Pastyme - Reviews

I think I sat in a little bit of heaven tonight.

Sunday, February 17, 2008
By Randy Latta

I think I sat in a little bit of heaven tonight. Having heard only a few a cappella (no musical instruments) performances in my past and having enjoyed them, I was intrigued to read about an upcoming performance by Pastyme, an eight member local group that originally formed in 1999 and has performed at many Asheville venues, including several local Churches.

So it was that I found my self at Trinity Episcopal on Church Street in downtown Asheville this past Sunday evening on a rainy and blustery night. I was not surprised that the crowd was small and as I settled into my pew I expected a merely pleasant performance and perhaps some nice harmonies.

At the stroke of 5pm the church was suddenly flooded with the voices of the divine. The sound was so instant and perfect I thought a recording was being played before the singers were to start. And as I twisted around to see from whence it came it ended just as abruptly. Then in silent parade, eight members of the Seraphim or some other hierarchy of Angels quietly flowed down center isle to the altar and assembled to face the spellbound audience.

After a brief Lenten prayer, the Evensong and Anthems for Lent program began again. From Psalm 103, Benedict, Anima Mea (Bless the Lord O My Soul) and the Magnificat, Canticle of Mary, and from Renaissance works to 20th century authors, these four men and four women, representing the entire spectrum of sounds, from Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone to Bass, enraptured the audience. I have never experienced such clarity, harmony and perfect pitch and emanating from only eight voices. Nor have I ever been to any performance where the audience was so perfectly still, almost afraid to move a muscle lest they miss a single enrapturing note.

This is music you do not merely listen to, it is music you feel and visualize. From the instant on-point start, the sounds ascend like windblown Autumn leaves of every hue and note swirling in ever increasing permutations, harmonies and rounds until they gather earthward to finish simultaneously in a solemn bass to hushed soprano note of perfect reverence.

Pastyme members Wendy Myers, Pamela Miller, Julie Williams, Faye Burner, Jeff Konz, Lee Thomas, Roberto Flores, and Ken Wilson have forged a unique and inspiring sound that is not to be missed. Fortunately, this program will be repeated March 16th at All Souls Cathedral in Biltmore. Check it out and listen to how the Angels sing.

Pastyme performs with perfect pitch and harmony

Tuesday, May 29, 2001
BY NADA ARNOLD
Post and Courier Reviewer

In just 55 blissful minutes of song, an a cappella octet from Asheville raised the bar on ensemble work, both sacred and secular. Together since 1999 as Pastyme, the astonishing singers, all virtuosi, made their Piccolo Choral Artists Series debut Monday afternoon at St. John's Lutheran Church.

Had it been billed as an Olympics of a cappella polytonal singing that spans five centuries, there surely would have been more than the handful listening, albeit spellbound, to perfect pitch and harmonics.

From the opening 16th century "Duo Seraphim" by Juan Esquivel to a jazz medley concluding with the modern pop of "You Are the New Day" by J. David, eight individual voice lines blended faultlessly. The Pastyme singers are sopranos Wendy Myers and Anne Rhymer, altos Faye Burner and Mary Donnelly, tenors Jeff Konz and Lee Thomas and bass Tom Donnelly and Max Mays.

Weaving in and out, solo-quality tones meshed in dynamics and emotions. That the music flowed effortlessly belied years of training, individual accomplishment and practice, and a passion for classical church music. The group formed because classics they love are seen as difficult and rarely performed. And without a director, Pastyme's programming is a collective effort.

The ensemble performs a cappella, with only a pitch fork to get started, obviously heightening the challenge.

The rarely performed and haunting "Stabat Mater" by G.P. da Palestrina anchored the concert. This lament about Christ's death is a paragon of disparate harmonies and shifting mood, never bogging down as sad works can.

A personal favorite was the moving "Nunc Dimittis," written by soprano Rhymer in memory of her father. I'm sure we'll be hearing more from this creative composer who so smoothly combines contemporary and classical motifs.

Two other sacred works concluded the first half of the presentation, "Exsultate Justi" by A. Hakenberger and H. Purcell's "Hear My Prayer, O Lord."

A short break allowed the men, in tux, to exchange jackets for white shirt and red bow ties, while the women, in black suits, doffed white blouses in favor of red.

Now we would hear what Pastyme claims it does for fun, borrowing their name from Henry VIII's composition, "Pastyme with Goode Companye." After another Renaissance madrigal, "Which is the Properest Day to Sing?" by Arne, they segued to contemporary swing beginning with Rodgers and Hart's "Blue Moon." I doubt anyone has heard it sung more exquisitely, their generosity of spirit spilling over into pop music.

The lush, easy glides of the Arlen/Harburg medley "Over the Rainbow/When You Wish Upon a Star" again confirmed extraordinary ensemble talents as did "Shenandoah" arranged by Parker & Shaw. Lee Thomas' poignant longing and stellar tenor would have held its own anywhere.

With the enthusiastic audience on its feet, an encore, the spiritual "Satan Is On My Shoulder," capped a perfect hour.

If you missed them, Pastyme will have a 25-minute spot during the Middleton Place Finale.