not-quite-despairing tale of despair, with a hissed, death-stare ending delivered with relish by the singers. Two intriguing milongas followed, with intricate choral parts mostly on sounds, rather than words. Gabriel Newman brought passion to the tenor solo of Volver (Return) by Carlos Gardel. South American texts are often striking, even thrilling. A line translated from Volver: “Return – with my forehead all wrinkled, my temples turned to silver by time’s falling snow.” Wondrous language.
The first half concluded with Libertango – (Liberty plus Tango) – by Astor Piazzolla, hailed as the most important composer of Nuevo Tango. His tango credits include having “snatched it from boozy dives and put it into concert halls”.
The MisaTango was a triumph. Harmonically lush and rhythmically exciting, it moved from light to shade and back again, both in the writing and the performance. A remarkable marriage of traditional Latin text and multiple musical elements, including jazz and pop, tango and classical, it succeeds in incorporating modernity while maintaining the stature and dignity of a mass. The effect was amazing. The ten fingers of Thomas McCorquodale, an orchestra in themselves, provided the accompaniment, and soloist Paola Monroy’s rich voice was eminently suited to the work. The choir seemed in love with the music as they swayed, and the connection between singers and conductor, Margot McLaughlin, was palpable. The overall result was gorgeous.
The inspired program amply demonstrated the skills and dedication of the soloists, the choir and their conductor. One hopes this will not be the last performance of the MisaTango by Coro Austral.
Artwork: Tango by Willem Haenraets
Guest reviewer: Judy Campbell
Judy is a Sydney choral conductor, composer, arranger and singer whose work spans multiple genres, including jazz, classical, musical theatre and synagogue music. She is the founding director of the Australian Jewish Choral Festival.
