Bo Holten, BBC Singers - The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell

Published Tuesday 11th May 2004
Bo Holten, BBC Singers - The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell
Bo Holten, BBC Singers - The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell

STYLE: Choral
RATING 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 9851-
LABEL: Dacapo 8224214
FORMAT: CD Album

Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

As well as being one of Denmark's leading choral conductors Bo Holten is also an accomplished composer. In this collection all the texts, with one exception, are sung in English by The BBC Singers, of which Holten has been guest conductor since 1991. The one foreign text is a setting of the Latin "In Nomine" which was commissioned in 1999 for the 75th Anniversary season of The BBC Singers. Here Holten looks back to the 16th and 17th centuries and constructs something both ancient and modern. The title piece, "The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell" uses six poems by William Blake, including "The Tyger" which of course makes us draw a comparison with Sir John Tavener. Indeed Holten does seem to share affinities with Tavener and also Arvo Pärt, having the same simplicity that comes only after much hard work. The BBC Singers are in splendid voice throughout. Catherine Bott deserves special praise for her stunning solo in "Rain And Rush And Rosebush" that is based on a translation of a piece by Hans Christian Andersen. This is certainly the best acappella choral album of the year so far.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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