Anything goes in Off The Wall vocal concert

And now for something completely different. Andrew Balfour and the a cappella group Camerata Nova took the plunge Thursday night with Off the Wall, a potpourri-style concert that could have sported the tag-line 'Just about anything goes.'

Bravely going where no one has gone before, Balfour, joined by guest artists Richard Moody, viola, Lianne Fournier, vocals, and arranger/conductor Dan Wiebe ventured into pop, rock, jazz, medieval and more in a multi-voice, multi-instrument extravaganza that had the audience riveted.

As with almost anything experimental, some things worked and some didn’t Occasional exposed vocal lines lacked clarity and support, blend was a frequent issue and a few tunes meandered with questionable purpose, transcending into the chaotic. But the ones that worked did so in a big way, easily overshadowing the works/performances that need to go back to the drawing board.

The fun started with the unusual venue. The Park Theatre oozes kitschy charm, with its roomy seats and red-painted tabletops. Stars glittered on the walls and the stage boasted lava lamps, a sofa, easy chairs and a sheepskin rug.

The singers entered down the aisles, dressed in a mix of hippie garb and ‘70s funk. Colourful psychedelic images danced on a giant screen as drummers Derek Elaschuk and Mark Paxton-MacRae, hurdy-gurdy player Michel Loiselle and Michael Thompson on didgeridoo began a Balfour-arranged version of George Harrison’s Within You, Without You.

By the time the singers joined in, there was so much going on, they seemed like an afterthought.

Will You Visit Me Dreaming Forward?, on the other hand, made much better use of this talented ensemble, employing an intriguing technique of swells and détaché notes. The first word of each line was heavily accented, and the ensemble’s crisp diction made the text, also by Balfour, clear as a bell. It ended with a moving aboriginal cry.

Lianne Fournier’s witty and irreverent Oh Zannah was a hit, combining Latin flavour with jazz for a lounge feel, slinky and silly. Poking fun at the traditional Latin text often sung by Camerata Nova, she mixed scat and nonsense with Latin for clever combinations like "sanctus fructus" and "omnibus deum." All this was done in her commanding and rich velvety voice with singers echoing.

Dan Wiebe used a Renaissance touch in his arrangement of the Mamas and Papas hit Dedicated to the One I Love. He is a sensitive conductor, using beautifully fluid motions.

The evening finished with a romp in the farmyard as bleating, clucking and moos accompanied the performance of Bovina sancta (Holy Cow) by Balfour. A little Mozart, a nasal waltz and other vocal effects you don’t usually hear from this group had the audience in stitches. The cowbell at the end was the cat’s meow.

This was a valiant departure from Camerata Nova’s usual fare, which one nevertheless hopes will not be forsaken.