Reviews & Media

20 March 2008

New Zealand Herald

Observing a truly Good Friday

by William Dart

"It's that week," sighs conductor Indra Hughes when asked how Musica Sacra's Good Friday concerts are shaping up. Over the past few years, these have been immensely popular. One reason for their appeal is that they are free (with the chance for a donation at the end) but, says Hughes, "this is a day which has inspired so much wonderful music, as well being a time when not many other organisations are putting on competing events. I also feel there is quite an amount of people out there who want to make some observance of Good Friday without necessarily spending three hours in a church doing devotions."

Tomorrow the focus will be on Dieterich Buxtehude (1637-1707) with a performance of his Membra Jesu Nostri, a sequence of seven short cantatas based around various aspects of the crucified body of Jesus. In his lifetime, Buxtehude's reputation was as an organ composer, Hughes stresses, and "a flashy virtuoso performer on the instrument"—spurring the 20-year-old Bach to walk 400km from Arnstadt to Lubeck to hear him play. "Buxtehude was a showman and an impresario as well. He organised a series of evening concerts and very cannily got all the local businessmen to pay for them, even down to purchasing the instruments and financing the seating."

However, there is nothing flashy about tomorrow's Membra Jesu Nostri. "A literal transcription of the title could be Jesus' Body Parts," Hughes explains. "The first cantata starts by considering his feet and then we work up the body to the heart and finally the head. It's a bit as if you are contemplating a painting of the Crucifixion by Van Der Weiden or Van Eyck, running your eyes over it very slowly, being drawn in."

John Wells will play the Donald Barriball Memorial Chamber Organ which Musica Sacra acquired in 2006. "The instrument is settling well," says Hughes, "and gives a wonderful visual focus as it's such a beautiful thing to have in the middle of the players."

Heading the bill tomorrow is a particularly strong quartet of soloists in Pepe Becker, Kate Spence, Iain Tetley and Hadleigh Adams. While the first three are well-known to Auckland choral audiences, Wellingtonian Adams is a new face and voice. The capital has already enjoyed the young singer's enterprising recital of the Aids Song Quilt, featuring music composed by contemporary American composers; Adams was also in good voice for a supporting role in Matthew Suttor's recent The Trial of the Cannibal Dog. In May, as one of NBR New Zealand Opera's Emerging Artists, he will feature in the cast of La Boheme. "I often feel opera singers are like bodybuilders," Hughes confides. "It's the Arnold Schwarzenegger thing, hideously and unnaturally over-developed. They can have this enormous volume but not the musicianship. "So it was great to invite Hadleigh to join us, because he has not only the voice but the artistry and the musicianship to go with it."

Click here to read the article on the Herald web site.

15-21 December 2007

New Zealand Listener Vol 211 No 3527, page 42

Going for Baroque

Auckland’s most recent and most surprising musical obsession is the Baroque.

a review and preview of various early music performances in Auckland

by Rod Biss

[The article opens with a review of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's 3-week "Splendour of the Baroque" concert series, directed by Roy Goodman]
…it remained a fact that the APO was unable to let us hear the real splendour of the early Baroque. This was left for Musica Sacra directed by Indra Hughes, who brought New Zealand's only theorbo (bass lute) and its player, Jonathan Le Cocq, up from Christchurch. With a handful of strings and John Wells playing the beautiful chamber organ, St Matthew-in-the-City sounded as if it had become St Marks in Venice. It is a sound unlike any other, highly coloured yet clear and emotionally extravagant. The choir tackled the difficulties of Monteverdi's Missa In Illo Tempore fearlessly. The instrumental accompaniments had the genuine fluidity of the early Baroque, the sort of improvisatory embellishment of the harmonies that good jazz players know more about than symphony orchestra players. […]
[The article then goes on to preview four upcoming performances by other groups.]

Click here to read the full article.

25 November 2007

Metro Magazine (December 2007 issue)

review of Christmas a cappella II

by Rod Biss

Classic Hit

Here's a CD you can't and shouldn't resist; perfect for yourself or to play at the family get-together. best idea of all, why not buy a box and send them as your Christmas cards? It's a compilation of 22 Christmas carols sung unaccompanied with taste, precision and infectious delight by Auckland's splendid specialist choir Musica Sacra, under the direction of Indra Hughes. There are many old favourites such as Away in a manger, ancient treasures like Palestrina's Alma Redemptoris Mater and new gems such as David Griffiths' Annunciation.

