Graham Ross and the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge‘s newest release, Palestrina Revealed, on Harmonia Mundi has had some fantastic reviews. See below for a round up:
Musicweb International
“the choir sings the often-complex polyphony impressively”
“thrillingly exultant polyphony”
“the choir’s expert control of the sustained lines is admirable.”
“in this excellent performance I especially admired the tonal purity and accuracy with which the top soprano part is sung.”
“This is a very fine disc. The singing is exemplary throughout. These young singers achieve a lovely, carefully blended sound. Graham Ross has clearly trained his choir expertly; he judges the music very well indeed.”
“As is usual with this choir, Sir John Rutter has returned to his alma mater to produce and engineer the recordings. He’s done a very good job indeed, balancing the ensemble in an ideal fashion which surely reflects his own expertise in choral conducting. He’s also used the warm acoustic of All Hallows’, Gospel Oak to impart just the right degree of resonance to the sound. This disc is a most auspicious way to mark the 500th anniversary of Palestrina.”
BBC Radio 3 Record Review
“Bringing several pieces of Palestrina to light for the first time… Light, attractive, flexible sounds from these young singers. An excellent album for Palestrina’s 500th anniversary this year”
BBC Music Magazine ****
“The Clare College Choir sing in a harmonious and touching manner. Their attention to naturalistic text rhythms gloriously break free of the bar lines in modern editions. These enjoyable performances take us further across the vast ocean of Palestrina’s works”
The Classic Review
“These deeply felt readings connect the congregation (listener’s) head and heart to the liturgy being celebrated on their behalf. And as one would expect, the three English motets are superbly performed, giving us another prism through which to understand and appreciate Palestrina’s art.”
Financial Times ****
“Performances are high quality, not chiselled in perfection like some of today’s professional small choirs, but tonally youthful, lithe and well balanced.”
Classical Music Sentinal
“In this recording, the timbral and dynamic balance achieved by the members of the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge is quite remarkable (hard to believe this level of excellence possible from a 21st century group of college students).”
WTJU
“These perfectly blended yet perfectly balanced performances reveal the artistry of Palestrina’s polyphony.”
“I was most impressed by the performances recorded here. There’s a luminous quality to the choir’s blend that suits this music. Yet each line was easy to follow throughout. There was also a nice balance of room ambiance. It made the voices sound full, without muddying the sound. Well executed on every level.”
Presto Classical
“remarkably serene album”
“The choir’s sound, as I’ve mentioned, is refined but never timid – there’s sensitive phrasing that allows syncopations to emerge, and all the step-out soloists for the verse sections (in the Magnificat and both masses) excel. For such relatively young musicians their assurance and poise is remarkable.”
“Graham Ross and his Clare College Choir have become something of a choral powerhouse under his leadership and have elbowed their way onto the turf of other, historically dominant collegiate choirs through their sheer musical quality.”
www.harmoniamundi.com/en/albums/palestrina-revealed-ross-clare/