CD, Tavener (composer)
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Tavener: No longer mourn for me & other works for cello
Steven Isserlis (cello), Matthew Rose (bass), Abi Sampa (vocals)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Trinity Boys Choir, Omer Meir Wellber
These are among Tavener’s most powerful works. They are magnificently performed. Those simple points could easily be lost in the necessity of charting not just the diverse range of music and... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2020, Editor's Choice
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BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2020, Recording of the Month
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2021, Winer - Premiere Award
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Imaginative, sensitive programming has been a constant feature of Ruby Hughes’s collaborations; and this latest with the perennially adventurous Manchester Collective is no exception...A disc... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, March 2024, Choral & Song Choice
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Gramophone Awards, 2024 Shortlist, Shortlisted - Voice & Ensemble
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Sunday Times, 20 Best Classical Albums of 2024
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This latest recording once again showcases his singers' effortless versatility both as choristers and soloists...One of Tenebrae's great strengths is to bring both dignity and panache to these... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, August 2025, August 2025
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2025
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2026, Shortlisted - Choral
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[Tenebrae's] account of Parry's Songs of Farewell abounds in subtleties of phrasing and telling distinctions of dynamic, yet flows beautifully, the textual narrative unfolding with a rare continuity... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2012, Choral Finalist
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One doesn’t often find Thomas Tallis, Edward Elgar and John Tavener sandwiching Massive Attack, but the lovely Teardrop works astonishingly well in this mixed programme devoted to the concept... —
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New. Arise My Love - Music For the Break of Day
Alexander Potts, Flavius Dumitru, Alexander Pott, Henry Morris, Julian Hartley (tenor), Maurice Cole (tenor), Aidan MacLean (tenor), Ioan O'Reilly (bass-baritone), Blaise Durodie, Joseph Wragg (bass-baritone), Sadie Bosher (vocalist), Joshua Kenney (tenor), John Morshead (bass-baritone), Choir of...
The choir sings with a classic English cathedral sound: softedged attack, little concern for hyper-precision, and a treble sound marked by a gentle, airy breathiness...Not every piece convinces... —
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It's when the pedal goes down (literally and metaphorically) that this disc really soars, startling the ear into ecstasy with the sudden release of Rachmaninov's Cherubic Hymn, the 'bright Seraphim'... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, July 2019, Editor's Choice
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Meditatio: Music for Mixed Choir
Rakel Edda Guðmundsdóttir (soprano), Ragnheiður Sara Grímsdóttir (soprano), Thelma Hrönn Sigurdórsdóttir (soprano), Kirstín Erna Blöndal (soprano), Jóhanna Ósk Valsdóttir (alto), Helgi Steinar Helgason (tenor), Fjölnir Ólafsson (bass)
Schola Cantorum Reykjavicensis, Hörður Áskelsson
The singers have a distinctive timbre, with strength held in reserve in almost every item —
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As a concept, this collection of songs inspired by rugged British landscapes is intriguing. The delivery is powerful, but borders on twee at moments. —
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Tavener: Akhmatova Requiem
Phyllis Bryn-Julson (soprano) & John Shirley-Quirk (bass-baritone), Elise Ross (soprano)
BBC Symphony Orchestra, The Nash Ensemble, Gennady Rozhdestvensky
this heartfelt setting of Anna Akhmatova's blistering condemnation of Stalinist atrocities still packs an enormous punch...The Requiem grips from the start...Phyllis Bryn-Julson is on strong... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, December 2014, Re-issue of the Month
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