Chant for Peace. Cistercian Monks, Timna Brauer (soprano), Elias Meire Ensemble. Deutsche Grammophon CD
Music for Paradise and Pope Benedict XVI is one of the fans of their Gregorian chants.
They return with another winner, combining the purity of their voices with a best-selling Jewish woman singer and her backing by the small musical ensemble (Meire on keyboards, frame drum, darabuka, cajon and backing vocals, guitarist and cellist).
The 24-track disc mixes music proclaiming a divine peacefulness and hope for the future with a harmony between chanting monks and a female voice, the daring cross-faith blending of Christian and Jewish chant.
Verdict: Audacious, peacefully enchanting music.
Between Darkness and Light. Jenny Wollerman (soprano), Michael Houstoun (piano). Rattle CD
The sparkling gems of this are Houstoun's two solo performances: Ravel's Sonatine in F Sharp Minor, and Prokofiev's Harp Prelude in C Major Op.12.
The other 18 duet tracks include works by Faure, Barber, Vaughan Williams, Hahn, Rachmaninov, Brahms, Strauss, Wolf and Debussy, along with two weak modern works by Madeleine Dring and Andre Previn.
Wollerman's voice is finely tuned but these performances with their generally chilly themes do not often warm the heart, missing the visual effects praised in concert performance.
Clear recording, however, and nicely packaged with all the lyrics.
Verdict: More shadow than brightness.
