Wednesday 17 October 2012
Oxford College Choirs
I've just discovered an interesting series of short videos about Oxford College choirs on the Oxford Today website. Currently there are 4 videos to watch, but there will be 6 by December as they are adding one each month. Worth a watch as they give an interesting insight to life behind the scenes at these well known, and well loved institutions.
Tuesday 9 October 2012
Choral recordings July to September 2012
Another batch of fine recordings as featured in Gramophone Magazine's reviews for the last quarter and available now from a record shop (or website) near you.
For a change I'm heading back in time a bit further than usual.
July:
Gesualdo Quinto libro dei madrigali performed by the Hilliard Ensemble on ECM New Series. Gesualdo, the master of surprise dissonances is one of my favourite early composers and his works are just the sort of thing the Hilliard Ensemble excel at. I could hapily listen to them for hours (particularly live) but in this recording you get the added bonus of a countertenor and soprano thrown into the mix making the whole sound lighter and more vibrant.
August:
Zelenka's Responsoria pro Hebdomada Sancta & Lamentatio Ieremiae Prophetae performed by Collegium Vocale 1704 on Accent. I'm becoming a bit of a fan of both Zelenka and performances of his works by this choir (check out the Missa Votiva too). Vaying in mood from serious and contemplative to wonderfully bouncy this is quite simply glorious Baroque music from the 1720s, wonderfully sung.
September:
Divitis / de Fevin Requiem performed by Ensemble Organum on Aeon. No this work wasn't written by two composers, they simply aren't sure who did write it, but it was almost certainly one of these two. It's also an early Renaissance work of considerable interest, and performed by a choir that may not be the most refined or balanced at times, but a choir nevertheless that contains a number of superb individual voices such as their basso profundo Antoine Sicot. Other choirs have recorded this work with instrumentation, but here you just have the voices, with no other distractions.
That's it for now, but next time we'll be in the run up to Christmas, so based on my current course there might just be some medieval carols served up with your mince pies, you never know.
For a change I'm heading back in time a bit further than usual.
July:
Gesualdo Quinto libro dei madrigali performed by the Hilliard Ensemble on ECM New Series. Gesualdo, the master of surprise dissonances is one of my favourite early composers and his works are just the sort of thing the Hilliard Ensemble excel at. I could hapily listen to them for hours (particularly live) but in this recording you get the added bonus of a countertenor and soprano thrown into the mix making the whole sound lighter and more vibrant.
August:
Zelenka's Responsoria pro Hebdomada Sancta & Lamentatio Ieremiae Prophetae performed by Collegium Vocale 1704 on Accent. I'm becoming a bit of a fan of both Zelenka and performances of his works by this choir (check out the Missa Votiva too). Vaying in mood from serious and contemplative to wonderfully bouncy this is quite simply glorious Baroque music from the 1720s, wonderfully sung.
September:
Divitis / de Fevin Requiem performed by Ensemble Organum on Aeon. No this work wasn't written by two composers, they simply aren't sure who did write it, but it was almost certainly one of these two. It's also an early Renaissance work of considerable interest, and performed by a choir that may not be the most refined or balanced at times, but a choir nevertheless that contains a number of superb individual voices such as their basso profundo Antoine Sicot. Other choirs have recorded this work with instrumentation, but here you just have the voices, with no other distractions.
That's it for now, but next time we'll be in the run up to Christmas, so based on my current course there might just be some medieval carols served up with your mince pies, you never know.
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