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Fanfare

Advena: Liturgies for a Broken World presents choral works by the Houston-based composer Mark Buller. The performers are the choral group Conspirare, led by the ensemble’s artistic director and conductor, Craig Hella Johnson. In addition to the mixed chorus, Conspirare includes a chamber ensemble of two violins, viola, cello, bass, guitar, and percussion. For Fanfare, I previously reviewed Conspirare and Johnson’s impressive artistry as featured in a Delos CD (3601) entitled House of Belonging (Mar/Apr 2024, 47:4). The two main works on Advena are Buller’s exploration of the Mass and Requiem. Buller composed his Mass in Exile following the 2016 U.S. presidential election: “when the people from my fundamentalist background made a choice a full 180 degrees from what they’d taught me as a child – that morality matters in political leadership.” In collaboration with author Leah Lax, Buller created a work in which the various sections of the Mass address both current events, and the eternal search for a meaning in faith. Over time, according to Buller: “The Mass became a vehicle for catharsis, even hope.” Mass in Exile explores “the myriad ways in which we experience separation and exile.” There is the specter of government-imposed separation: children taken away from their parents at the Texas border. The composer’s own struggle with distance from his faith, and his search for connection to God, are voiced by a baritone solo. The closing Benedictus quotes poet Yehudah Amichai on the quest for peace: “Let it come/like wildflowers,/suddenly, because the field/must have it: wildpeace.”

Requiem in the Light is a “companion piece” to Mass in Exile. The opening section, Lacrimosa for the Murdered, is a litany of the killings of innocent children, culminating in a reference to the crucifixion of Jesus. Personal reflection leads to a Prayer to the Earth (Dies Irae): “Dear tired earth/receptacle of our poisons/and our rage…I will not yield/But when I yield/Please/hold me./Enfold me.” At the close of the Requiem, life is characterized as “a requiem/for an/unfinished song.” In both the Mass in Exile and Requiem in the Light, Mark Buller offers lyrical and often hauntingly melodic settings of Leah Lax’s texts. There is a marriage of classical and popular expression, with minimalism playing a role, especially in the instrumental writing. Buller also makes effective use of both vocal and instrumental solos. Two short Buller works that offer a similar musical profile to the Mass and Requiem—Introit: Fruit of Your Heart and Communion: A Questioning—serve to open and close the disc.

Conspirare sings Mark Buller’s music with radiant beauty, affecting dramatic involvement, and clear, precise diction. Buller’s colorful, diverse instrumental writing is beautifully served by Conspirare’s strings, guitar, and percussion complement. The CD booklet includes extensive program notes, and full sung texts. Fine performances of searching, communicative works. Recommended.