Desires: A Song of Songs collection (2019)

performed by Ben Davies (baritone), Ben Davies (bass), Edmund Saddington (bass), Hannah Cooke (mezzo-soprano), Jeremy Budd (tenor), Julie Cooper (soprano), Katy Hill (soprano), Kim Porter (mezzo-soprano), Nicholas Madden (tenor), Richard Bannan (baritone)
composed by Anonymous, Antoine Brumel, Francis Grier, Gabriel Jackson, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Jacobus Clemens Non Papa, John Barber, Jonathan Dove, Juan Esquivel Barahona, Nicolas Gombert, Robert White, Rodrigo de Ceballos, Sebastián de Vivanco

Many collections of choral music have taken a specific liturgical event, text, or biblical theme for a subject, but the choice of the "Song of Songs" here, by the hot new British choir the ORA Singers, is apparently unique. This is a bit odd in that composers have been attracted since the early Renaissance by these allegorical sexual texts, which are packaged here with an elegant commentary by the Rev. Tim Harling. Better late than never, however, and you couldn't ask for a richer reading than the one here. The ORA Singers ... Read More

Many collections of choral music have taken a specific liturgical event, text, or biblical theme for a subject, but the choice of the "Song of Songs" here, by the hot new British choir the ORA Singers, is apparently unique. This is a bit odd in that composers have been attracted since the early Renaissance by these allegorical sexual texts, which are packaged here with an elegant commentary by the Rev. Tim Harling. Better late than never, however, and you couldn't ask for a richer reading than the one here. The ORA Singers follow the programming concept they have offered on other albums, with Renaissance works combined with contemporary a cappella pieces, but each of those categories contains unusual items. The Renaissance pieces feature some unusual composers; fans of lounge music may be disappointed that Juan Esquivel, the composer of Surge propera amica mea, is a Spanish Renaissance composer, not the Mexican lounge music figure, but this transparent piece is one of the most entrancing of the whole... Read Less