Vienna Choir Boys perform delightful repertoire with zest

In medieval churches and monasteries, young boys lifted their voices in sacred song. It was a pure sound, sweet yet masterly, with a lilting quality that could stun infidels with faith. On Saturday night, the Vienna Choir Boys brought that same powerful combination of innocence and sophistication to the Maine Center for the Arts, where they zestfully performed a delightfully varied repertoire of choral works.

The first half of the concert was devoted to several short sacred songs by Baldassare Galuppi, Alessandro Scarlatti, Johannes Brahms, and Benjamin Britten. Peter Marschik’s “Pater Hemon” (the Lord’s Prayer) was a particularly fascinating modern composition with a twirling melody and dizzyingly complicated blend of lovely voices.

The tall ceiling and large, empty stage seemed to swallow the petite boys as they darlingly performed the comic opera “Tales From the Vienna Woods,” by Johann Strauss. Sumptuous voices stole the focus of this 15-minute piece, but the audience was charmed and entertained by the convivial spirits of the singer-actors as they awkwardly played out the story of a young aristocratic girl in love with a soldier instead of the gentleman of her father’s choosing.

Several cast members wore gingham dresses, bonnets, and wigs to portray females, while others dressed as soldiers and marched in impressive line formations. Full of Viennese lilt and schmaltz, the operetta was perfectly beautiful music delivered by vivacious youngsters. Life could not yet have taught these boys truly to understand the plot of a love triangle — no matter how absurd and funny — but their voices were filled with an uncanny depth.

The second half of the program began with a Spanish love song (“Ay Linda Amiga”) and an Italian love song (“Occhi Dolci e Soavi”), both of which were sung a cappella, as were several through the performance.

Although the group remained attentive and politely composed during the entire evening, its natural energy was most apparent during upbeat songs, such as “Tanzlied,” a quick-paced choral work by Bela Bartok. The boys’ small lips wrapped around notes and spewed them forth with remarkable clarity and vividness.

One of the older boys performed the solo piece “Simple Gifts,” by Aaron Copland and wooed the audience not with gimmick or fanfare, but with sincerity and skill.

The highlights of the evening came in the last 30 minutes of the 2 1/2-hour show when the boys sang a polka and a waltz by Johann Strauss. Their eyes lit with patriotism and joy as their voices danced to these classical Viennese treasures.

An American treasure, the folk song “Clementine,” surprised the audience during a three-number encore.

With every song, conductor Jaume Miranda gracefully summoned piquant rhythms from the 23 young singers, who stood in four lines around the piano and folded their hands behind their backs. As they effortlessly sang choral pieces and solos, the boys seemed inexhaustible and completely focused. If it hadn’t been for a few cowlicks sticking up from otherwise carefully combed hair, or smiling glances exchanged between buddies, one might not know that these lads are some of the youngest talents in the international performing arts world.