MUSIC REVIEW : Currie Leads Master Chorale in a Scottish Spectacular

Just as the “Messiah” sing-along became the popular calling card of Roger Wagner, the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s Scottish Spectacular has served the same purpose for John Currie. Certainly there is an audience for this kind of thing, for the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was generously filled with Scottish enthusiasts (some clad in kilts) Sunday night.

Currie is a most personable ringmaster who doesn’t mind sharing the stage with an assortment of authentic imports from his native land. And he can be a canny showman, saving his own black-and-white tartan outfit for his entrance after intermission, thus earning an extra burst of applause.

Currie needn’t apologize for his classical training, for his often sophisticated arrangements of Scottish folk tunes rarely get in the way of the material. For example, one could latch onto the tunes of “Corn Rigs” and “O Whistle, and I’ll Come to You” and still savor the busy strands of winds circulating in and out of the texture.

Alas, one definitely needed the supplied lyric booklet in the program since the Master Chorale’s enunciation was far from impeccable, and the Sinfonia of Los Angeles could not execute some of Currie’s more intricate arrangements very neatly.

In the interludes, folk singer Jean Redpath displayed some stage savvy of her own, thoroughly ingratiating herself to the audience with just a few minutes of lilting a cappella songs and engaging run-on monologues. Also on hand to change the pace were the bagpipers from the Links O’Forth band, violinist Alasdair Fraser, tap-dancer Caroline Green, some champion highland dancers and a deafening drum corps.

And one could not resist the conclusions of each half where the bagpipers and the drummers paraded onto the stage, combining with the chorus and orchestra in a deliriously loud racket.