Tenebrae refers to the gradual extinguishing of candles, one by one, during the last three days in Holy Week, symbolizing Christ's death and three days in the tomb. The choral group Tenebrae, in keeping with this holy tradition, performs only by candlelight, and the resultant darkness impresses live audiences with its gravity, mood, and the lack of distraction it offers from the sound of the choir. Allegri Miserere is the seventh disc that Tenebrae, led by founder Nigel Short, has made for the U.K.-based label Signum, and ...
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Tenebrae refers to the gradual extinguishing of candles, one by one, during the last three days in Holy Week, symbolizing Christ's death and three days in the tomb. The choral group Tenebrae, in keeping with this holy tradition, performs only by candlelight, and the resultant darkness impresses live audiences with its gravity, mood, and the lack of distraction it offers from the sound of the choir. Allegri Miserere is the seventh disc that Tenebrae, led by founder Nigel Short, has made for the U.K.-based label Signum, and rather than resorting to a program consisting of atmospheric choral pieces from the Baroque and Renaissance comparable to the title track, frames it with a number of similar selections drawn mostly from twentieth century literature. The main exception to this rule is the inclusion of the Antonio Lotti Crucifixus, so closely identified with the Allegri that its omission would have seemed an oversight.Several of these pieces are choral works that have come to prominence toward the end...
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