CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

Eric Whitacre: Cloudburst and Other Choral Works

by: Eric Whitacre, Polyphony, Robert Millett, Stephen Betteridge, Stephen Layton

Release Date February 14, 2006
What a gorgeous recording this is! The beauty of this music is absolutely stunning, like hearing music for the first time. It's really hard to believe that Whitacre is only 35--the degree of spirituality and depth of feeling here seems the product of a lifetime. And unlike many choral composers, he is not a one-trick pony. Every aspect of every composition is distinctive, even as it is always recognizable as his. And like Arvo Part, you get the overwhelming sense that every note is heartfelt, never calculated, though Whitacre's aesthetic is warmer and less austere than Part's ("Sunburst" would have been a more apt title for the CD). I am also reminded in some ways of the Bulgarian women's choirs: Bulgarian music is full of extreme dissonance, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

Tippett: Symphonies

from: Chandos

Release Date October 18, 2005
What a gorgeous recording this is! The beauty of this music is absolutely stunning, like hearing music for the first time. It's really hard to believe that Whitacre is only 35--the degree of spirituality and depth of feeling here seems the product of a lifetime. And unlike many choral composers, he is not a one-trick pony. Every aspect of every composition is distinctive, even as it is always recognizable as his. And like Arvo Part, you get the overwhelming sense that every note is heartfelt, never calculated, though Whitacre's aesthetic is warmer and less austere than Part's ("Sunburst" would have been a more apt title for the CD). I am also reminded in some ways of the Bulgarian women's choirs: Bulgarian music is full of extreme dissonance, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

John Tavener: The Veil of the Temple [Hybrid SACD]

from: RCA

Release Date March 22, 2005
What a gorgeous recording this is! The beauty of this music is absolutely stunning, like hearing music for the first time. It's really hard to believe that Whitacre is only 35--the degree of spirituality and depth of feeling here seems the product of a lifetime. And unlike many choral composers, he is not a one-trick pony. Every aspect of every composition is distinctive, even as it is always recognizable as his. And like Arvo Part, you get the overwhelming sense that every note is heartfelt, never calculated, though Whitacre's aesthetic is warmer and less austere than Part's ("Sunburst" would have been a more apt title for the CD). I am also reminded in some ways of the Bulgarian women's choirs: Bulgarian music is full of extreme dissonance, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

The John Tavener Collection

from: Decca

Release Date November 11, 2003
I found this recording frustrating, for example, on "Funeral Ikos" The Holst Singers are muddy, and there is too much `ring' from the recording venue. In addition, in an attempt to respect the quietude with which the piece begins, it is simply recorded at too low a volume. The King's College Choir, Cambridge/Stephen Cleobury recording on "IKOS" is superior.

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

John Tavener: Schuon Hymnen; The Second Coming; Exhortations and Kohima; Shûnya

from: Hyperion UK

Release Date October 12, 2004
I always knew it should be possible and John Tavener has done it. Human voices put into harmonies of unparalleled beauty. If you enjoy chant or choral music or trance or new age, buy this and make your ears happy.

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

John Tavener: Schuon Hymnen; The Second Coming; Exhortations and Kohima; Shûnya [Hybrid SACD]

from: Hyperion UK

Release Date May 10, 2005
I always knew it should be possible and John Tavener has done it. Human voices put into harmonies of unparalleled beauty. If you enjoy chant or choral music or trance or new age, buy this and make your ears happy.