Daily Telegraph, 22nd November 2003
The King's Singers' latest disc of carols deserves a warm welcome for
its musical sincerity and its quality of execution. The choice of
repertoire is wide-ranging, here from Praetorius and the ubiquitous "Anon"
to Part and Tavener, though there is a strong theme of traditional
Christmas melodies newly arranged for the group.
Although all the original members of the King's Singers have now
retired from the group and gone on to other things, the new generation
maintains the standards first set by those six Cambridge choral scholars
35 years ago.
This, the first recording by its latest line-up, established two years
ago, brings the sense that nothing fazes them, however tough the demands,
and there is a combination of precision and warmth to the singing,
captured in sympathetic acoustics. There is no gimmickry, no over-the-top
arrangements - at least until the final track, a souped-up version of You
Are the New Day.
Elsewhere, it is just good, honest music-making, whether in the refined
harmonised plainsong of Veni Veni Emmanuel, the restrained
poignancy of Warlock's Bethlehem Down or in the novelty of carols
from France, Poland and Argentina.
The Sunday Telegraph, 21st December 2003
No, not the old brigade who formed this vocal sextet 35 years ago!
Their successors, who came together in 2001, keep up the standard in a
wide-ranging selection of Christmas music, from the plainsong of Veni,
veni, Emmanuel and some Praetorius to the holy minimalism of Pärt and
Tavener, more to some tastes than to mine. I prefer Warlock's Bethlehem
Down and the new arrangements of traditional melodies specially made
for these singers, in which their sterling musicianship is demonstrated.
They sound particularly good in the church acoustic of the excellent
recording.
Carols from Argentina, Poland and France provide novelty. I could have
done without the extravagant version of You are the new day. Since
this and the disc are reviewed above are both full mentions of Christ and
Christmas, and therefore wonderfully politically incorrect, I assume they
won't be played in Tessa Jowell's so-called Department of Culture. What a
treat she is missing."
Michael Kennedy
CD Review, Radio 3, 13th
December 2003
I've saved the best 'till last. The Kings
Singers new carol album is sensational. Everything about it, pure class.
The title says it all - Christmas. Nothing extraneous, no
fripperies, just the best in the world doing what they do best.
<extract>
Scarily good ensemble singing! Do you think
The Kings Singers brush their teeth together? Those Mediaeval Baebes should
be bowing down in worship before them or at very least bringing them gold,
frankincense and myrrh.
Just because the Kings Singers have been part
of our musical landscape for so long its easy to take them for granted.
Well, don't. Give them all knighthoods. Put them on an open top bus
through London. Because the more you listen to this disc the better it
gets. Is there any language in which they can't sound effortless, any
style in which they can't "doo-be-doo". <extract>
Smooth as a baby's bottom. Apart from anything
else these boys sure do know how to use the microphone. A delicious
Argentinean carol there called La Peregrinaçion. This disc is
called Christmas, it's on Signum, and if you can't find something in
these 25 tracks to cheer you up as you wrap your presents, well you should
be in therapy.
I'm going to leave you with a new discovery,
something rarer than a star over Bethlehem. Behold I bring you tidings
of great joy, a jolly piece by Arvo Pärt. It must be Christmas. Have a
good one.
Iain Burnside
The Kings Singers in superb form, that Christmas number by Arvo Pärt,
Bogoroditsye Dyevo, from the pick of the Christmas pack as far as
Iain Burnside is concerned. The King's Singers Christmas is on
Signum. He's absolutely right, it is a peach of a disc.
Andrew McGregor
ClassicsToday.com - November 2003
Artistic Quality 10/10 Sound Quality 10/10
In 35 years
the British male vocal sextet known as the King's Singers has experienced
many turnovers of personnel, including the retirement of virtually all of
its original member - but three important things haven't changed one
little bit: quality of the performances, camraderie among the singers, and
compatibility of the voices. And on evidence of this new release on the
Signum label, this premier ensemble has found a recording team that shows
the group's talent to an even higher engineering standard than we've ever
heard before in previous issues from EMI and RCA.
