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The cacophony of Canberra politics temporarily gave way on Wednesday night to sounds far more harmonious. The Choir of Trinity College from Cambridge, England, is nearing the end of a national tour for Musica Viva, and had stopped at Government House for a concert in the presence of the Governor-General.
The youthfulness and vitality of this student choir, directed by Stephen Layton, is a delight...
Visitors for Musica Viva representing the Oxbridge and wider British cathedral choral traditions, the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge enjoys a valuable distinction from other forces with similar backgrounds: its voices are mixed, 11 female sopranos providing a resonant top line, an alto section with only two male members and a set of deft tenors schooled in ensemble membership rather than...
It was obvious from the opening short but lovely Arvo Part Slavonic Ave Maria, which quickly melded into an equally beautiful hymn from an all-night vigil by contemporary English composer Sir John Tavener, that the 30-odd mixed sex choral scholars in their academic gowns were a cut above.
From the Tavener, who wrote the vigil for Layton’s other choir at the Temple Church in London, we slipped...
Flawless in every aspect of choral technique and interpretation, the 30 undergraduates of the college created by Henry VIII delighted and amazed the full to bursting Town Hall. Pitch perfect, seamless ensemble was delivered with the rhythmic precision of a well-oiled machine in finely judged tone covering an astonishing dynamic range – always beautiful, whether distilled to a whisper or fully,...
Tickets to the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre have sold out and director Stephen Layton is quietly pleased. It is a bright sunny day in Brisbane and the British conductor plans to spend the day cycling around the river. It’s a long way from the cathedrals and willow trees of Cambridge, where the choir is based. The group of 30 choristers tour only once...
No longer the preserve of their own choirs, the choral music of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania now flows in the European mainstream, and has reached the banks of the Cam. The Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge enjoys the urgent heartbeat of this music – in all three Baltic countries it resonates with equal fervour from rock, folk and classical sources.
The most substantial contribution to this...