fearlessly virtuosic singing - 25.06.08

[Concert Review – St Magnus Cathedral, St Magnus Festival, Orkney] Rowena Smith, The Herald – 26 June 2008

No orchestral concert on the penultimate day of the St Magnus Festival but there was still plenty of variety. Violinist Alexander Janiczek and cellist Will Conway performed Bartok, Kurtag and Kodaly on the island of Flotta while, in St Magnus Cathedral, vocal ensemble Tenebrae skilfully juxtaposed ancient and modern French repertoire in a programme that brought together two of the towering works of the middle ages – Machaut’s Messe de Notre Dame and Perotin’s Viderunt Omnes – with works by three of the most important figures in twentieth-century French music: Durufle, Messiaen and Poulenc.

I have my reservations about Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles, an epic hour-long a cappella vocal work tracing the medieval pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella. Stylistically it seems to be a potpourri from the Eastern-European sacred canon, encompassing everything from Rachmaninov to Arvo Part. There is no doubt, though, that it is a superbly effective, dramatic work. Talbot’s use of spatial effects (small groups were separated from the body of the choir and positioned around St Magnus Cathedral) and sure sense of pacing ensure the music never flags. Combined with the fearlessly virtuosic singing of the 19 voices of Tenebrae, for whom the piece was written a couple of years ago, it was an accomplished and entirely engaging performance.