15 November 2007

New Zealand Herald, page B6

Sacred musicians weave a mass of sonic sculptures

Choral style employed to produce memorable effect

Indra Hughes led the audience on a rare, remarkable aural odyssey

by William Dart

Musica Sacra has built up a loyal audience for its disciplined and imaginative choral singing and a solid attendance at Sunday afternoon's Monteverdi concert was thoroughly deserved. Basing the programme around the Italian composer's Missa in Illo Tempore, with its movements punctuated by various motets and other settings, Indra Hughes provided an intriguing toe-dip into music that gets scant attention in this country. The Mass was at its strongest in the Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei sections, in which the singers created an enchanting weave of sound, the Sanctus almost mesmerising in its waves of glorious vocalising. The Gloria and Credo were more testing. In the first, despite no shortage of energy, solo voices sometimes jarred when they emerged from the choral texture. The Credo had its tentative moments and patches where tone was not so scrupulously sustained, although Hughes made the most of the movement's dramatic potential, especially in the hushed Et incarnatus est. The shorter Monteverdi pieces ranged from a robust Cantate Domino and a full-blooded Adoramus te, Christe in which the choir acquitted itself most creditably. A sprightly Beatus Vir ended the afternoon with buoyant, dancing rhythms and graceful instrumental interludes of the sort that charm you endlessly in Monteverdi's opera, Orfeo. If there were moments when various groupings within the choir came through unevenly, it did not detract from the effect of the whole. A small instrumental group led by Rosana Fea made a welcome contribution, clustered around John Wells on the liquid-toned Donald Barriball Memorial Chamber organ. The delights of Jonathan Le Cocq's theorbo, an exotic instrument like a giant lute, were as much sculptural as musical, although its delicate wash of sonorities contributed much feeling. Finally, all praise is due to Wells' crisp and finely-shaded organ solos that gave a richer historical setting for the Monteverdi we were hearing. Improvisatory preludes by the two Gabrielis, uncle and nephew, were like olde improv rambles to lose oneself in. A Merulo Toccata and a Sweelinck Fantasia Chromatica were daring, forward-looking pieces, while a Cavazzoni Ricercar revealed the seeds from which mighty Bach fugues would eventually grow.

click image to enlarge

13 October 2007

New Zealand Herald, page A27

report of the Launch of Christmas a cappella II

Tuesday night [9 October] saw the release of Christmas a cappella II, the beautiful new album from one of New Zealand's leading choirs, Musica Sacra. A chamber choir of around 30 voices founded and conducted by Dr Indra Hughes, Musica Sacra is based in Auckland, and the eagerly awaited album is a sequel to their very successful release Christmas a cappella, which was number one in the New Zealand classical charts in 2001. It includes a wide variety of pieces from the 16th century to the present day, and includes the work of composers from the US, Germany, Austria, England, France, Italy and New Zealand. The event was hosted by the Musica Sacra trustees, general manager Kevin Bishop and Dr Hughes. High point: a standout track on the album is a beautiful version of Silent Night sung in Maori, as arranged by Terence Maskell. Low point: That the choir didn't sing all night long! The beautifully executed extracts definitely left you wanting for more.

click image to enlarge (NB the photograph at bottom right is incorrectly captioned: the correct names are Jeff Todd (left), Jon Houldsworth, Glenys Todd)

16 October 2006

"CHOIR CONQUERS HARD CATHEDRAL"

LINDIS TAYLOR writing in the Dominion Post (Wellington)

