ALL CHORALE NEEDS IS 'LOVE'.

Byline: Rick Mortensen Staff Writer

In a concert titled ``Expressions of Love'' the Los Angeles Master Chorale showed how romantic - in all senses of the word - choral music can be.

The centerpiece of the concert as well as its high point was the U.S. premiere of Esa-Pekka Salonen's ``Two Songs to Poems of Ann Jaderlund.'' Written for the Swedish Radio Choir, the songs were decidedly Nordic, and the choir sang their icy harmonies with virtually no vibrato.

The minimalist texts juxtaposed sensual, Swedish words, and Salonen cast them in thick, other-worldly chords that melted into solo voices. ``Kyss Min Mun'' (``Kiss My Mouth''), the more overtly sensual of the two, began with a hiss, then an emotionally ambiguous hum, then rose to a shimmering climax.

Salonen's setting of the more abstract ``Djupt I Rummet'' (``Deep in the Room'') was colder and deeper, featuring scattered solo notes that struggled for meaning and transcendence. Both songs induced a joyous reverie that left the audience refreshed.

Another high point of the concert was James MacMillan's arrangement of Robert Burns' ``My Love Is Like a Red Red Rose.'' MacMillan called his arrangement ``So Deep,'' and his harmonies added depth and splendor to the cherished love song. The choral ``ooohs'' and ``aaaahs'' held throughout much of the piece gave it an open-ended, minimalist flavor and the soprano counter-melody gave it a haunting sweetness.

The other French pieces on the program were by Lili Boulanger, sister of the famed composition teacher Nadia Boulanger. ``Les Sirenes'' (``The Mermaids'') sounded like a cross between Debussy and Walt Disney with a lush, romantic sweep.

``Renouveau'' (``Spring'') was more substantial and contemporary-sounding but no less innocent. With text by Armand Silvestre, it celebrated the coming of spring with cascading arpeggios, colorful chords and canonical melodies that ricochet through the choir. In Gershon's introduction, he mentioned that Lili Boulanger died of Crohn's disease at age 24, which made her life-affirming music even more significant. The concert began with just the men singing three Schubert songs. Their rendition of ``Die Nachtigall'' (``The Nightingale'') had a warm blend, and the high tenors displayed a particularly gorgeous tone.