Choral Ikons

The Choir, James Whitbourn

John Tavener omschrijft zijn muziek als ‘ikons in geluid’ – een venster op de goddelijke wereld. De Britse dirigent en componist James Whitbourn dirigeert het Londense ensemble The Choir in een programma van Taveners angstaanjagend mooie onbegeleide koormuziek in uitvoeringen die worden beschreven als ‘indrukwekkend en spiritueel’.

Tavener:
 A parting gift for Tam Farrow
 Annunciation
 As one who has slept
 Hymn to the Mother of God
 Magnificat
 Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (Collegium Regale)
 Song for Athene
 The Hymn of the Unwaning Light
 The Lamb
 The Lord's Prayer
 The Tyger

"James Whitbourn's singers, seasoned yet still young, robustly engage with compositions that many groups treat with bloodless reverence...Those who like their Tavener pure and ethereal should not be deterred from tasting The Choir's more muscular approach to the composer's work. The tonal weight and emotional conviction of their performance opens fresh perspectives on familiar works."
Classic FM Magazine - May 2011

"The clue is not to over-dramatise the musical content - after all, Tavener is projecting a musical image, not telling a story - and The Choir thrive on the more expansive and extended images, such as Song for Athene and The Hymn of the Unwaning Light."
Gramophone Magazine - July 2011