Concert in Wellington Cathedral, 14 October 2006

Auckland's choir, Musica Sacra, which has been directed since its beginnings in 1998 by gifted English musician Indra Hughes, has made occasional visits to Wellington. Even for a city like Wellington, with a fine choral tradition and several excellent choirs, it is inspiring to hear choral singing of such brilliance and consummate artistry from elsewhere. Musica Sacra is a 30-voice choir that seems to have achieved all the qualities choral conductors dream about: a blend within each section and between each section that seems also to allow vivid contrasts as they navigate the complexities of Arvo Part’s Seven Magnificat Antiphons; entries that either emerge from nowhere or hit you with a thrilling synchronised blast; and a control of dynamics and tempi that puts the cathedral's challenging acoustic completely at the service of the singing. The concert was composed almost entirely of English music, apart from Part (Estonian), the American Whitacre, and Franck, whose Pastorale was one of two organ solos played by the choir's organist, John Wells. That much-loved piece responded beautifully to his choice of stops, phrasing and pacing. The other organ piece was the Andante Espressivo movement from Elgar's Organ Sonata. The organ dramatically introduced itself in Edward Bairstow's Sing ye to the Lord, a splendid, extrovert piece that at once assured us of an exciting and interesting concert. That was followed by In manus tuas by Tudor composer John Sheppard. It demonstrated the choir's command of complex polyphony, clarifying all the vocal lines with delicacy and restraint. For me the major events were the marvellous rendering of the Part Antiphons, Stanford's anthem For lo, I raise up, with some telling solos from within the choir, the quintessence of the best English choral music, making you wonder why, in most circles, Stanford is not ranked in the first division of composers; and, yes, Herbert Howells' Hymn to Saint Cecilia, a rapturous performance of a piece that is both ecstatic and heartfelt. The other 20th century composer was the 35-year-old Eric Whitacre, one of those classical composers who has hit success in a big way. His pathos-filled When David heard certainly pressed the right buttons, though the music was stronger in remarkable effects than in sheer musical interest. Stanford's contemporary, Parry, was represented by his long and more conventional Hear my words, ye people. Even that sounded like great music in the hands of this splendid choir and their charismatic conductor.

28 August 2006
The Inauguration of the Donald Barriball Memorial Chamber Organ

(Concert 26 August 2006)
WILLIAM DART writing in the New Zealand Herald

Whether it was quite the concert of the year that we were promised is a moot point, but the coming together of Musica Sacra and English organist John Scott did mean that few seats were empty in the sprawling spaces of the Holy Trinity Cathedral. There were irritating delays in starting, but a sumptuous programme—complete with quirky background notes from Indra Hughes—made that delay pass pleasantly. When the music started, Hughes' languorously paced Zadok the Priest showed the choir at its considerable best. Our first taste of the Donald Barriball Memorial Chamber Organ came when John Scott gave us a Byrd Fantasia, a chirruping delight bursting with bright, liquid colours. With the full force of the choir and AK Barok alongside it, the gentle tones of the organ occasioned some deference. The celebratory Sinfonia of Bach's Wir danken dir, Gott seemed a little muted, with both timpani and trumpets particularly solicitous in the dynamics department. However, split notes are no less intrusive for being played pianissimo. While Pepe Becker brought authority to her aria, Iain Tetley needed more tonal weight and Andrea Cochrane severely lacked vitality for a text that blazed with joy. The centrepiece of the evening was Handel's G minor Organ Concerto. Scott's crisp articulation, keen sense of colour and piquant improvisation were appreciated—but acrid echoes in the strings were not. It may have been a good idea to have Scott's hands projected on a video screen, but it was distracting when the image was flipped, and the organist's heaven-bound flights of fancy seemed to be spiralling in the other direction. The Foundling Hospital Anthem is not prime quality Handel, with the most memorable choral scoring and singing to be heard in "The Charitable shall be had in everlasting remembrance". Towards the end of the work, Pepe Becker and Lisette Wesseling were remarkably affecting in their short duet. As if the rousing Hallelujah Chorus, one of Handel's many borrowings in this anthem, wasn't enough, an encore followed. Bach's most famous Air, scrumptious on pizzicato strings and fluttering organ, proved the perfect parting bonbon.

International Record Review (London)—June 2005
Review by Marc Rochester

Musica Sacra is an Auckland-based choir whose reputation has yet to spread far beyond its native New Zealand. With the international release of this, its second CD, that should change, for this is an exceptional disc. Indra Hughes draws from these 31 singers a sound which has none of the pretentiousness or false enthusiasm of so many similar choirs from other English-speaking countries but rather possesses a certain earthiness vaguely reminiscent of those folk-music groups in the 1970s and 1980s. The individual quality of each voice is preserved and, as a result, the blend is natural rather than created by any self-imposed 'tone'. This is not particularly refined singing but has a naturalness and openness which conveys with real conviction the essence of these four, rare works.

