Search - Hilliard Ensemble :: Songbook

The Hilliard Ensemble, Britain's premier classical vocal quartet, is expert at abbreviating vast periods--in this case the late twentieth century. Better known for their Early Music recordings and repertoire, the group draws distinct parallels between pre-Renaissance polyphony and New Music's explorativeness on this expansive collection. Combining works they've commissioned with timeworn classics like Morton Feldman's Only and a couple of Arvo Part pieces, the ensemble throttles language and delights in tonal malleability, making sonorous beauty and dense abstractions sound like close cousins. --Andrew Bartlett