By Daniel Buckwalter
As a general rule, Valentine’s Day doesn’t move the needle for me in any significant way, and that’s fine. Not everyone has romantic threads woven inside them.
Still, when the annual Feb. 14 holiday has its moment in the calendar year, I stand back and marvel at the couples decked in red and who gaze at their true loves with adoring eyes. The consumerism of the present holiday gives way to the quiet joy of couples being together and renewing their love for each other.
It can be sappy, but it is often moving.
And it was in that spirit that the Eugene Concert Choir, under the direction of Diane Retallack, moved into Hult Center’s lobby and Silva Concert Hall for a weekend of romantic celebration.
On Valentine’s Day, there were arts-and-crafts and a concert for children in the afternoon, followed in the evening by a Valentine’s night out for the older crowd to hear the choir singing simple love songs as well as a performance by Darline Jackson’s MyBand in the lobby.
Then, on Feb. 15, in front of a small but supportive audience, Retallack led the Eugene Concert Choir in love songs from centuries past and present, all serving to keep the romantic spirit alive even a day later.
The first half of the Love is in the Aire program was the most interesting for me. This included O My Luve’s Like a Red, Red Rose (poetry by Robert Burns, music by David Dickau), The Coolin (poetry by James Stephens, music by Samuel Barber) and Dirait-on (poetry by Rainer Maria Rilke, music by Morten Lauridsen).
Then there were songs from Puerto Rico, where the Eugene Concert Choir will tour in April. Guarionex Morales Matos wrote or arranged all three pieces performed, and the choir was accompanied expertly by Trio Valentino — percussionists Reilly Gault and Bodhi Coelho and guitarist Antonio Soltero. For the final piece before intermission, there was music composed by Matos, Siente Mi Latido, and soloists Jill Switzer and Jonathon Roberts were superb.
The second half of the program had music that — well, I glazed over as a kid or young adult. I Just Called to Say I Love You, The Power of Love, and Love Will Keep Us Together were among them.
Still, it was a pleasure to read the dedications in the program celebrating 50- and 65-year marriages as well as much younger love.
And the musical accompaniment for the second half was much appreciated. There was Nick Rieser on piano, Niels Miller on bass, Jay Veach on drums, Gerry Rempel on guitar, John Corona on saxophone and Dave Bender on trumpet.
Another nice touch was the dancing of Debbie Wright and Oleg Prokopchuk in This Will Be (An Everlasting Love). Both are with the Vault Dance Studio in Eugene.
So, while Valentine’s Day will never quite move the needle for me in any significant way, I was glad that Eugene Concert Choir provided a vehicle for the romantics among us.
It made for a lovely weekend.
