Accentus Chamber Choir, Laurence Equilbey - Barber, Adagio For Choir And Other Choral Transcriptions

Tuesday 4th November 2003
Accentus Chamber Choir, Laurence Equilbey - Barber, Adagio For Choir And Other Choral Transcriptions
Accentus Chamber Choir, Laurence Equilbey - Barber, Adagio For Choir And Other Choral Transcriptions

STYLE: Choral
RATING 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 9066-
LABEL: Naive V4965
FORMAT: CD Album

Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

The title track is Samuel Barber's own choral arrangement of his impassioned “Adagio For Strings” using the text “Agnus Dei” that fits supremely well with the music. Accentus deliver the best performance of this beloved piece that this reviewer has heard. After such a strong opening it is inevitable that the standard cannot be maintained although it should be said that the choir do sing superbly throughout. The problem is the content. The second track, Mahler’s “Kein Deutscher Himmel”, which is the Adagietto from his Symphony Number Five, as used in Visconti’s Death In Venice, is equally good but nothing else reaches these heights. Other composers featured are Berg, Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Ravel and Wolf and with names like these one would have expected greater impact. Those who appreciate a cappella singing will relish at least some of this collection but others may find it too melancholic for everyday enjoyment.

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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