Motets français pour voix aiguës (for upper voices)

Reviews

‘rock-solid intonation, crispness of articulation, scrupulous attention to balance, confident solo work, and much else besides… All in all, then, this is a highly successful follow-up to the previous release, and it is crowned by a brilliatnt performance of Poulenc’s Litany to the Black Virgin of Rocamadour. Its calculatedly angular and coolly dispassionate harmonies, compounded by the chalenging organ part, are actually, of course passionate in the extreme, Poulenc at his most determinedly intense. I am tempted to say the disc is worth acquiring for this track alone, but actually, it is worth acquiring for everything it contains. ‘ International Record Review May 2014

‘
Bouzignac, Boesset, Danielis, and Campra are 16th-17th Century composers with roots in and around Toulouse. Their music is delivered with clarity, verve, and exemplary control, and with the gamba and organ on hand to back up the choral counterpoint. A beguiling sense of elegance jumps across the centuries to the long melodic lines of Fauré, which sound natural and effortless despite their difficulty. Plenty of adult choirs could learn from the innocent, unforced spiritual connection forged by the choir with Poulenc’s Litanies and Duruflé’s much-traveled ‘Tota pulchra es’. Things remain stylish as the dissonances pile up in contemporary works by Patrice Libes (b 1960) and Marc Bleuse (b 1937), the director of the Toulouse Conservatoire, whose In Manus Tuas (with percussion) is the longest work (15 minutes) on this distinguished program.’  American Record Guide July 2014