8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful collection, November 4, 2002
This review is from: Cambridge Singers - A Cappella (Collegium) (Audio CD)
This CD is a wonderful collection of mainly French and German song cycles. While I have multiple recordings of the Debussy and Ravel (favorite - Robert Shaw's "Appear and Inspire") and the Britten, the Brahms, Schumann and Poulenc cycles were new to me. All are executed with the pristine clarity and precision we all expect from the Cambridge Singers. My only slight complaint is that the British, with their emphasis on straight-tone singing (which I adore on Renaissance and virtually all English choral music), don't give enough warmth and expansiveness to their tone and emotion on the German and French literature. "Trois Beaux Oiseaux" by Ravel especially suffers from this lack of emotional connection. The soprano soloist, while singing with a lovely tone, sounds like she has no idea that she's singing about the fact that the birds are telling her that her lover is not going to return from war. Very stilted, no sense of arch to the phrase.
That said, these recordings are still a pleasure. The Poulenc in particular are a wonderful find. I have listened to them repeatedly and enjoy the frivolity and pathos which alternate between the movements.
This CD is roughly a French and German equivalent to the Singers' "There Is Sweet Music" recording, with its emphasis on whole song cycles, as opposed to the individual song selections of "Faire is the Heaven," "Hail, Gladdening Light," and "Images of Christ." And with the length of the CD (25 tracks), it's definitely worth getting yet another recording of the Ravel, Debussy and Britten in order to get the lesser-known Brahms, Schumann and Poulenc.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fine Survey of Choral Music, March 4, 2006
This review is from: Cambridge Singers - A Cappella (Collegium) (Audio CD)
John Rutter has long been established as a fine choral conductor as well as an intelligent programmer and this CD further substantiates his preeminent position. For this album Rutter has selected a wide ranging repertoire of songs written for unaccompanied chorus, a tradition that dates back to the plainsongs of the old churches.
Opening with Benjamin Britten's completely enchanting setting of WH Auden's long poem 'Hymn to St. Cecilia' is marked by fluid rhythmic changes, perfect enunciation, and glorious choral singing. This is followed by a set of Brahms songs for female voices alone, Schumann's four songs for full chorus, a lovely performance of 'Lay a garland' by the little known RL Pearsall (1795 - 1856), and the Delius 'The splendour falls on castle walls'.
Rutter and his chorus then survey the French literature with three songs by Ravel (including the perky and mocking 'Nicolette'), three songs by Debussy (with the incomparably beautiful 'Quant j'ai ouy le tamborin', and ends the recital with Francis Poulenc's 'Chansons francaises'. Through out the recital the choral tone is composer-appropriate, well recorded, and there isn't a weak moment in the set. Highly recommended for lovers of choral music. Grady Harp, March 06
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5.0 out of 5 stars
International a cappella, October 1, 2005
This review is from: Cambridge Singers - A Cappella (Collegium) (Audio CD)
It may seem somewhat strange for the Cambridge Singers to entitle a piece 'A Capella', given that almost all of their music performance is a capella. However, in this collection, they are performing a repertoire from composers whose usual fare is not a capella composition. This was performed in one of their regular recording haunts, the Great Hall of University College School, London, in 1992.
--Music--
The music here comes from composers in Germany, France and England from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. During the preceding Classical period, very little music was composed for choir/choral groups alone, and it wasn't until the Romantic period that revived interest in a capella music inspired compositions from composers such as those represented here. The twin influences of madrigal societies in Britain and the Cecilian movement on the continent helped fuel the drive for more a capella music.
From England and Germany, the Cambridge Singers perform pieces by Benjamin Britten, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, R. L. Pearsall and Frederick Delius. From France, they perform the music of Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, and Francis Poulenc. The influences of both Classical times as well as earlier folk songs, chansons and even sacred polyphony figure into the compositions to some degree.
The performances are solid, occasionally stellar. The voices are graceful and lovely, perhaps only occasionally dropping in energy a bit, but always recover nicely.
--Liner Notes--
The notes include an introduction to the CD, a listing of the tracks with composer, arranger and lyrics, together with a brief paragraph about the history of the piece. Where lyrics are in other languages, an English translation is provided. There is a listing of the performers of the Cambridge Singers, but no description of the group, nor biographical information about John Rutter.
--John Rutter--
Rutter was born in London and educated at Clare College, Cambridge. This was where his career as a composer, arranger and conductor began. His early work was with groups at King's College Chapel at Cambridge as well as the Bath Choir and Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked for the BBC providing music for educational series such as 'The Archaeology of the Bible Lands', until in 1979 he began forming the Cambridge Singers, and has continued a remarkable career of performance and recording as their director ever since.
--The Cambridge Singers--
The Cambridge Singers are a mixed choir of voices, many of whom were members of choir of Rutter's college, Clare College, Cambridge. While they specialise in English and Latin liturgical pieces, they have a wide range of recordings that span from modern compositions (including a remarkable requiem by Rutter) to English folk songs of the Middle Ages. Many are former members of the choir of Clare College and other Cambridge collegiate choirs (hence the name, Cambridge Singers). In the quarter-century since the founding, the Cambridge Singers have produced an impressive body of recordings.
This is a splendid recording.
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