Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Pity your poor reviewer who is running out of superlatives with which to sing the praises of Suzi Digby and her remarkable ORA Singers. Having frequently awarded their releases a full 10 square rating I have a problem in that this is the best yet and I have nowhere else to go. Yes, it really is that good and certainly my top Choral release of 2020. As with previous releases, this takes an established classic - in this case Thomas Tallis's remarkable 40-part motet 'Spem in Alium' - and couples it with a contemporary reflection. For this release the response to Tallis comes from Britain's greatest living composer, Sir James MacMillan, who has given us another 40-part motet, this one entitled 'Vidi Aquam' ('I saw water', from Ezekiel chapter 47). Here am I, struggling to find words to do justice to Tallis's immortal composition and then Sir James comes up with something just as good that manages to sound both like and yet different to its source. If you have already heard the Tallis, trust me when I say you need to hear the ORA Singers sing it and then when you hear the MacMillan follow-up, I am sure that, like me, you will be lost for words. The rest of the programme, admirably curated by John Milsom who also provides some very helpful liner notes, goes back to Tudor times and makes a hypothetical link with the great Nonesuch Palace commissioned by Henry VIII to show the rest of Europe that anything they could do England could do too. So we get 50 minutes of magnificent singing of an interesting selection of Tudor polyphony from, in alphabetical order, William Byrd, Alfonso Ferrabosco I, Derrick Gerarde and Philip van Wilder, plus some more Tallis and some anonymous Plainchant. I would suggest that even keen collectors of Tudor music may find some pleasant surprises here but the 'Spem' and MacMillan's 'Aquam' make this an essential purchase regardless. If you happen to come across the album with the '450 Years Anniversary' DVD pay the extra and get it. The live session recording from All Hallows', Gospel Oak, London is well worth a look and the interviews with Suzi Digby and Sir James MacMillan are informative and illuminating.

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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