17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunningly Beautiful, Oct 7 2004
By Charles Horton - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Peace-a Choral Abum for Ou (Audio CD)
Glorious Indeed! Robert Levine's above review is 'right on'.
Morten Lauridsen's chill-provoking 'O magnum mysterium' brought me to this project after hearing it on public radio at 2AM. Choice of material, quality and sensitivity of performance, and Grant Llewellyn's masterful direction make this a 'must have'.
I rarely buy choral music, but this one I will give at Christmas with a wish for the 'Peace' this music inspires.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Peace, Oct 6 2007
By D. J. Heath - Published on Amazon.com
Well, I really enjoyed this recording. Sure, the choir was not perfect in a few places but it was good enough for me (I sing in a couple of choirs myself). Lauridsen's Magnum was very good, quite hair raising in a nice way. The final chords so lovely and so hard to be really quiet yet maintain pitch and body.
6 of 19 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Cold Porridge, July 14 2005
By G. K. Hitchcock - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Peace-a Choral Abum for Ou (Audio CD)
The choral singing is crude and sloppy throughout this album. The whole product has the sound and look (is that an alien on the cover?) of something hastily and cheaply produced. Indeed, opportunism seems to have ruled over musicianship, as it appears the product was rushed to market to coincide with the outbreak of war in Iraq. Grant Llewellan is a fine musician and capable of producing so much more. What went wrong? Are the musicians in Boston just not up to snuff, or is the board and administration just painfully parochial? This is an ensemble that became leaders in baroque music under Christopher Hogwood. So what makes them think they should be performing Schoenberg, Barber, Delius and Gorecki?