Voices Of Earth And Air Vol IV
Navona, 2022
8/10
Listen Voices Of Earth And Air Vol IV
A celebration of human commonality that welcomes the Kühn Choir of Prague and the conductor Lenka Navrátilová, together they showcase 6 veteran composers who offer pieces that are very much sentimental to their journey.
Heidi Jacob’s “Lilacs” opens the listen with Kristýna Fílová’s soaring soprano and Amina Robinson’s narration amid the sublime choral harmonizing, and “My Hiding Place”, by Lydia Jane Pugh, follows with very intimate singing and soft instrumentation in the highly soothing delivery.
In the middle, Robert Lowry’s “How Can I Keep From Singing?” welcomes Ray Fahrner’s arranging to the poetic and pretty album highlight, while “That Music Always Round Me”, a Fahrner composition, alternates between bare moments and busy vocal layering that flows with a spiritual demeanor.
Approaching the end, John Robertson’s “Choruses About Music, Op. 16” unfolds with 3 movements of stirring voices that blend pitch and tonality with much grace, and the album exits on the very expressive and eloquent Marty Regan piece, “Alleluia”, where some more firm moments are mixed into the waves of intimacy.
A listen that further cements just how powerful storytelling can be, the collective voices here are captivating, enlightening and timeless.
Travels well with: The Music Of Jeffrey Jacob- Sequoias; The Music Of Rain Worthington- Passages Through Time