There are inescapable weaknesses in ensemble between the voices and their instrumental support, and the technical limitations of some of the singers are cruelly exposed in Scarlatti's Stabat mater, but while at first it seems somewhat tired and overstretched, Hughes has a visionary approach which transcends such failings. With ten distinct solo voices revelling in their individuality there is a tangible feeling of intimacy and directness of expression which culminates in a magically translucent 'Amen'.

The anonymous notes which accompany the disc make the amazing claim that Rheinberger's Cantus Missae is 'one of the most sumptuous and glorious works of the Romantic period'. Since I have long associated Rheinberger with acres of turgidity, punctuated once in an extremely rare while by a rewarding moment or two, and with the triumph of adherence to rules over the fire of invention, this claim beggars belief. But, wait! What have we here? No acres of turgidity, but elysian fields bursting with wonderful moments, and with masterly manipulation of the eight-part a cappella textures serving an invigorating musical creativity. If I wasn't convinced the disc's booklet editor had got it right, I would never in a million years have associated this sumptuous, ravishing work with Rheinberger, but given this wonderfully rich and beautifully shaped performance, sung with such immense musicality and obvious enjoyment, I'm prepared to put this adorable music somewhere in the top 20 of 'sumptuous and glorious' works of the Romantic period.

I'm thrilled with the two remaining rarities which Musica Sacra unearthed to complete this fascinating programme. With Stanford's lavish, Bach-inspired setting of the Magnificat (not to be confused with the more famous English-language one from his B flat Anglican service) and Charles Wood's deeply lovely Nunc dimittis, we find two Irish Protestant composers highly inspired by Latin texts and, found in such unfamiliar surroundings, producing music of such exceptional quality. Once again, there is no doubt that it is the unimpeachable quality of Musica Sacra's performances which makes these works so memorable.

For this intriguing programme alone this is a 'must-have' disc: with such distinct and compelling singing it stands as one of the most impressive choral discs I've heard for a very long time.

14 June 2004
How are the mighty fallen—Concert 12 June 2004
WILLIAM DART writing in the New Zealand Herald

Robert Ramsey is a shadowy figure of 17th-century music, known only for a few volumes of choral works. The indefatigable Indra Hughes had chosen seven of Ramsey's motets as the pillars of Musica Sacra's Saturday night concert, which took its title from one of the composer's finest pieces, How are the mighty fallen.

The unrelentingly hard, if heated, pews of St Michael's were a small price to pay to experience some magnificent choral singing in a worthy acoustic. The success of the evening lay in the rapport between Hughes and his chamber choir. He coaxed them to revel in the sheer sound of the music they made, particularly the young, vibrant tenors of the group and the forceful alto section.

Tudor composers weren't backward in using the occasional dissonance to make a point, and Ramsey proved to be no exception. Musica Sacra made the most of them, particularly in How are the mighty fallen, where the David and Jonathan story had inspired an especially emotional setting from the composer.

The motet's final line, "and the weapons of war destroyed", repeating the last word for emphasis, must have had many in the audience thinking of the deepest hopes of our own grim times.

But is Ramsey such a radical spirit, one wondered? True, the voices entered quirkily in In Monte Oliveti but, on the other hand, O Vos Omnes had what sounded like a medieval moment at the words "sicut dolor meus".

The resourceful Hughes kept up interest even when the music was less than inspired. Ramsey's weakest offering, O come let us sing unto the Lord, started on a roll but ended up treading musical water. Little touches such as a hearty accent on the word "magnify" were appreciated.
A selection of motets by Palestrina, Gibbons and Weelkes set the Ramsey in context. The opening number, Palestrina's Dum complerentur was lusty and joyous; 30 minutes later Weelkes' O Lord, Arise, was less focused in terms of pitching.

After interval, Bach's great motet Jesu Meine Freude was an ambitious choice. As might be expected, Hughes made the most of the drama, especially when Satan came into sight. He was a stickler for the work's dramatic rests, although occasionally the sense of pulse drifted a little. In the demanding three-voice sections which, on the whole, were admirably sustained, phrases sometimes relaxed into mere successions of notes.

