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A John Rutter afternoon

Fresno Choral Artists concert will present his works.

Published online on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

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To choral groups these days, John Rutter is like butter. How can you resist slathering it on? The contemporary English composer's music is so tuneful, accessible and moving that it's easy to conceive of an entire concert devoted to his works.

You could say, then, that Dave Hensley, artistic director of the Fresno Choral Artists, definitely succumbed to Rutter fever when planning the group's fall concert. The Sunday event will be all Rutter, all the time.

But, says Hensley, it's an all-Rutter concert that doesn't have as its centerpiece one of the composer's big, beefy, full-length works such as his Magnificat or Requiem. Instead, the program is devoted to a mix of his shorter works, both religious and secular.

"I think the audience will be very pleased," Hensley says.

Then again, Rutter has a way of doing that to people. His choir, The Cambridge Singers, has long been a powerhouse on the choral scene. The composer, who works almost exclusively on commission, has a special way of establishing a bond with audiences, Hensley says.

The program includes such Rutter titles as "A Gaelic Blessing," "Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind," "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" and "When the Saints Go Marching In."

And just to stir things up a bit with some earthiness, there'll be a round of "Good Ale" from "When Icicles Hang." We all get thirsty, after all.

For the singers, the most difficult aspect of a concert such as this is shifting mood and vocal style so quickly, Hensley says. When you're singing a full-length work like the Magnificat, it's as if you're playing just one character, in a sense. With the program's wide variety of songs, they'll have to bounce from silly to sacred in an instant.

For this auditioned, intensely rehearsed group, it will be a chance to indulge with the audience in an excess of Rutter. After all, you can always diet tomorrow.