Carmelite vespers (1989)

(...) The performances here have plenty of vitality. Andrew Parrott sets quick tempos in all the choral movements, and the choir respond with highly energetic singing. The magnificent opening movement of the Dixit goes with a tremendous swing, if with a hint of that almost hectic feeling that comes from a tempo's being just one degree faster than seems entirely natural (and the soloists's difficulty with their arpeggio figures makes it clear that they are a bit pressed). This quality, I fear, persists?it is there again in the 'Dominus a dextris tuis' and in a number of choruses in the other works and in some solo movements too (in the Saeviat tellus for example). Possibly, in a drier acoustic, without so much resonance, this would matter less, as it is, the performances have a tension, a 'nervy' quality, that does not seem wholly in keeping and leaves one feeling that the music is being driven too hard. (...)

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