21 April 2003 (Easter Monday)
Musica Sacra at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre—Good Friday
21.04.2003 By WILLIAM DART

There was almost no room in the church, despite extra seats covering most of the pewless areas. So popular was this programme of Passiontide music and readings, devised and conducted by the indefatigable Indra Hughes, that it was a matter of standing-room only for latecomers.

Musica Sacra did not spare themselves with some extremely demanding repertoire. The most taxing was William Byrd's gripping Infelix Ego, setting a text written by the religious reformer Savonarola on the eve of his execution.

This 15-minute work was admirably carried off, with only the occasional softening of focus through the odd tentative entry and a tendency to shrillness in the soprano line.

These musicians were not afraid to sing out lustily when required in Purcell and Battishill, or give every chord in John Wells' Drop, Drop, Slow Tears its considered weight and attention.
Bruckner's Christus Factus Est, apart from a perilous bass moment, revealed the group's well-honed ensemble and tonal range, from rousing crescendos to feather-light pianissimi.
The highlight of the evening was David Griffiths' The Servant, a setting of the prophetic scriptures of Isaiah, some of which are familiar from Handel's Messiah. Scored for soloists, choir and two string quartets, this is a major work.

Griffiths' score is alive with subtle interplays and exchanges between various voices and instruments. The word setting is finely thought out and the composer is not afraid to burst out in the brightest of E majors.

Although some harmonic progressions give a nod to Philip Glass, there is also a glowing kinship with Vaughan Williams in the inventive handling of the rich string textures.

The choir was full-bodied but the soloists were uneven. Tenor Iain Tetley sang the lamb to its slaughter with a quite terrifying resolve, and the redoubtable Margo Knightbridge, following in that proud tradition of oratorio altos founded by Dame Clara Butt, clearly relished the march tune that Griffiths had given her.

The closing number, a serene When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, without the over-fussy harmonisations that had marred an earlier hymn-tune offering, was the perfect leave-taking.

Musica Sacra: CD Review by John Pattinson in Breve (NZ Choral Federation Magazine)—April 2003 (very slightly abridged)

On rare occasions one picks up a novel and reads it at one sitting and this latest CD by Musica Sacra falls into that same category. Here we have spellbinding performances of substantial works from the chamber choir repertoire. These are no ordinary works, however; like the institution of Holy Matrimony, these are from the box marked 'not to be enterprised nor taken in hand unadvisedly, wantonly or lightly'. Anyone who has ever stood in front of an able-bodied chamber choir will revel in the intoxicating whiff of danger when tackling works such as Domenico Scarlatti's ten-part Stabat Mater or Stanford's huge Magnificat in B flat. [Here the review digresses into an operatic story—Ed.] There are so many things that can go horribly wrong with a cappella performances at this level of difficulty that I know I'll find myself drawn repeatedly into listening, fascinated by its potential for disaster, even in the full certainty that it turns out brilliantly. It's so refreshing to encounter a choir which sings 'with the spirit and with the understanding also'. One gets the impression that everyone in this compact ensemble knows what they are about and is capable of sharing equal responsibility for the end result.

True, the Scarlatti at times (such as in the 'Inflammatus') does expose some voices which differ in quality (though not in standard) but the resulting individuality is, I believe, a strength which lends a human dimension to this enterprise. For these are clearly no mere choral clones seeking to produce a rarified, disembodied, ethereal wash of sound, but creatures of flesh and blood who combine musical intelligence and passion in equal measure. Nevertheless, the group is capable of a beautifully blended tone, and nowhere better than in their performance of the unjustly neglected Cantus Missae by Rheinberger. I suppose this work will never be a chart-topper, but it must be enormously satisfying to sing with its complex romantic 8-part sonorities and chromatic harmonies. Musica Sacra's performance of Stanford's Magnificat is a veritable tour de force, dramatically alive and vibrant yet sensitive to every expressive musical nuance…The illustrated CD notes are sumptuously produced, with just the right amount of information about composers, texts and the choir itself…Those wanting to know more about this exciting choir are pointed in the direction of their excellent web page—well worth the trouble.

