Reviewed by John Irvine

Poulenc's father died in 1917 and with him the composer's interest in Roman Catholicism. It took the death of a close friend in a motor accident in 1936 to bring him back to the faith from which he had been alienated. The rekindling of this faith heralded an important new phase in his creativity. This album consists of mainly unaccompanied choral music reflecting a faith renewed, which demonstrate Poulenc's command over voices. The pieces covering a period from the mid 1930s to the 1950s nicely compliment each other. The pieces are spellbinding in the use of voices to create moods and colours act as a catalyst for religious devotion. "Litanies A La Vierge Noir" was the earliest of these pieces to reflect his rediscovered faith, and in it Poulenc tried to encapsulate 'the calm devotional tone and rustic simplicity of French peasant prayers'. This concern to reflect ardent devotion was carried on in his "Mass In G" of 1937, which is a difficult and challenging piece, considered to be one of the most important acappella works to be written in this century. The 'Sanctus' of this is particularly excellent - a jaunty, joyful affair! "Salve Regina" and "Exultate Deo" are two contrasting motets, the former in simple four-part writing, the latter in complex multipart writing. The Motets for Lent and Christmas convey a startling array of moods, from the darkness of "Tenebrae Factae" to the richness of "Quern Vidistis Pastores Dicte". All in all a quite exceptional release, with an extraordinarily good performance from the men and boys of Westminister Cathedral. Normally boy choristers really turn me off, but these lads show exceptional tone and maturity in their approach to Poulenc. A definite A1 release. Full house!

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