The Australian Voices, under their second director Gordon Hamilton,
appear and claim to be the new big thing in vocal music. They are certainly
progressive when it comes to the amount of new music which they have
commissioned and the high-quality photography and production involved in the
creation of this CD. One of the most notable things about the music on this
disc is the extended techniques used - such as percussive vocal effects,
glissandi and extreme vocal ranges. This creates very unusual sonorities
which are interesting and effective. They have also been considered
controversial, search YouTube for Tra$h Ma$h for something a little
different to listen to. The question is perhaps how seriously they can be
considered to be comparable to other classical vocal ensembles. The singers
sing using classical technique, the tuning and musicianship are not the same
as a popular ensemble, but I think essentially they sit on the fence between
classical and popular. This cross-over of genre has been explored before by
the likes of G4 - made famous by
The X Factor after all studying at
the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Katherine Jenkins is another
example. The mixing of two genres can be an excellent route to bring mass
audiences to less known repertoire, and to prompt everyone involved in both
classical and popular music, to explore new ways of listening to and
interacting with music of any sort.
Having just categorised this group and recording as inhabiting both
classical and popular boundaries, for the purposes of MusicWeb International
readers I feel that I should write about it with other classical recordings
in mind. My first comment is that all the music is quite similar in timbre,
tonality and overall effect. The sound captured is something prized by the
liner-notes with reference to The Sendesaal broadcasting studio in Bremen
where some of it was recorded. The sound is very warm, round and pure. Then
again, all of it is. The singing is very good, with the occasional bump in
the juicy legato to make the listener aware that real people are singing.
The exceptions are Robert Davidson’s
We Apologise and Peter
Clark’s
Pessoa Chorus I which is subtitled “Homage to
Luigi Nono” the Italian avant-garde composer. I actually enjoyed these
two works the most. The singers are stretched to their limits which creates
a more human feeling about the pieces, despite the opposite probably being
the intention. The stark, emotionless soundscape is absorbing and
intriguing.
Overall, I praise this disc for ignoring many of the limitations
perceived in classical music. I admire the singers’ direction and
drive. This isn’t my cup of tea but would appeal to many people for
the warmth of most of the pieces and for the fact that it is relatively easy
listening. The avant-garde pieces are performed with the most success due to
an insight into the humanity of the performers. would liked to have heard a
little more of this in the other pieces.
Hannah Parry-Ridout
Track listing
William BARTON (b. 1981)
Kalkadunga Yurdu [3:04]
Lisa YOUNG (b. 1959)
Other Plans [3:57]
Gordon HAMILTON (b. 1982)
To an Early-flowering Almond [3:39]
Diana (from Moon) [9:19]
We are children [3:36]
Toy Story 3=Awesome! [2:52]
Sergey RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
Bogoroditse Devo [2:43]
Franz BIEBL (1906-2001)
Ave Maria [5:23]
Nicholas NG (b. 1979)
Stellar Mansions [3:34]
J A FREYLINGHAUSEN (1670-1739)
Macht Hoch die Thur, Die Thor Macht Weit [4:15]
TRAD.
Maria Durch ein Dornwald Ging [3:09]
Franz Xavier GRUBER (1787-1863)
Silent Night [3:11]
Amber EVANS (b. 1993)
To the Evening Star [2:51]
Robert DAVIDSON (b. 1965)
We Apologise [6:44]
Peter CLARK (b. 1991)
Pessoa Chorus I [2:52]
