Masterworks Chorale concerts have attracted me for a long time, but they have never sounded as superb as they did on Sunday. For one thing, this was the Chorale’s first appearance in the church that so many other vocal ensembles love: First Church of Cambridge on Garden St. The acoustics there are much more reverberant than at the ensemble’s usual digs―Old South Church and Sanders Theater. The music simply sparkled. Also, the packed hall gave the singers a welcome mood booster.

In truth, I came to hear the four utterly outstanding soloists, but also found the unusual program itself, the chorus, and the instrumentalists all first-class. Soprano Teresa Wakim; mezzo-soprano Emily Marvosh; tenor Jason McStoots; and baritone Dana Whiteside are individually much loved. Each sang his/her beautifully expressive best throughout. The 16-piece orchestra provided a first-rate account and trumpeters Jesse Levine and Gregory Gettel thrilled us.

The first half featured Michael Haydn’s Te Deum, long mis-attributed to Joseph Haydn; Mozart’s Alma Dei creatoris, Joseph Hadyn’s Ave regina, and Mozart’s Regina coeli, one of four Marian Antiphons, pieces dedicated to the Virgin that are sung at Vespers between Easter Sunday and Pentacost. The four soloists delighted in their various combinations. Teresa Wakim was at her superb best all afternoon, and we were wrapped in pure joy during her duets with Emily Marvosh.  Sensational in the Ave regina, Wakim executed her melismas with breathtaking beauty.

Jason McStoots, in sumptuous voice, sporting a handsome new hairstyle, produced goosebumps with the always superb Dana Whiteside. The chorus sounded polished and meticulously prepared throughout, and the sopranos and altos set new standards for the group. 

The second half featured Mozart’s rarely performed Credo Mass K.257, which got its nickname from the numerous repetitions of the word “credo” throughout that movement. Composed of all the sections of the Ordinary of the Mass―Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, an exuberant Sanctus (my favorite movement, with its trumpets), and AgnusDei―it is one of Mozart’s three Masses in the key of C, all composed between November and December of 1776.  While the vocal writing is homophonic, the orchestra (two violins and basso continuo but not violas) with 2 oboes, 2 trumpets in C, and timpani (the excellent Robert Schulz) features more complex lines.  

All of these works made for a wonderful discovery for both me and likely most of the audience. Bravo to Kevin Leong for choosing these intriguing and highly enjoyable works to end Masterworks Chorale’s 85^th season.

Singers in the Boston area over the summer should check out masterworkschorale.org for information about its series of Summer Sings, which begins on Tuesday evening, June 17^th. The repertoire will include Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s Theresa Mass, and Bach’s Mass in B Minor. 

Susan Miron is a book critic, essayist, and harpist. She writes about classical music and books for The Arts Fuse. Her last two CDs featured her transcriptions of keyboard music of Domenico Scarlatti.