Throughout
these 70-plus minutes and 25 tracks, we hear nothing but absolutely
first-class musicianship, top-notch arrangements, and always thoughtfully
chosen, entertaining repertoire that invariably and ideally suits the
group's sound and style. Among the selections are a few standard carols
and arrangements - Vaughan Williams' This is the truth, Ravenscroft's
Remember, O thou man, Bach's harmonizations of In dulci jubilo and
O
little one sweet, and the familiar, anonymous settings of There is no
rose, and The Coventry Carol - but there also are many more newer and
captivatingly original pieces, several exceptional ones created by King's
Singers member Philip Lawson (Lullay my liking; Veni, veni Emmanuel; No‘l
nouvelet). Notable too are a nifty (and most uncharacteristic)
Bogoroditsye Devo by Arvo Pärt, an exquisitely lovely and dramatic
rendition of Tchaikovsky's The Crown of Roses, "transformed by the great
jazz arranger Jeremy Lubbock", and the concluding re-working (with new,
Christmas words by Lawson and a string quartet accompaniment) of the
King's Singers signature You are the New Day.
For sheer
vocal beauty, you can't beat the performances of Rutter's There is a
flower and Stille Nacht, Lawson's Away in a manger, Praetorius'
Es ist ein
Ros' entsprungen, or Bach's O little one sweet. But then, the whole thing
is just gorgeous, and if you love Christmas music recordings, well, what
are you waiting for? This is one of the best ever.
David
Vernier
International Record Review - December 2003
After a 3 year holiday from recording, the King's Singers have burst
back onto the scene with their first Christmas disc in over a decade.
King's Singers Christmas marks something of a break with the past as
the boys forsake the luxuries of the studio, with its multiple mics and
the technical trickery, to stand naked before a straightforward stereo
pair in the church of St Michael's, Highgate. The results take your breath
away. In the raw, these gents sound better than ever.
Frighteningly precise intonation, instinctive articulation, a downy,
luxuriant tone, all captured in an excitingly lifelike recording. There
are 24 carols, one for every day of Advent, plus a bonus track Born on a
New Day, which is a seasonal reworking (with string quartet) of one of the
group's crowd pleasers. They traverse five centuries in seven languages,
from well-known carol service fare sung in unadorned versions, through to
the 'living tradition' - Part's epigrammatic Bogoroditse Dyevo and
Tavener's The Lamb, both originally commissioned for the famous Christmas
broadcast from King's College, Cambridge. The prevailing mood is more
reflective than popular - it's a red-nosed-reindeer-free zone - but
there's plenty of unexpected colour.The lovely Szezo to za prediwo is a
Polish-Ukranian song which they first heard in Warsaw, sung by one of the
choirs at a King's Singers' workshop. My favourite track, though, is a
refreshing and revitalized Veni, Veni, Emmanual: ond of several perfectly
calculated arrangements from the group's baritone Philip Lawson. Christmas
close harmony at its best.
Simon Heighes
Classic FM Magazine, December 2003
Four Stars out of five
In many ways, Praetorius was the most versatile German composer of his
period. Whatever he turned his hand to, whether psalms, motets or hymns,
the result was always highly imaginative and engaging, even though he
wrote over 1000 choral settings. Es ist Ein Ros' entsprungen is
sung here by the King's Singers, taken from their new album. The piece
also exists as one of 11 chorale preludes written by Brahms in 1896.
A great antidote to all those 'Yet more Carols from St Tedious'
Cathedral, Dullshire' compilations that flood the market at this time of
year. The King's Singers' style is beautifully detailed, and even the most
familiar carols sound fresh. The diction isn't always as clear as it might
be, but it's hardly a problem with works as popular as these.
Warwick Thompson
Ludwig Van Web
- December 2003
The soft-focus cover, full of reassuring colours, reflects the content
of this disc perfectly. The World-famous King’s Singers brings its not
inconsiderable talents to a well-balanced selection of pieces. Some bring
back memories of carol services, while others are the fruits of the
choir’s travels. Neither is the music of our time ignored, with music by
several living composers included. As one listens to the purity of
execution, it is indeed difficult not to get reflective …
The recording (St Michael's, Highgate) is pure and natural without
being in the least bit clinical. There is an almost devotional aspect to
much of this recording: it breathes an intimacy that speaks of warm
firesides and mulled wine.
As a programme this works well. They decide to juxtapose Arvo Part (in
bright mood) and John Tavener's interior 'The Lamb', grouping them with a
piece by Philip Lawson and surrounding them by a gently lullaby-like 'In
dulci jubilo' and a truly beautiful 'Maria durch ein' Dornwald ging’
(track 14). Of course, these days a Christmas disc would not be a
Christmas disc without at least some input from John Rutter, and here
indeed he is in the form of 'There is a flower'. For this reviewer, it is
the Tchaikovsky (arr. Lubbock) item that is the highlight (track 17): it
grows organically from the opening monody to the agonised harmonies at the
words 'Red drops of blood'. The group of three favourites near the close
of the disc are guaranteed to bring great delight. After all, where would
we be without an ‘Away in a Manger’? (a Rutter arrangement: track 22).