"Best of 2002" (an article listing the 10 best classical albums of 2002)

"The year's finest choral disc" For all its drab cover and title, this is the year's finest choral disc. It takes brains and extensive repertoire knowledge to exhume high-quality rarities from unlikely sources. From Domenico Scarlatti, known almost entirely for his 550 keyboard sonatas, conductor Indra Hughes unearths a remarkably rich and lengthy Stabat Mater. From Rheinberger, notorious for his dull organ works, he digs out a wonderful Cantus Missae. Stanford's Magnificat in B flat and Charles Wood's Nunc Dimittis complete a quartet of meaty fringe works. Even the complex 10-part texture of the Scarlatti doesn't rattle Hughes's outstanding Musica Sacra choir of 30—they sing with passion. Clearly, a choir and conductor on the way up." (Ian Dando, The Listener, 28 December 2002)

"The flood of recordings intended for season buyers has begun, and selective buyers have a large range to choose from. Indra Hughes' Auckland chamber choir, Musica Sacra, is one of this country's quality amateur choirs—perhaps claimants to being the best—whose commitment to their love of choral singing is evident in almost everything they perform. On this new recording made by the indefatigable Wayne Laird and his Atoll label, the choir sing four contrasting and challenging works. The Scarlatti "Stabat Mater" would test the best professional choir with its extraordinary 10-part complexity and its demands on various soloists, all of them members of the ensemble. They give us an excellent performance, ringing with conviction, of music that has many moments of great beauty and mysticism. I was also impressed with Charles Villiers Stanford's "Magnificat", from 1918, another work for double choir rarely attempted by today's choirs, but handled with ease by this group. The music may have been inspired by Bach, but it is entirely within the British choral tradition (though Stanford was Irish-born), and is here given an immaculate, well-balanced performance. The choir does well with the Rheinberger "Cantus Missae" too, though it is not a work that made much of an impression on my tastes, and for its finale, the Charles Wood "Nunc Dimittis" makes an appropriate choice to follow the Stanford. Last year the choir published an excellent disc of Christmas songs. This performance deserves to be as successful. (Bryan James, Otago Daily Times, 23 November 2002)

"...a feast of excellent choral singing…full of riches to behold. The finesse and detail required in weaving the textures and sonorities of an 8-part or double choir setting in polyphonic style are often missed by lesser choirs. Not so here. Indra Hughes pinpointed with crystal clarity the rich polyphonic textures, with the sinuous strands of sound carefully woven into a glorious tapestry displaying subtleties that could easily have been lost. Noticeable were the rich, sonorous and beautifully warm sounds achieved in the softer and middle dynamic range which unfortunately hardened at the fortes and the bloom at the lower dynamics disappeared. The three Brahms motets were exciting and vigorous. A most difficult and complex Bach motet, Singet dem Herrn, proved challenging and rewarding. The imbalance in male voices due to illness proved more noticeable here, with the odd indelicate entry; however the overall quality was excellent and a delight." (Andrew Buchanan-Smart, Waikato Times 4 November 2002, reviewing the Choir's concert of German music given at Waikato University on 2 November)

30 July 2001
The Dream of Gerontius at Auckland Town Hall
extract of review by Prof. Heath Lees (New Zealand Herald)

"…In excellent voice for the first Auckland Gerontius in nearly a decade, the Choral Society was joined by Musica Sacra, whose clean, beautifully launched entries acted like a musical spearhead…Among the choir's strengths were upward leaps of pinpoint accuracy, entries that breathed their way in pianissimo, yet with clarity of articulation that revelled in the Town Hall's acoustics, and a big, full-throated sonority for the high points, like the magnificent setting of Praise to the Holiest."

Reviews of CD Christmas a cappella (2001):

"Christmas Carol CDs don't come better than this. The Auckland unaccompanied 8-part chamber choir under Indra Hughes sing with such joy and vitality compared with the over-churchy aloofness of many carol recitals. Their opening track springs to life with such spontaneity and crisp energy. All is underpinned by fine choral technique and an ability to match style to period as in the fine account of two renaissance motets by Victoria. Hughes's repertoire selection balances old and new perfectly…fresh-sounding descants are finely floated by the sopranos…all recorded with warm reverberance." (Ian Dando in the Christchurch Press)

"…an unusually good issue of Christmas music…superbly sung…Even if you already have a collection of Christmas recordings, don't pass this one by. It is one of the best I have heard, both in choice of carols and in quality of performance." (review by Christopher Moore)

