If you haven't encountered The Sixteen before, suffice it to say anything they have released is well worth listening to. They are a choral ensemble par excellence and I would not presume to review them as an ensemble. They are a stellar ensemble, and anything they produce is going to be top notch.
I picked up Ikon because it seemed to contain musical material similar to the previously reviewed Lux Aurumque from the Dale Warland Singers. Indeed there are interesting programming similarities. Listening to the two CD's side-by-side allows one to hear the difference, much touted and much misunderstood, between an "American" choral sound and a "British" choral sound and determine for oneself the validity of the distinction.
The music on Ikon is intensely atmospheric, devotional or introspective. Choose your own adjective. Mystical-style composers of the last century and the 19th are represented. Among them are the familiar Rachmaninoff and Chesnokov. But also present are intriguing works by Igor Stravinsky and Gustav Holst. These are characters not usually associated with this style of (choral) music. Also included are works by Arvo Part and John Tavener. Tavener especially finds his compositional voice among the mystics. He is intensely drawn to Orthodox pathos and liturgy.
The new voice on the recording is that of James MacMillan (b. 1959). A Brit, he is represented by his achingly prayerful "A Child's Prayer," written in response to the 1996 Dunblane, Scotland children's massacre, and "A New Song," with text from Psalm 96, in this setting a plaintive cry for praise, even in the midst of suffering.
Recorded 25-27 October 2005 at the Church of St. Giles, Cripplegate, London, Decca has produced another fine offering from The Sixteen. The booklet includes lyrics and translations; publication information for the music is also included. ++++
I picked up Ikon because it seemed to contain musical material similar to the previously reviewed Lux Aurumque from the Dale Warland Singers. Indeed there are interesting programming similarities. Listening to the two CD's side-by-side allows one to hear the difference, much touted and much misunderstood, between an "American" choral sound and a "British" choral sound and determine for oneself the validity of the distinction.
The music on Ikon is intensely atmospheric, devotional or introspective. Choose your own adjective. Mystical-style composers of the last century and the 19th are represented. Among them are the familiar Rachmaninoff and Chesnokov. But also present are intriguing works by Igor Stravinsky and Gustav Holst. These are characters not usually associated with this style of (choral) music. Also included are works by Arvo Part and John Tavener. Tavener especially finds his compositional voice among the mystics. He is intensely drawn to Orthodox pathos and liturgy.
The new voice on the recording is that of James MacMillan (b. 1959). A Brit, he is represented by his achingly prayerful "A Child's Prayer," written in response to the 1996 Dunblane, Scotland children's massacre, and "A New Song," with text from Psalm 96, in this setting a plaintive cry for praise, even in the midst of suffering.
Recorded 25-27 October 2005 at the Church of St. Giles, Cripplegate, London, Decca has produced another fine offering from The Sixteen. The booklet includes lyrics and translations; publication information for the music is also included. ++++
No comments:
Post a Comment