Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Your reviewer has struggled with this review for reasons he cannot quite identify. But first let it be said that the singing is wonderful. The chamber choir Laudibus are rightly held in high regard and some of the singing on this release is superlative. Praise must be given to conductor Mike Brewer and producer Paul Baxter for such an accomplished recording. My problem lies with the content, not the performance. The programme has been well compiled with old and new songs all based upon the Biblical Song of Songs, traditionally associated with King Solomon. We open with William Walton's "Set Me As A Seal Upon Thine Heart" and then travel back in time to Guillaume Bouzignac's "Surge, Amica Mea". A good start but then, for me, the juxtapositions from new (Howard Skempton, Gabriel Jackson and Francis Grier) to old (John Dunstaple, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Tomás Luis de Victoria) do not work. I tried reprogramming the order but could not find a satisfactory combination although I did greatly enjoy the closing "Le Cantique des Cantiques" by Jean Yves Daniel-Lesur. To conclude: the singing is worth hearing and much of the programme is excellent but there are too many buts for this reviewer to be entirely happy.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.