"Christmas a cappella is an elegantly put together CD by Musica Sacra and their conductor Indra Hughes. This relatively new and enterprising Auckland choir have put together a sophisticated classical Christmas CD with a variety of interesting works set off by a colourful cover and informative booklet inside. The choir, singing in Auckland's St Michael's Church, sounds rich in tone and full of colour with the reverb turned full on. I particularly enjoyed the floating, smooth sounds produced in Tomas Luis de Victoria's Ave Maria, and Michael Head's The Little Road To Bethlehem, with its boy-like sopranos and lyrical tenor lines. The New Zealand compositions featured include works by John Wells, Christopher Marshall and an arrangement by Indra Hughes. These pieces add a New Zealand freshness to an effective and well balanced programme. I highly recommend this CD as a reflective, relaxing and timeless escape from the 21st century's frantic Christmas rush." Review by Stephen Rowe in "Breve" (the magazine of the New Zealand Choral Federation)

"Musica Sacra's "Christmas a cappella" (spell it with one 'p' and you've got a little goat bleating away instead of an unaccompanied choir, according to the CD booklet) I listened to as I was making my Christmas cake this season, and a very suitable accompaniment it proved to be: smooth, rich, creamy, beautifully presented, the ultimate in good taste. Overall perhaps there could have been a more nutty texture: the basic tempi are often very similar from work to work and the tone overall is of constant sweet reverence. But a goodly mixture of interesting composers has been stirred in alongside the expected favourites: early music friends like Victoria, new friends in former colleagues of conductor Indra Hughes, the requisite Rutter and Willcocks, and two small pieces by New Zealand choral composers Christopher Marshall and John Wells. This mix is stirred in the expected English traditional manner, big ritardandi at the climaxes, word repetitions under new harmonisations, a reverberant acoustic (St. Michael's in Remuera), but all presented with unfailing good taste. The booklet is artistically presented with complete texts (which are necessary because some are not well known, and in some the long reverberation time makes the words hard to hear) and a lot of useful information is given, such as the origin of the name "a cappella" itself. The two New Zealand works both won prizes in competitions at the Royal School of Church Music, Wells's in 1992 and Marshall's, to words by the indefatigable Shirley Murray, in 2000. And you can tell a book by its cover: the CD case is fronted by a lovely print of an illuminated manuscript, beautifully reproduced, design excellent." (Review by Gillian Bibby, "Music in New Zealand")

"…full-blooded and expressive…" (Rod Biss in the Sunday Star-Times)

"Superb Christmas work in an English Choral Tradition…Musica Sacra is a choir of excellent voices…a fine CD…a particularly good soprano section, and the recording…clear and unfussy." (Bryan James in the Otago Daily Times)

"…a thrilling passion…" (William Dart in the Listener)

A REAL TREAT FOR LOVERS OF FINE CHOIRS

"…Indra Hughes is a choral director of great talent and this choir…is a superb ensemble. [The Victoria Requiem] offered ample evidence of the choir's precision, balance, homogeneity of sound and wonderful command of its austere idiom. One of the charming features of their style is their command of crescendos that allowed their voices to expand organically with the increasing volume of reverberation—one of the beauties, for some the problem—of the great church. Though they had only a short rehearsal time, the choir had speedily mastered the mysteries of the acoustic, turning it notably to their advantage, and they did everything else right, such as suppressing sibilants. Their singing had a wonderful clarity that allowed middle parts to emerge vividly as melody line, as in the attractive Magnificat by Hugh Blair that ended the concert.

Its organ accompaniment was vividly played by choir member Woo-sug Kang. When the choir sang from the front of the sanctuary their sounds projected excellently. But after the fine flamboyance of the organ solo from Hughes—the Variations de Concert by Joseph Bonnet—the choir took up the choir stalls, facing each other, to sing William Harris's Faire is the Heaven: the sound was dissipated. One of the pleasures of the evening was the Annunciation by Auckland composer David Griffiths [the premiere of this work, written for Musica Sacra]: a setting of a challenging, dense, metaphysical poem by John Donne, Griffiths' masterly, suspenseful music elucidated it superbly." (Lindis Taylor in the Wellington Evening Post, reviewing a concert by Musica Sacra in St Paul's Cathedral, Wellington in November 2001)