Search - Swingle Singers :: 1812

Unusual repertoire ... with the usual high standards

Benjamin Sagan | Laguna Niguel, CA | 09/14/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Maybe I should preface this by mentioning that I am a fan of the Swingle Singers, and indeed of most a cappella or jazz vocal ensembles (Singers Unlimited, Anonymous 4, Manhattan Transfer, etc.) I have the sincerest admiration and respect for what they do with their voices because I know how hard much of it is.So having said that, I must confess to a mild surprise when I read the track list for this release. The Swingles, so well known and loved for their classical pieces rearranged for voices, are singing Beatles songs and a Mancini TV theme? I wondered what had happened to them.But then again, they are also singing classic (and classical) overtures by Rossini and Tchaikowsky, along with Debussey and Henry VIII.. All in all, a very bizarre program. But does it work? Absolutely. In fact, it's now my favorite Swingle album.Without ever compromising their unflinchingly high musicianship, this dumbfounding octet manage to breathe a wholly new life into pieces that have been heard at least three times too often (like William Tell), and to show off a very different side with their deeply moving performance of "Blackbird/I Will." The coupling in that track, by the way, is inspired, and the arrangement makes both songs sound better than they actually are. Add to that a hilarious rendering of 1812 (maybe Tchaikowsky *should* have incorporated air-raid sirens and machine-gun fire!) and an almost acrobatic version of "Peter Gunn" and you have an album that is at once thoroughly entertaining and artistically impressive.You almost CAN'T be disappointed.--Incidentally, listen to the way they make their voices sound like the various instruments in Peter Gunn.. it amazes me every time when I hear the saxes, the trumpets and the clarinets, despite knowing there are only human voices present. --"