When the 12-strong, male a cappella group, 'Chanticleer' opened the first of its two Bermuda Festival performances at City Hall on Friday night it was to polite applause, but by concert's end two hours later, the audience was begging for more.

Whether it was the more familiar and somewhat brighter material which finally emerged toward the end of the second half, or an overall affirmation of their artistry, is moot. What mattered was that the aficionados of unaccompanied singing clearly felt they had been handsomely rewarded for braving what turned out to be the coldest January 24 to date.

As befits an all-American touring ensemble currently celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary, Chanticleer presented a programme reflective of what was described as 'the American experience'.

Entitled 'Our American Journey', and comprising works written between the early 1700s and today, it began and ended on a religious note. First was 'Credidi', Spanish American composer Juan de Lienas' setting of Psalm 115, and last was the spiritual, 'Way Up In Jerusalem' arranged by Chanticleer's music director, Joseph Hennings.

Other religious pieces included 'David's Lamentation' by William Billings, 'Soar Away' by Cagle, and the spiritual 'All Night, All Day'.

In between were works inspired by and reflective of the diverse cultures and musical genres that make up American society, among them traditional, contemporary, jazz, gospel and folk.

Several were especially commissioned by Chanticleer, who are also recording artists, including two short lyric poems by William Hawley: 'Fuggi, fuggi, dolor' and 'Labbra vermiglie e belle'; 'Whispers' by Steven Stucky, and the amusing 'Ballad of the Oysterman', written by the contemporary Finnish composer, Haajji Nabttharvu, to mark the ensemble's 25th anniversary season. The latter two received their world premires on Friday evening.

From the vast collection of American folk songs came Stephen Foster's 'Nelly Bly', 'Camptown Races' and 'Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair,' as well as 'Shenandoah'. Jazz was represented by the classic, 'Willow Weep for Me', and popular music by Irving Berlin's 'Blue Skies', masterfully arranged by Joseph Denning, complete with snapping fingers.

Correcting Hollywood's stereotyped musical impression of Native American Indians in its films was a superb piece by another contemporary composer, himself a Native American Indian, which also received its world premiere here.

Brent Michael Davids' 'The Un-Covered Wagon' was brilliantly conceived and performed, and this, for me, was the highlight of an evening whose hallmarks were immaculate diction, impeccable and imaginative delivery, and an impressive ability to present so many challenging and complex arrangements with such deceptive ease.

There is no doubt that Chanticleer is a masterly group of a cappella singers whose reputation is well deserved. However, while the premise behind the compilation of material for 'Our American Journey' is understood - and it cannot have been easy to distil such a vast array of choices into a representative two-hour concert - the overall presentation lacked zest.

In a smooth tapestry of muted colours, one longed for some of the vibrancy and excitement associated with America.

Unlike Britain's famed a cappella King Singers, whose performances sparkle with wit and fun, and whose repertoire is not only hugely varied but also presented with great panache, Chanticleer's was passion pured. Like certain fine wines, it was palatable and polished with interesting notes, but rather bland.