Sea to the West: Contemporary Music for Voice
This collection of new works for voice by British and Irish composers demonstrates the wide range of styles and structures available even within the genre of solo vocal music and also gives an opportunity to hear the exquisite and virtuosic singing of Elizabeth Hilliard. In some works she is accompanied by discreet electronic sounds and by overdubbing her voice. This album is a fine way to explore new vocal music which is both exploratory and individualistic but also attractive and sensuous.
Track Listing
-
Christopher Fox:
- Sea to the West (10:17) Linda Buckley:
- Numarimur (12:39) Gráinne Mulvey:
- Phonology Garden (10:26) Christopher Fox:
- Magnification (10:52) Gráinne Mulvey:
- Eternity is Now (4:08) David Bremner:
- Logic Ballad #2 (20:40)
Reviews
“The considerable demands on the soloist are superbly realised in this recording. Terrific performance by Elizabeth Hilliard, which is wonderfully controlled in terms of vocal colour and dramatic urgency (even at reduced dynamic levels) – a triumph for both composer and performer.
” —Martin O'Leary
““Elizabeth Hilliard has a wonderfully full voice, a great range and the musical imagination to bring life to contemporary ambient soundscapes. This is introspective music that puts the listener in a ravishing but ultimately spare and rarified zone.The composers and Elizabeth’s wonderful voice make it all work… this is a captivating change of pace.”
” —Grego Applegate Edwards
““This is a highly specialized but massively rewarding disc. . Christopher Fox’s music is never less than fascinating… Fox’s aural imagination is simply remarkable: haunting does not even begin to cover it. Irish composer Linda Buckley contributes Nùmarìmur… Hilliard’s plangent, pure sound seems absolutely perfect; more, her control in the hypnotic repetitions of fragments around five minutes in is stunning. The disc is in fact a huge achievement for Elizabeth Hilliard. It is also an enriching experience for the listener.”
” —Colin Clarke
““The works here are all for solo soprano. But the overall effect is anything but solo, with electronics providing independent background as well as accumulations of Elizabeth Hilliard’s pure voice.”
” —Michael Dervan
