Beyond all mortal dreams: American a cappella

"It's true--and I've commented on this before--that it's a relatively rare thing to hear a European choir giving more than occasional attention to works by American composers. Perhaps they just don't know the repertoire; perhaps they consider it somehow inferior to the great and abundant works by composers of their homelands and neighbors. Well, happily here's a program, by one of Britain's top choirs, that shows not only a special knowledge of repertoire and composers, but through these excellent performances shows off music that is every bit as sophisticated and worthy of attention as anything being written by Europeans of today or of the past century. The most interesting discovery for me was the music of Norwegian-born Ola Gjeilo--his Sanctus is a stunning piece, with multi-divisi textures and stylistic features that create a new world out of sounds reminiscent of those you hear in Russian/Baltic/Scandinavian sacred choral traditions. These are gorgeous pieces--and this Trinity College choir sings them to the manner born."
(10/10 ClassicsToday.com July 2011)

Recently named in Gramophone as the 'fifth best choir in the world', Stephen Layton and his acclaimed Trinity College Choir perform a stunning disc of American a cappella choral works.

The recording is a showcase of little-known American composers unearthed by Layton during his travels. These distinctive and luminous compositions illustrate the context in which better-known composers such as Lauridsen and Whitacre-already championed by Layton-learnt their craft.

The choir is in perfect voice. Their purity of tone, flawless intonation and depth of feeling are truly exceptional. This wonderful disc is a must for all choral fanatics.