Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

There is something special about a family singing together. In part there must be some genetics involved that makes the vocal blend particularly good and I am sure there is also the family heritage of singing from the same hymnbook and generally encouraging each member to excel. Whatever it is, the Bevan family have it in abundance with various combinations of 17 siblings and cousins, all held together by honorary Bevan, Graham Ross whose day job is Director of Music at Clare College, Cambridge, with the end result being almost 70 minutes of excellent a cappella choral singing. The 18 carefully selected tracks take us through the season of Lent and Passiontide and, more specifically, Lent with four pieces, Psalm 23 for Palm Sunday, then five songs for Maundy Thursday, six for Good Friday, and a concluding two for Holy Saturday. Thus we await the Good News of Easter Day which, one hopes, will be celebrated on a future Bevan Family Consort release. Given the theme, of course the music is sombre, which is the purpose of Lent - to reflect and prepare so as to be ready to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. The music includes chants, including the title track 'Attende Domine' ('Hearken, O Lord'), with the majority being in Latin although, thankfully for this reviewer, texts and translations are provided. Honourable exceptions are Henry Purcell's 'Hear My Prayer, O Lord' from Psalm 102 and Psalm 21 for Palm Sunday which is set, in English, by David Bevan. There are several well-known pieces such as Maurice Duruflé's 'Ubi Caritas' and Francis Poulenc's 'Vinea mea electa' ('O vineyard, my chosen one') but there is also a world premiere recording of the six-voice 'Lamentations' by Alfonso Ferrabosco the Elder, a court favourite of Elizabeth I as well as another Elizabethan great in William Byrd's 'Tribulatio proxima est' ('Tribulation is very near'). Thus this album makes for sombre listening, but a time of reflection is never a bad thing and as we listen in the knowledge that Easter Sunday is coming it is a helpful aid to meditating on all aspects of the Good News.

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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