Choir of Kings College, Cambridge Aug. 3, Stephen Cleobury conducting in Takemitsu Memorial Hall -- Chorus/organ: "Lobet den Herrn alle Heiden," BWV 230 (Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750), Organ solo: "Allein Gott in der Hoh sei Ehr," BWV 676 (Bach), Chorus: Six Vespers, Op. 37 (Sergei Vassilievich Rachmaninov, 1873-1943), Organ solo: "Vater unser in Himmelreich," BWV 682 (Bach), Chorus/organ: "Der Geist hilft unsrer Schwachheit auf," BWV 226 (Bach); Chorus: "Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Muhseligen," Op. 74/1 (Johannes Brahms, 1833-97), "Lauda Sion" (Tomas Luis de Victoria, 1548-1611), "Ecce Dominus veniet" (Victoria), Organ solo: Praeludium und Fuge uber den Namen BACH (Franz Liszt, 1811-86), Chorus: "Tu es Petrus" (Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, 1526-1594), "Dum complerentur dies pentecostes" (Palestrina), Chorus/organ: "Schaffe in mir, Gott, ein rein Herz," Op. 29/2 (Brahms)

The Choir of Kings College, Cambridge, under Stephen Cleobury, presented a striking performance in Tokyo recently. The 30-voice choir comprised 16 young choristers and 14 older choral scholars, and was ably accompanied in certain of the selections by organ scholar Benjamin Bayl.

Kings College was established in 1441 by King Henry VI, who five years later established the chapel in which the choir performs. For over five and a half centuries, the tradition of British choral music has been carried forward by thousands upon thousands of boys from the age of 9 into their 20s. In modern times the Kings College Choir has produced any number of highly professional recordings, radio and television broadcasts and international tours.

A good portion of the credit may be attributed to the sterling quality of the boys, fine British lads and all that. Boys are boys everywhere though, and the influences upon them can be profound and pervasive in forming their characters. It is the example of dedication and excellence set by their teachers that persists to produce such accomplishments.

Serving as director of music since 1982, Cleobury is genial and modest in person, but every inch (a traditional English measure) a professional's professional. The 30 boys in their black academic robes strode on stage decorously, measured their positions meticulously and sang with obvious understanding of precisely what they were singing. They were taught to do so. Their ensemble was neat, their balance pleasing, their diction clear and their words understandable. They were taught that too.

That is part of what a conductor does. In fact, the honorific maestro, used so deferentially in the music profession, is no more than the Italian word for teacher, the master who teaches. Clearly, Cleobury is such a master. Having once been himself a Kings College scholar (organ), he must know from personal experience what it means to be a boy growing up and benefiting from the advantages of the system.

After choosing his performers from whatever choice he is afforded, the conductor's most critical decisions have to do with the repertoire. Even before I had heard a note of the choir's performance, I was impressed by Cleobury's programming. The insight and imagination of many conductors is overtaxed by the challenges of balancing consistency with variety. Apart from monumental works such as the great masses, choral programs (like band programs) often seem to consist of a stream of selections meandering through a succession of periodic styles in the general direction of the present, a potpourri of bits and pieces.

Distinguished by formal integrity and a splendid balance, Cleobury's program was especially ingenious. He complemented the smaller works of the German Baroque and the two Renaissance composers with a judicious amount of repetition. He highlighted the early works by juxtaposing dramatically contrasting music of later composers. He put structure in the program by returning to the earlier composers, creating a double arch form. He got the maximum impact from his forces by alternating a capella selections by the chorus, solos by the organ and tutti of chorus and organ combined.

Though brilliantly contrived, all this would count for little were it not for the astute and tasteful choice of the 12 selections, all of which were new to me. Even so, the overall impression of the program was not one of novelty (although the Rachmaninoff and Liszt were particularly striking in their context), but one of exploration and satisfaction.

What an astonishing musical education the Kings College music master is giving his lucky young charges!

Bach served as master of a choir of young boys and men in Leipzig, where he was noted for his volatile temperament and vigorous tempos. Cleobury captured that vibrancy in the choral selections. The spirited rhythms compensated artistically for the lack of volume in the young voices and allowed the natural beauty in the tone to flourish.

The unaccompanied choral writing in Rachmaninoff's Vespers projected the dark Russian harmonies and evocative character of the music in high relief. This was a strikingly beautiful performance. It was wonderful to hear such a fine use of vocal coloring in the range of the music and, incidentally, it was a masterful example of conducting.

Bach was a celebrated virtuoso organist. His two organ preludes demanded much of the university organ scholar, Benjamin Bayl. Liszt was an even more renowned virtuoso of the keyboard. His prelude and fugue on the name Bach is a display piece thoroughly exploiting the technical capacities of the instrument. One could hardly complain of being bored.

In Cleobury's hands, Brahms' music was poignant, with a superb sense of motion and a remarkable range of emotional intensity. Never pushed, it seemed to project a great sense of presence.

The purity of the Renaissance compositions of Victoria and Palestrina seemed doubly enhanced by their position late in the program, in antithesis to the romantic sonorities heard earlier. The interrelationship of the several contrapuntal parts was fascinating to the ear, and the intelligent rendering of the music was very attractive and persuasive.

The audience called for encores, and Cleobury granted two. This was the first time in the evening for the audience to hear the Choir of Kings College, Cambridge, sing in English. Naturally it was, again, doubly effective.

Phenomenal, that music master. Fortunate, those choristers and choral scholars.