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Westminster Cathedral? Broadway? Estonia even? In fact it’s the shamelessly ecstatic writing of the American composer Morten Lauridsen raising alleluias at the end of his Lux aeterna. This extended work for chorus and orchestra was premièred in 1997 by the Los Angeles Master Chorale for whom it was written. And it’s performed here by Stephen Layton’s Polyphony and the Britten Sinfonia.
Lauridsen...
Tavener's The Veil of the Temple is massive in scale and influence; the sheer number of singers (more than 200), in combination with orchestrations encompassing elements of mid-eastern, eastern Indian, Tibetan and traditional western liturgical musical traditions is staggering. All this, in combination with texts from Islam, Christianity and Hinduism makes for one mind-boggling aural experience....
One of the most popular of London's annual Christmas concerts is the Stephen Layton/Polyphony Messiah at John's Smith Square (23 December). Layton doesn't pussyfoot around when it comes to works like this - a tough and forthright interpreter, he imparts an enormous power and muscular energy to the music. Polyphony were on their usual top form, with a particularly good showing from the altos....
This performance of Messiah, the closing concert of this year's "Christmas Festival" at St John's, was a startling combination of precision choral singing by Polyphony, vigorously sympathetic, clear and expressive playing by the Orchestra of Polyphony, solo singing from a distinguished quartet, and an almost symphonic conception of the whole by Stephen Layton (with more than a little help from...