U. concert to feature 2 takes on 'Gloria'

For the University of Utah's annual scholarship concert this coming weekend, Brady Allred has chosen a program that features two 20th century settings of the traditional "Gloria" text, by Francis Poulenc and John Rutter.

"I wanted to do them both on the same concert because they are two very different ways of setting the text, and the styles are very different," said Allred, who is the head of the U.'s choral department. "Poulenc's is in six movements and also calls for a soprano solo in addition to the choir. Rutter, on the other hand, divides the text only into three sections, with a fugue for the last movement."

Stylistically, the two pieces are worlds apart. Rutter writes very fluidly in long phrases, and everything fits well for the voices, Allred said. That's not the case with Poulenc. "He likes short phrases, and the voice leading is difficult because it isn't always what you expect. And the same goes for accents. He frequently stresses unaccented syllables to shape the melodic contour of the lines."

Not having any expectations is probably the best way to listen not only to the Gloria but to all of Poulenc's music. His music is filled with sudden contrasts. It can be very serious and sublime one minute and the next be light and irreverent. "Poulenc once said that when he wrote the Gloria he was thinking about some frescoes by Gozzoli where the angels stick their tongues out, and about the time he once saw Benedictine monks playing football," Allred said.

Both works are, in their own ways, firsts for Salt Lake City, he added. "It's the first time I'm doing the Poulenc here, and this will be the first time that the Rutter will be performed in Salt Lake in its orchestral version."

Rutter's Gloria was originally for choir, brass, percussion and organ. He later scored it for full orchestra. And both are equally effective, Allred said.

Rounding out the concert will be the "Polovtsian Dances" from Alexander Borodin's opera, "Prince Igor." "That will give us a big bang to end the concert," Allred said, adding that most people will know the music as the song "Stranger in Paradise" from the 1950s musical "Kismet."

Performing this weekend will be the Utah Philharmonia, the University Singers, the A Cappella Choir and the Alumni Choir, which consists of former members of the school's various choirs, many of whom currently sing with Allred's other ensemble, the Salt Lake Choral Artists. Soprano soloist in the Poulenc is Carol Ann Allred. Brady Allred will conduct.