The Christmas Truce of 1914 was a most singular event in history, where many soldiers on opposing sides of the trenches in World War One declared a cease fire in celebration of Christmas.
These soldiers exchanged gifts, sang carols, buried the fallen, and even played games of soccer with their sworn enemies. Notable is that these actions were all carried out by the common soldiery, the lowest of command, against the orders of their superiors, even though the Pope himself had urged a Christmas cease fire and had been rejected by the commanders of the allied forces. In the end, the men on the front lines did what it took their commanders years to do: they ended World War One, at least for a day.
The Cantus group told this amazing story through period accurate means of letters and song, with three members reciting letters from those who had witnessed the event. These actors gave excellent recitations, with real emotion behind their words.
Their performance could be improved if they were to either not use any impression of an accent or improve their impressions. The problem stemmed from the fact that some letters were from those of a nationality with a distinct accent, the actors attempted the accents, but some fell flat.
The singing of the choir was nigh impeccable. Each note was well rehearsed, with full depth and excellent vibrato. The balance was perfect, each individual voice still being heard while contributing to the overall beauty of the group sound. Throughout the entire performance, there was not a single missed note to be heard which was not changed in such a way to somehow improve the sound. Even in the very technically complicated songs, with many rounds moving throughout the group and very harsh ranges to sing, the choir sounded gorgeous. This reviewer simply can’t think of anything negative about the singing of the Cantus group.
If Cantus returns to the Rozsa, do yourself a favor and get a ticket. It really is that simple; anyone who appreciates a capella music would appreciate the Cantus group. The singing was beautiful, the acting was filled with feeling, there was barely anything negative about the entire performance. It was an all around excellent performance, and those who missed this one should try to catch Cantus if they ever come back.