Choir works on CD Review: 17 November

**ardcarp** · 16-11-12, 22:17

Sounds fantastic...but am I being stupid? How will all that get fitted in between 11.15 and 11.59? But whatever...oh happy day...it's one of the rare Saturday mornings when, in theory, I'll be able to hear the programme in peace, so thanks, dovers.

**DracoM** · 16-11-12, 22:31

On the basis of previous hearings, the Stile Antico CD could be of more than passing interest.

**Simon** · 16-11-12, 23:40

Thanks for the heads up Draco.

Edit 20th Nov.: Thanks, ard, for correction. Sorry! I misread the original poster name. Thanks Dovers!

**ardcarp** · 17-11-12, 08:06

....and dovers

**ardcarp** · 17-11-12, 12:05

I thought A McG was a little harsh on Stile Antico. Agreed, they do not bring passion to Victoria or whoever, but that is their 'stile', namely a pure and immaculately tuned beautiful sound. There is more than one way to perform the Renaissance repertory, and this is theirs. There is plenty of passion to be found via Westminster Cathedral for instance, and if you want to go way over the top, why not the classic George Malcolm Tenebrae disc?

**DracoM** · 17-11-12, 14:59

Totally agree. Stile Antico's bass anchor allows flying up top, and accuracy and discipline seem to me to be their hallmarks.

That ancient St John's / Guest Victoria is about as passionate as you can get, plus the Malcolm/WEst Cath, and both ensembles have sepulchral basses to keep the pieces firmly grounded.

I often think that we may forget that Victoria's Holy Week material / the Requiem is written with reference to the dark intensity of Iberian catholic celebrations, and while cool clarity lets the music breathe in one way, IMO it needs the kind of intensity of phrasing that St John's/Guest used to bring to such music.

Westminster Cathedral USED to have that big sound, but I notice of late a much narrower, cooler treble sound, possibly bred out of the fact that with boys' voices breaking earlier, it is not all that common these days to have a good core of mature 13 yr olds with that richness of style that such male voices have just before the change, and the treble lines that give so much character to a choir's sound are more in the hands of 11/12 yr olds? Just a thought.

To my ear, if we are talking the trad choir school route, John Scott's St Thomas, Fifth Avenue Choir retains that treble richness of tone. Their choir school has boys having the luxury of singing treble longer, since the grade boundaries in American education are later, while English choir schools usually break at 13, and once kids move on, it is very rare that they will want to be seen to sing treble much into Y9, if at all. - peer pressure being what it is!!

Choir works on CD Review: 17 November

Choir works on CD Review: 17 November

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