Throughout the programme choral discipline is of the highest order.
Phrases always breathe naturally, tuning is universally spot-on and
atmosphere becomes all.
The great surprise of the disc is the final track. Except for a drum in
'Angelus ad Virginem', the disc has been for unaccompanied vocal group.
Here, in a Seasonally-adjusted version of ‘You are the New Day’ (now
called ‘Born on a New Day’) the King's Singers is joined by a string
quartet, whose unobtrusive accompaniment and commentary adds a welcome
depth to the listening experience, rounding off what has become more of a
moving experience than just another Christmas compilation.
Five
centuries, seven languages, and six singers with 35 years of remarkable
experience inform this rare collection of choral music. In the
world-renowned King's Singers resplendent voices, ancient and modern
choral music comes to life with all the blazing immediacy and timeliness
of the gospel of the nativity. With 25 pieces of music--ranging from
familiar works such as "Coventry Carol" to the obscure Tchaikovsky piece
"The Crown of Roses"--the King's Singers move through this hallowed and
festive set with the vocal mastery that only three-and-a-half decades of
accomplished work together is capable of creating. A number of
contemporary carols written in the last century by composers such as John
McCabe, Philip Lawson, John Rutter, and others are balanced by pieces by
Bach and a host of traditional works. Lawson's "You Are the New Day,"
performed with a string quartet, stands out as one of the more notable
performances Like most of
their music throughout Christmas, it reminds listeners that the art of
music often interprets divine aspects gladly realized "Here
on Earth.
Like many other musicians, England's famed 6 man a cappella ensemble
the King's Singers (the original inspiration for Chanticleer) has switched
to an indie record label, Signum, which has just released their new CD
release for the holiday season. Signum is a small (some say 'boutique')
label that lets its artists record pretty much what they want.
"Signum wants to record what we bring to them," says one of the group's
members, Robin Tyson. "Whether it's our new Christmas release, or
next year's Gesualdo, a pop disc, a re-release of an older deleted disc
our fans still want to buy, or even a DVD. Being hands-on means we have
more work to do ourselves, but the end result is much more satisfying."
San Francisco Performances presents them in a Christmas programme at 8pm
Dec. 13th at Herbst Theatre.
This morning I got the promo-CD of the new King's Singers' Christmas
album - and I just wanted to say that I was totally blown away by this
marvellous production!
It's farmost the best vocal album I've heard for many, many years!
Thank you and send my best to the ensemble and the production team.
I'll see to this CD will be played nation-wide by the Swedish Radio in
Advent.
www.rondomagazin.de 29th November 2003
35 Jahre King’s Singers -
selbstverständlich befindet sich heute keiner der Gründer von 1968 mehr
unter den sechs Sängern (die letzten schieden 1993 aus), aber mit einer
Gesamtzahl von 18 aktiven und ehemaligen Mitgliedern erweisen sie sich als
äußerst konstantes Ensemble. Der Erfolg gibt ihnen recht: Ein Blick auf
ihren dichten internationalen Tourneeplan beweist, dass die King’s Singers
auch im neuen Jahrtausend keineswegs ihr Publikum verloren haben. Ihre
neue Weihnachts-CD "Christmas" gibt ihnen einmal mehr Gelegenheit, ihren
seidenweichen Sound zu präsentieren: Besonders der ebenso samtige wie
kraftvolle Bass Stephen Connollys und die glasklare Countertenor-Stimme
David Hurleys bestimmen das insgesamt faszinierend homogene und überragend
sinnliche Klangbild. Hinzu kommt die traumwandlerisch sichere Intonation:
So sauber wie die King’s Singers singt kaum ein anderes Ensemble.
Das Programm ist eine bunte Mischung
weihnachtlicher Lieder, bestehend aus Originalkompositionen Bachs,
Praetorius’, Pärts oder Taveners sowie diversen Arrangements.
Unüberbietbar zauberhaft macht Philip Lawsons (einer der beiden Baritone
des Ensembles) einfallsreicher Satz von "Veni, veni, Emmanuel" den Anfang.
Weitere Höhepunkte markieren etwa der bekannte Praetorius Satz "Es ist ein
Ros’ entsprungen", Peter Warlocks "Bethlehem down" oder Lawsons
Bearbeitung von "Away in a manger". Dazwischen gibt es den einen oder
anderen Durchhänger, verursacht meist durch nicht ganz so ansprechende
Partituren oder das recht unidiomatische Deutsch. Macht nichts:
Weihnachten wird trotzdem noch ein wenig schöner mit dieser CD.
