Lux (2015)

performed by Alison King (water instruments), Andrea Haines (soprano), Ann Wright (water instruments), Anne Smith (water instruments), Barnaby Smith (counter tenor), Charlotte Brosnan (water instruments), Christian Forshaw (saxophone)
composed by Anonymous, Florilegium selectissimorum Hymnorum, Ben Folds, Edward Elgar, Eriks E?envalds, Gregorio Allegri, John Tavener, Morten Lauridsen, Ola Gjeilo, Patrick Hawes, Paul Mealor, Rihards Dubra, Robert del Naja, Sergey Rachmaninov, Thomas Tallis

Moving from the Signum label to the major Decca, the British choir Voces8, indeed an octet, breaks into new territory with its debut release for the Lux label. The album, with its vaguely positive theme and its mix of Renaissance, contemporary British and American, and pop selections, is aimed squarely at Britain's substantial crossover market. But it departs from earlier easy-on-the-ears collections in several ways, and it's worth the time of anyone who likes virtuoso choral singing. Voces8 not only takes on the difficult ... Read More

Moving from the Signum label to the major Decca, the British choir Voces8, indeed an octet, breaks into new territory with its debut release for the Lux label. The album, with its vaguely positive theme and its mix of Renaissance, contemporary British and American, and pop selections, is aimed squarely at Britain's substantial crossover market. But it departs from earlier easy-on-the-ears collections in several ways, and it's worth the time of anyone who likes virtuoso choral singing. Voces8 not only takes on the difficult octet vocal blend, they spice things up by using a pair of countertenors on the alto parts (this Lux shares with the group's earlier recordings). The shimmering effects that result are quite impressively controlled and even more significantly beautifully engineered in a pair of locations. Choirs have sung arrangements of the likes of Massive Attack and Ben Folds before, but it's not often that choral singing of this quality has been applied to them. The whole thing is so beautiful... Read Less